(a) There is in the General Fund the Hazardous Waste Control Account, which shall be administered by the director. In addition to any other money that may be deposited in the Hazardous Waste Control Account, pursuant to statute, all of the following amounts shall be deposited in the account:
(1) The fees collected pursuant to Sections 25174.1, 25205.2, 25205.5, 25205.15, and 25205.16.
(2) The fees collected pursuant to Section 25187.2, to the extent that those fees are for the oversight of corrective action taken under this chapter.
(3) Any interest earned upon the money deposited in the Hazardous Waste Control Account.
(4) Any money received from the federal government pursuant to the federal act.
(5) Any reimbursements for funds expended from the Hazardous Waste Control Account for services provided by the department pursuant to this chapter, including, but not limited to, the reimbursements required pursuant to Sections 25201.9 and 25205.7.
(b) The funds deposited in the Hazardous Waste Control Account may be appropriated by the Legislature, for expenditure as follows:
(1) To the department for the administration and implementation of this chapter.
(2) To the department for allocation to the State Board of Equalization to pay refunds of fees collected pursuant to Sections 43051 and 43053 of the Revenue and Taxation Code and for the administration and collection of the fees imposed pursuant to Article 9.1 (commencing with Section 25205.1) that are deposited into the Hazardous Waste Control Account.
(3) To the department for the costs of performance or review of analyses of past, present, or potential environmental public health effects related to toxic substances, including extremely hazardous waste, as defined in Section 25115, and hazardous waste, as defined in Section 25117.
(4) (A) To the department for allocation to the office of the Attorney General for the support of the Toxic Substance Enforcement Program in the office of the Attorney General, in carrying out the purposes of this chapter.
(B) On or before October 1 of each year, the Attorney General shall report to the Legislature on the expenditure of any funds allocated to the office of the Attorney General for the preceding fiscal year pursuant to this paragraph and paragraph (14) of subdivision (b) of Section 25173.6. The report shall include all of the following:
(i) A description of cases resolved by the office of the Attorney General through settlement or court order, including the monetary benefit to the department and the state.
(ii) A description of injunctions or other court orders benefiting the people of the state.
(iii) A description of any cases in which the Attorney General’s Toxic Substance Enforcement Program is representing the department or the state against claims by defendants or responsible parties.
(iv) A description of other pending litigation handled by the Attorney General’s Toxic Substance Enforcement Program.
(C) Nothing in subparagraph (C) shall require the Attorney General to report on any confidential or investigatory matter.
(5) To the department for administration and implementation of Chapter 6.11 (commencing with Section 25404).
(c) (1) Expenditures from the Hazardous Waste Control Account for support of state agencies other than the department shall, upon appropriation by the Legislature to the department, be subject to an interagency agreement or similar mechanism between the department and the state agency receiving the support.
(2) The department shall, at the time of the release of the annual Governor’s Budget, describe the budgetary amounts proposed to be allocated to the State Board of Equalization, as specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) and in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 25173.6, for the upcoming fiscal year.
(3) It is the intent of the Legislature that moneys appropriated in the annual Budget Act each year for the purpose of reimbursing the State Board of Equalization, a private party, or other public agency, for the administration and collection of the fees imposed pursuant to Article 9.1 (commencing with Section 25205.1) and deposited in the Hazardous Waste Control Account, shall not exceed the costs incurred by the State Board of Equalization, the private party, or other public agency, for the administration and collection of those fees.
(d) With respect to expenditures for the purposes of paragraphs (1) and (3) of subdivision (b) and paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 25173.6, the department shall, at the time of the release of the annual Governor’s Budget, also make available the budgetary amounts and allocations of staff resources of the department proposed for the following activities:
(1) The department shall identify, by permit type, the projected allocations of budgets and staff resources for hazardous waste facilities permits, including standardized permits, closure plans, and postclosure permits.
(2) The department shall identify, with regard to surveillance and enforcement activities, the projected allocations of budgets and staff resources for the following types of regulated facilities and activities:
(A) Hazardous waste facilities operating under a permit or grant of interim status issued by the department, and generator activities conducted at those facilities. This information shall be reported by permit type.
(B) Transporters.
(C) Response to complaints.
(3) The department shall identify the projected allocations of budgets and staff resources for both of the following activities:
(A) The registration of hazardous waste transporters.
(B) The operation and maintenance of the hazardous waste manifest system.
(4) The department shall identify, with regard to site mitigation and corrective action, the projected allocations of budgets and staff resources for the oversight and implementation of the following activities:
(A) Investigations and removal and remedial actions at military bases.
(B) Voluntary investigations and removal and remedial actions.
(C) State match and operation and maintenance costs, by site, at joint state and federally funded National Priority List Sites.
(D) Investigation, removal and remedial actions, and operation and maintenance at the Stringfellow Hazardous Waste Site.
(E) Investigation, removal and remedial actions, and operation and maintenance at the Casmalia Hazardous Waste Site.
(F) Investigations and removal and remedial actions at nonmilitary, responsible party lead National Priority List Sites.
(G) Preremedial activities under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 9601 et seq.).
(H) Investigations, removal and remedial actions, and operation and maintenance at state-only orphan sites.
(I) Investigations and removal and remedial actions at nonmilitary, non-National Priority List responsible party lead sites.
(J) Investigations, removal and remedial actions, and operation and maintenance at Expedited Remedial Action Program sites pursuant to former Chapter 6.85 (commencing with Section 25396).
(K) Corrective actions at hazardous waste facilities.
(5) The department shall identify, with regard to the regulation of hazardous waste, the projected allocation of budgets and staff resources for the following activities:
(A) Determinations pertaining to the classification of hazardous wastes.
(B) Determinations for variances made pursuant to Section 25143.
(C) Other determinations and responses to public inquiries made by the department regarding the regulation of hazardous waste and hazardous substances.
(6) The department shall identify projected allocations of budgets and staff resources needed to do all of the following:
(A) Identify, remove, store, and dispose of, suspected hazardous substances or hazardous materials associated with the investigation of clandestine drug laboratories.
(B) Respond to emergencies pursuant to Section 25354.
(C) Create, support, maintain, and implement the railroad accident prevention and immediate deployment plan developed pursuant to Section 7718 of the Public Utilities Code.
(7) The department shall identify projected allocations of budgets and staff resources for the administration and implementation of the unified hazardous waste and hazardous materials regulatory program established pursuant to Chapter 6.11 (commencing with Section 25404).
(8) The department shall identify the total cumulative expenditures of the Regulatory Structure Update and Site Mitigation Update projects since their inception, and shall identify the total projected allocations of budgets and staff resources that are needed to continue these projects.
(9) The department shall identify the total projected allocations of budgets and staff resources that are necessary for all other activities proposed to be conducted by the department.
(e) Notwithstanding this chapter, or Part 22 (commencing with Section 43001) of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, for any fees, surcharges, fines, penalties, and funds that are required to be deposited into the Hazardous Waste Control Account or the Toxic Substances Control Account, the department, with the approval of the Secretary for Environmental Protection, may take any of the following actions:
(1) Assume responsibility for, or enter into a contract with a private party or with another public agency, other than the State Board of Equalization, for the collection of any fees, surcharges, fines, penalties and funds described in subdivision (a) or otherwise described in this chapter or Chapter 6.8 (commencing with Section 25300), for deposit into the Hazardous Waste Control Account or the Toxic Substances Control Account.
(2) Administer, or by mutual agreement, contract with a private party or another public agency, for the making of those determinations and the performance of functions that would otherwise be the responsibility of the State Board of Equalization pursuant to this chapter, Chapter 6.8 (commencing with Section 25300), or Part 22 (commencing with Section 43001) of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, if those activities and functions for which the State Board of Equalization would otherwise be responsible become the responsibility of the department or, by mutual agreement, the contractor selected by the department.
(f) If, pursuant to subdivision (e), the department, or a private party or another public agency, pursuant to a contract with the department, performs the determinations and functions that would otherwise be the responsibility of the State Board of Equalization, the department shall be responsible for ensuring that persons who are subject to the fees specified in subdivision (e) have equivalent rights to public notice and comment, and procedural and substantive rights of appeal, as afforded by the procedures of the State Board of Equalization pursuant to Part 22 (commencing with Section 43001) of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code. Final responsibility for the administrative adjustment of fee rates and the administrative appeal of any fees or penalty assessments made pursuant to this section may only be assigned by the department to a public agency.
(g) If, pursuant to subdivision (e), the department, or a private party or another public agency, pursuant to a contract with the department, performs the determinations and functions that would otherwise be the responsibility of the State Board of Equalization, the department shall have equivalent authority to make collections and enforce judgments as provided to the State Board of Equalization pursuant to Part 22 (commencing with Section 43001) of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code. Unpaid amounts, including penalties and interest, shall be a perfected and enforceable state tax lien in accordance with Section 43413 of the Revenue and Taxation Code.
(h) The department, with the concurrence of the Secretary for Environmental Protection, shall determine which administrative functions should be retained by the State Board of Equalization, administered by the department, or assigned to another public agency or private party pursuant to subdivisions (e), (f), and (g).
(i) The department may adopt regulations to implement subdivisions (e) to (h), inclusive.
(j) The Director of Finance, upon request of the director, may make a loan from the General Fund to the Hazardous Waste Control Account to meet cash needs. The loan shall be subject to the repayment provisions of Section 16351 of the Government Code and the interest provisions of Section 16314 of the Government Code.
(k) The department shall establish, within the Hazardous Waste Control Account, a reserve of at least one million dollars ($1,000,000) each year to ensure that all programs funded by the Hazardous Waste Control Account will not be adversely affected by any revenue shortfalls.
(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 39, Sec. 33. (SB 1018) Effective June 27, 2012.)