44501
. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) It is necessary and essential that the state, in cooperation
with the federal government, use all practical means and measures to
control, remediate, and eliminate pollution hazards to the
environment, provide clean water, and enable alternative and
renewable sources of energy. Industry within this state utilizes
processes and facilities that have significant environmental impact.
These processes and facilities need to be modified and supplemented
to meet the quality standards established, and to be established, for
the control and remediation of environmental pollution. Industry
needs and requires new methods to finance the capital outlays
required for the devices, equipment, and facilities utilized in
pollution control if they are to rapidly comply with the quality
standards established by the state and federal governments, and if
they are to rapidly remediate contaminated properties so that those
properties can be reused for economically beneficial purposes.
(b) The disposal of waste products by methods such as incineration
and landfill pollute the environment by degrading air and water
quality. In order to reduce the environmental pollution that
currently occurs in connection with the disposal of waste products,
there is a need to develop new and alternative processes and
facilities that provide for the disposal of those waste products in
ways that prevent or reduce environmental degradation. Those new and
alternative processes and facilities include those that recover
resources and energy from waste products. In order to prevent further
environmental degradation resulting from contamination caused by the
release of waste products and hazardous materials, there is a need
to encourage the remediation of that contamination of properties with
the potential for economically beneficial reuse.
(c) The alternate method of financing provided in this division is
in the public interest and serves a public purpose and will promote
the health, welfare, and safety of the citizens of the state.
(d) California is expected to undergo tremendous population growth
by the addition of millions of new jobs, new residents, and new
households. This constitutes more rapid growth than California
experienced during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, combined. As a result
of this unprecedented growth, the long-term environmental quality of
the state depends, in part, on altering current growth patterns by
adopting policies and programs that promote new forms of sustainable
development and that will help reduce pollution and the degradation
of the environment. A key element of sustainable development is
infill development and the revitalization of existing communities.
Sustainable development will result in the remediation of
brownfields, reduce traffic and auto pollution, and help preserve
open spaces. Many communities in California do not have the resources
or expertise to identify and compete for state, federal, or private
assistance in order to develop and implement environmentally
sensitive growth policies and programs for economically struggling
neighborhoods. Assisting economically distressed counties and cities
to develop and implement sustainable and environmentally sensitive
growth policies and programs that increase the utilization of
unproductive properties within existing communities will help reduce
environmental hazards created by brownfields and traffic congestion,
while aiding in the revitalization of economically struggling
neighborhoods and the preservation of open space at the urban edges.
The grant and loan program provided in this division is in the public
interest, serves a public purpose, and will promote the health,
welfare, and safety of the citizens of the state.
(e) Real property contaminated with hazardous substances is a
continuing blight on communities. Estimates suggest there are between
67,000 and 119,000 contaminated sites, commonly referred to as
"brownfields," throughout the state. Located in existing communities,
many of these sites are abandoned, idle, or underutilized due to a
combination of factors, including legal liability concerns,
regulatory issues, and the costs of pollution cleanup. Additionally,
many of the undeveloped brownfields in the state are located within
communities with depressed land values and pressing economic need,
communities often characterized by a lack of capital investment. The
remediation and development of brownfields is an important component
of revitalizing existing communities and supporting sustainable
growth patterns. While remediation and development activities should
focus on brownfield sites that, although contaminated, have the
potential for economically beneficial reuse, there currently exist
few, if any, sources for financing the assessment, planning, and
reporting activities that are the necessary first steps toward
determining whether a site has the potential for economically
beneficial reuse.
(f) The California Pollution Control Financing Authority should
work in conjunction with public and private sector entities,
including, but not limited to, cities, counties, school districts,
redevelopment agencies, and financial institutions, to assist in
financing, through loans, the cost of performing or obtaining site
assessments, remedial action plans technical assistance, and reports,
and where it is determined that a site has the potential for
economically beneficial reuse, the cleanup, remediation, or
development of brownfield sites. The loan program provided by this
division is in the public interest, serves a public purpose, and will
promote the health, welfare, and safety of the citizens of the
state.