Section 25244.13 Of Article 11.9. Pollution Prevention And Hazardous Waste Source Reduction And Management Review Act From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 20. >> Chapter 6.5. >> Article 11.9.
25244.13
. The Legislature finds and declares as follows:
(a) Existing law requires the department and the State Water
Resources Control Board to promote the reduction of generated
hazardous waste. This policy, in combination with hazardous waste
land disposal bans, requires the rapid development of new programs
and incentives for achieving the goal of optimal minimization of the
generation of hazardous wastes. Substantial improvements and
additions to the state's hazardous waste reduction program are
required to be made if these goals are to be achieved.
(b) Hazardous waste source reduction provides substantial benefits
to the state's economy by maximizing use of materials, avoiding
generation of waste materials, improving business efficiency,
enhancing revenues of companies that provide products and services in
the state, increasing the economic competitiveness of businesses
located in the state, and protecting the state's precious and
valuable natural resources.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature to expand the state's
pollution prevention activities beyond those directly associated with
source reduction evaluation reviews and plans. The expanded program,
which is intended to accelerate pollution prevention, shall include
programs to promote implementation of pollution prevention measures
using education, outreach, and other effective voluntary techniques
demonstrated in California or other states.
(d) It is the intent of the Legislature for the department to
maximize the use of its available resources in implementing the
pollution prevention program through cooperation with other entities,
including, but not limited to, CUPAs, small business development
corporations, business environmental assistance centers, and other
regional and local government environmental programs. To the extent
feasible, the department shall utilize cooperative programs with
entities that routinely contact small business to expand its support
of small business pollution prevention activities.
(e) It is the goal of this article to do all of the following:
(1) Reduce the generation of hazardous waste.
(2) Reduce the release into the environment of chemical
contaminants that have adverse and serious health or environmental
effects.
(3) Document hazardous waste management information and make that
information available to state and local government.
(f) It is the intent of this article to promote the reduction of
hazardous waste at its source, and wherever source reduction is not
feasible or practicable, to encourage recycling. Where it is not
feasible to reduce or recycle hazardous waste, the waste should be
treated in an environmentally safe manner to minimize the present and
future threat to health and the environment.
(g) It is the intent of the Legislature not to preclude the
regulation of environmentally harmful releases to all media,
including air, land, surface water, and groundwater, and to encourage
and promote the reduction of these releases to air, land, surface
water, and groundwater.
(h) It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage all state
departments and agencies, especially the State Water Resources
Control Board, the California regional water quality control boards,
the State Air Resources Board, the air pollution control districts,
and the air quality management districts, to promote the reduction of
environmentally harmful releases to all media.