33459.1
. (a) (1) An agency may take any actions that the agency
determines are necessary and that are consistent with other state and
federal laws to remedy or remove a release of hazardous substances
on, under, or from property within a project area, whether the agency
owns that property or not, subject to the conditions specified in
subdivision (b). Unless an administering agency has been designated
under Section 25262, the agency shall request cleanup guidelines from
the department or the California regional water quality control
board before taking action to remedy or remove a release. The
department or the California regional water quality control board
shall respond to the agency's request to provide cleanup guidelines
within a reasonable period of time. The agency shall thereafter
submit for approval a cleanup or remedial action plan to the
department or the California regional water quality control board
before taking action to remedy or remove a release. The department or
the California regional water quality control board shall respond to
the agency's request for approval of a cleanup or remedial action
plan within a reasonable period of time.
(2) The agency shall provide the department and local health and
building departments, the California regional water quality control
board, with notification of any cleanup activity pursuant to this
section at least 30 days before the commencement of the activity. If
an action taken by an agency or a responsible party to remedy or
remove a release of a hazardous substance does not meet, or is not
consistent with, a remedial action plan or cleanup plan approved by
the department or the California regional water quality control
board, the department or the California regional water quality
control board that approved the cleanup or remedial action plan may
require the agency to take, or cause the taking of, additional action
to remedy or remove the release, as provided by applicable law. If
an administering agency for the site has been designated under
Section 25262, any requirement for additional action may be imposed
only as provided in Sections 25263 and 25265. If methane or landfill
gas is present, the agency shall obtain written approval from the
California Integrated Waste Management Board prior to taking that
action.
(b) Except as provided in subdivision (c), an agency may take the
actions specified in subdivision (a) only under one of the following
conditions:
(1) There is no responsible party for the release identified by
the agency.
(2) A party determined by the agency to be a responsible party for
the release has been notified by the agency or has received adequate
notice from the department, a California regional water quality
control board, the Environmental Protection Agency, or other
governmental agency with relevant authority and has been given 60
days to respond and to propose a remedial action plan and schedule,
and the responsible party has not agreed within an additional 60 days
to implement a plan and schedule to remedy or remove the release
that is acceptable to the agency and that has been found by the
agency to be consistent, to the maximum extent possible, with the
priorities, guidelines, criteria, and regulations contained in the
National Contingency Plan and published pursuant to Section 9605 of
Title 42 of the United States Code for similar releases, situations,
or events.
(3) The party determined by the agency to be the responsible party
for the hazardous substance release entered into an agreement with
the agency to prepare a remedial action plan for approval by the
department, the California regional water quality control board, or
the appropriate local agency and to implement the remedial action
plan in accordance with an agreed schedule, but failed to prepare the
remedial action plan, failed to implement the remedial action plan
in accordance with the agreed schedule, or otherwise failed to carry
out the remedial action in an appropriate and timely manner. Any
action taken by the agency pursuant to this paragraph shall be
consistent with any agreement between the agency and the responsible
party and with the requirements of the state or local agency that
approved or will approve the remedial action plan and is overseeing
or will oversee the preparation and implementation of the remedial
action plan.
(c) Subdivision (b) does not apply to either of the following
agencies:
(1) An agency taking actions to investigate or conduct feasibility
studies concerning a release.
(2) An agency taking the actions specified in subdivision (a) if
the agency determines that conditions require immediate action.
(d) An agency may designate a local agency in lieu of the
department or the California regional water quality control board to
review and approve a cleanup or remedial action plan and to oversee
the remediation or removal of hazardous substances from a specific
hazardous substance release site in accordance with the following
conditions:
(1) The local agency may be so designated if it is designated as
the administering agency under Section 25262. In that event, the
local agency, as the administering agency, shall conduct the
oversight of the remedial action in accordance with Chapter 6.65
(commencing with Section 25260) and all provisions of that chapter
shall apply to the remedial action.
(2) The local agency may be so designated if cleanup guidelines
were requested from a California regional water quality control
board, and the site is an underground storage tank site subject to
Chapter 6.7 (commencing with Section 25280) of Division 20, the local
agency has been certified as a certified unified program agency
pursuant to Section 25404.1, the State Water Resources Control Board
has entered into an agreement with the local agency for oversight of
those sites pursuant to Section 25297.1, the local agency determines
that the site is within the guidelines and protocols established in,
and pursuant to, that agreement, and the local agency consents to the
designation.
(3) A local agency may not consent to the designation by an agency
unless the local agency determines that it has adequate staff
resources and the requisite technical expertise and capabilities
available to adequately supervise the remedial action.
(4) (A) Where a local agency has been designated pursuant to
paragraph (2), the department or a California regional water quality
control board may require that a local agency withdraw from the
designation, after providing the agency with adequate notice, if both
of the following conditions are met:
(i) The department or a California regional water quality control
board determines that an agency's designation of a local agency was
not consistent with paragraph (2), or makes one of the findings
specified in subdivision (d) of Section 101480.
(ii) The department or a California regional water quality control
board determines that it has adequate staff resources and
capabilities available to adequately supervise the remedial action,
and assumes that responsibility.
(B) Nothing in this paragraph prevents a California regional water
quality control board from taking any action pursuant to Division 7
(commencing with Section 13000) of the Water Code.
(5) Where a local agency has been designated pursuant to paragraph
(2), the local agency may, after providing the agency with adequate
notice, withdraw from its designation after making one of the
findings specified in subdivision (d) of Section 101480.
(e) To facilitate redevelopment planning, the agency may require
the owner or operator of any site within a project area to provide
the agency with all existing environmental information pertaining to
the site, including the results of any Phase I or subsequent
environmental assessment, as defined in Section 25200.14, any
assessment conducted pursuant to an order from, or agreement with,
any federal, state or local agency, and any other environmental
assessment information, except that which is determined to be
privileged. The person requested to furnish the information shall be
required only to furnish that information as may be within their
possession or control, including actual knowledge of information
within the possession or control of any other party. If environmental
assessment information is not available, the agency may require the
owner of the property to conduct an assessment in accordance with
standard real estate practices for conducting phase I or phase II
environmental assessments.