Hazardous substances: liability recovery actions.

(1) Existing law, the Carpenter-Presley-Tanner Hazardous Substance Account Act, imposes liability for hazardous substances removal or remedial actions and requires the Attorney General to recover from the liable person, as defined, certain costs incurred by the Department of Toxic Substances Control or a California regional water quality control board, upon the request of the department or regional board. The act authorizes, except as specified, a party found liable for any costs or expenditures recoverable under the act for those actions to establish, as specified, that only a portion of those costs or expenditures are attributable to the party, and requires the party to pay only for that portion. If each party does not establish its liability, the act requires a court to apportion those costs or expenditures, as specified, among the defendants and the remaining portion of the judgment is required to be paid from the Toxic Substances Control Account. Existing law authorizes the money deposited in the Toxic Substances Control Account in the General Fund to be appropriated to the Department of Toxic Substances Control for specified purposes, including the payment of the costs incurred by the state for those actions. This bill would specifically apply those provisions to response and corrective actions, instead of to removal and remedial actions, and would delete the requirement that the remaining portion of a judgment for costs and expenditures that is not apportioned among the liable persons be paid from that account. (2) The act requires an action brought pursuant to it for the recovery of the costs of a removal or remedial action, or for the recovery of specified administrative costs, to be commenced within 3 years after completion of the removal or remedial action has been certified by the department. This bill would, except as provided, instead allow an action for the recovery of the costs of carrying out or overseeing a response or corrective action to be commenced either within that 3-year period or, if operation and maintenance is required as part of the response or corrective action, within 3 years after completion of operation and maintenance has been certified by the department or a regional board.