Hazardous materials management: stationary sources.

Existing law requires the Secretary for Environmental Protection to implement a unified hazardous waste and hazardous materials management regulatory program. Existing law requires every county to apply to the secretary to be certified to implement the unified program and allows a city or local agency to implement the unified program as a unified program agency. Existing law requires a stationary source, as defined, engaging in activities with certain substances present in more than a threshold quantity to prepare and submit a risk management plan, if the unified program agency makes a determination that there is a significant likelihood of a regulated substances accident risk. Existing law requires owners and operators of certain stationary sources, when contracting for the performance of construction, alteration, demolition, installation, repair, or maintenance work at one of these stationary sources, to require that its contractors and any subcontractors use a skilled and trained workforce, including skilled journeypersons, to perform all onsite work within an apprenticeable occupation in the building and construction trades. Existing law exempts an owner or operator from that requirement if the contract was awarded before January 1, 2014, unless the contract is extended or renewed after that date. Existing law requires a worker, among other requirements, to have completed, within the prior 2 calendar years, at least 20 hours of approved advanced safety training for workers at high hazard facilities to qualify as a "skilled journeyperson" for purposes of performing this work on or after January 1, 2018. This bill would instead require a worker to have completed, within the prior 3 calendar years, at least 20 hours of this approved advanced safety training to qualify as a "skilled journeyperson" for purposes of performing this work on or after July 1, 2018. This bill would require, on or before February 1, 2018, an owner or operator who claims the exemption for a contract awarded before January 1, 2014, to file with the unified program agency a complete copy of the contract and a 2nd copy of the contract that has been redacted only to the extent necessary to protect sensitive information and that includes the identity of the contractor, the scope of the work covered by the contract, the date of execution of the contract, and the term of the contract. The bill would specify that the unredacted copy of the contract is not a public record and would require the unified program agency to keep that copy confidential. The bill would require the redacted copy to be a public record available for inspection from the unified program agency. Because the bill would add to the duties of a unified program agency and because a violation of the bill's requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.