Section 25135 Of Article 3.5. Hazardous Waste Management Plans From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 20. >> Chapter 6.5. >> Article 3.5.
25135
. (a) The Legislature finds and declares as follows:
(1) An effective planning process involving public and private
sector participation exists at the county level for establishing new,
or expanding existing, solid waste facilities, but an equivalent
process has not been established at the local level to plan for the
management of hazardous wastes.
(2) Counties are presently required to prepare solid waste
management plans for all waste disposal within each county and for
all waste originating in each county. While the department has
requested that counties include in their solid waste management plans
a hazardous waste management element, there is not presently a clear
mandate that they do so.
(3) Hazardous waste management planning at the local level has
been hampered because the department has not provided the counties
with adequate and comprehensive planning guidelines, there is a lack
of accurate data on hazardous waste generation, handling, and
disposal practices, adequate funding has not been available, and
local expertise in hazardous waste planning has not been developed.
(4) The failure to plan for the safe and effective management of
hazardous wastes has contributed to the public's general uncertainty
in viewing proposals to site hazardous waste facilities at various
locations throughout the state. Because advance planning has not
taken place, local governments are not prepared to consider siting
proposals and the public has not received adequate answers to
questions concerning the need for proposed facilities.
(5) Safe and responsible management of hazardous wastes is one of
the most important environmental problems facing the state at the
present time. It is critical to the protection of the public health
and the environment, and to the economic growth of the state. If
environmentally sound hazardous waste facilities are not available to
effectively manage the hazardous wastes produced by the many
industries of the state, economic activity will be hampered and the
economy cannot prosper.
(b) The Legislature, therefore, declares that it is in the public
interest to establish an effective process for hazardous waste
management planning at the local level. This process is consistent
with the responsibility of local governments to assure that adequate
treatment and disposal capacity is available to manage the hazardous
wastes generated within their jurisdictions.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the hazardous waste
management plans prepared pursuant to this article serve as the
primary planning document for hazardous waste management at the local
level; that the plans be integrated with other local land use
planning activities to ensure that suitable locations are available
for needed hazardous waste facilities; that land uses adjacent to, or
near, hazardous waste facilities, or proposed sites for these
facilities, are compatible with their operation; and that the plans
are prepared with the full and meaningful involvement of the public,
environmental groups, civic associations, generators of hazardous
wastes, and the hazardous waste management industry.
(d) It is further the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this
article, to define the respective responsibilities of state and local
governments in hazardous waste management planning; to establish a
comprehensive planning process in which state and local government,
the public, and industry jointly develop safe and effective solutions
for the management and disposal of hazardous wastes; to ensure that
local governments are assisted adequately by the state in carrying
out their responsibilities; and to provide funding for local-level
planning.