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.
(Amended by Stats. 2009, Ch. 643, Sec. 1. (SB 832) Effective November 2, 2009.)