Hazardous waste: funding.

Existing law, the Carpenter-Presley-Tanner Hazardous Substance Account Act (California Superfund Act) , imposes liability for hazardous substance removal or remedial actions and authorizes moneys in the Toxic Substances Control Account in the General Fund to be expended by the Department of Toxic Substances Control to pay, among other things, all costs of removal or remedial actions incurred by the state and for the state's share of the costs of removal or remedial actions mandated by the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, commonly known as the Federal Superfund Act. Existing law expresses the intent of the Legislature that the funds deposited in the account be appropriated in the annual Budget Act each year in a specified manner, including not less than $6,750,000 to the Site Remediation Account in the General Fund for direct site remediation costs, as defined. Existing law defines orphan sites as those with no reasonably identifiable responsible parties. This bill would instead express the intent of the Legislature that the funds deposited in the account be appropriated in the annual Budget Act each year to the Site Remediation Account in an amount that is sufficient to pay for estimated costs for direct site remediation at both federal Superfund orphan sites and at state orphan sites, and that not less than $10,750,000 be appropriated in the annual Budget Act each year to the Site Remediation Account for direct site remediation costs. The bill would require the department to include those estimated costs in a report submitted to the Legislature with the Governor's Budget each year. Existing law requires the department to provide the State Board of Equalization with a schedule of codes identifying the types of organizations that use, generate, store, or conduct activities in this state related to hazardous materials. Each organization type identified in the schedule is required to pay an annual fee, which is deposited in the Toxic Substances Control Account. Existing law expresses the intent that those organization fee rates are intended to provide sufficient revenue to fund, among other things, appropriations in any given fiscal year of $3,300,000 to fund the state's clean-up obligation under the Federal Superfund Act. If the department determines that the state's obligation under the Federal Superfund Act will exceed $3,300,000 in any fiscal year, existing law requires the department to report that determination to the Legislature in the Governor's Budget. This bill would repeal that expression of legislative intent and a related requirement that the Legislature specify in the annual Budget Act changes to those rates necessary to fund the state's increased obligation under the Federal Superfund Act. The bill would instead express the intent of the Legislature that those rates are intended to provide sufficient revenue to fund appropriations in any given fiscal year to fund the state's obligation under the Federal Superfund Act. This bill would also make conforming changes and delete obsolete provisions.