SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed legislation to strengthen penalties for repeat violations of hazardous waste laws and to assist the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) with the recovery of cleanup costs.
The Governor signed the following bills today:
• AB 273 by the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials: Increases the interest rate charged by DTSC on unpaid penalties and other invoices to 7 percent per annum until June 30, 2021, and 10 percent per annum thereafter.
• AB 274 by the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials: Authorizes DTSC to prioritize cost recovery efforts in order to use resources most efficiently.
• AB 275 by the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials: Requires DTSC to file an action to recover oversight and cleanup costs within three years after completion of all response actions have been certified.
• AB 276 by the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials: Authorizes DTSC to require hazardous waste managers to ensure their ability to pay for or perform a cleanup, should it become necessary.
• AB 1075 by Assemblymember Luis Alejo (D-Watsonville): Requires DTSC to suspend or revoke the permit of a federal hazardous waste facility due to serious and repeat hazardous waste violations.
For full text of the bills, visit: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov