As a condition of receiving state funding pursuant to Chapter 12.5 (commencing with Section 17070.10), the governing board of a school district shall comply with subdivision (a), and is not required to comply with subdivision (a) of Section 17213, prior to the acquisition of a schoolsite, or if the school district owns or leases a schoolsite, prior to the construction of a project.

(a) Prior to acquiring a schoolsite, the governing board shall contract with an environmental assessor to supervise the preparation of, and sign, a Phase I environmental assessment of the proposed schoolsite unless the governing board decides to proceed directly to a preliminary endangerment assessment, in which case it shall comply with paragraph (4).

(1) The Phase I environmental assessment shall contain one of the following recommendations:

(A) A further investigation of the site is not required.

(B) A preliminary endangerment assessment is needed, including sampling or testing, to determine the following:

(i) If a release of hazardous material has occurred and, if so, the extent of the release.

(ii) If there is the threat of a release of hazardous materials.

(iii) If a naturally occurring hazardous material is present.

(2) If the Phase I environmental assessment concludes that further investigation of the site is not required, the signed assessment, proof that the environmental assessor meets the qualifications specified in subdivision (b) of Section 17210, and the renewal fee shall be submitted to the Department of Toxic Substances Control. The Department of Toxic Substances Control shall conduct its review and approval, within 30 calendar days of its receipt of that assessment, proof of qualifications, and the renewal fee. In those instances in which the Department of Toxic Substances Control requests additional information after receipt of the Phase I environmental assessment pursuant to paragraph (3), the Department of Toxic Substances Control shall conduct its review and approval within 30 calendar days of its receipt of the requested additional information. If the Department of Toxic Substances Control concurs with the conclusion of the Phase I environmental assessment that a further investigation of the site is not required, the Department of Toxic Substances Control shall approve the Phase I environmental assessment and shall notify, in writing, the State Department of Education and the governing board of the school district of the approval.

(3) If the Department of Toxic Substances Control determines that the Phase I environmental assessment is not complete or disapproves the Phase I environmental assessment, the department shall inform the school district of the decision, the basis for the decision, and actions necessary to secure department approval of the Phase I environmental assessment. The school district shall take actions necessary to secure the approval of the Phase I environmental assessment, elect to conduct a preliminary endangerment assessment, or elect not to pursue the acquisition or the construction project. To facilitate completion of the Phase I environmental assessment, the information required by this paragraph may be provided by telephonic or electronic means.

(4) (A) If the Department of Toxic Substances Control concludes after its review of a Phase I environmental assessment pursuant to this section that a preliminary endangerment assessment is needed, the Department of Toxic Substances Control shall notify, in writing, the State Department of Education and the governing board of the school district of that decision and the basis for that decision. The school district shall submit to the State Department of Education the Phase I environmental assessment and requested additional information, if any, that was reviewed by the Department of Toxic Substances Control pursuant to that subparagraph. Submittal of the Phase I assessment and additional information, if any, to the State Department of Education shall be prior to the State Department of Education issuance of final site or plan approvals affect by that Phase I assessment.

(B) If the Phase I environmental assessment concludes that a preliminary endangerment assessment is needed, or if the Department of Toxic Substances Control concludes after it reviews a Phase I environmental assessment pursuant to this section that a preliminary endangerment assessment is needed, the school district shall either contract with an environmental assessor to supervise the preparation of, and sign, a preliminary endangerment assessment of the proposed schoolsite and enter into an agreement with the Department of Toxic Substances Control to oversee the preparation of the preliminary endangerment assessment or elect not to pursue the acquisition or construction project. The agreement entered into with the Department of Toxic Substances Control may be entitled an “Environmental Oversight Agreement” and shall reference this paragraph. A school district may, with the concurrence of the Department of Toxic Substances Control, enter into an agreement with the Department of Toxic Substances Control to oversee the preparation of a preliminary endangerment assessment without first having prepared a Phase I environmental assessment. Upon request from the school district, the Director of the Department of Toxic Substances Control shall exercise its authority to designate a person to enter the site and inspect and obtain samples pursuant to Section 25358.1 of the Health and Safety Code, if the director determines that the exercise of that authority will assist in expeditiously completing the preliminary endangerment assessment. The preliminary endangerment assessment shall contain one of the following conclusions:

(i) A further investigation of the site is not required.

(ii) A release of hazardous materials has occurred, and if so, the extent of the release, that there is the threat of a release of hazardous materials, or that a naturally occurring hazardous material is present, or any combination thereof.

(5) The school district shall submit the preliminary endangerment assessment to the Department of Toxic Substances Control for its review and approval and to the State Department of Education for its files. The school district may entitle a document that is meant to fulfill the requirements of a preliminary endangerment assessment a “preliminary environmental assessment” and that document shall be deemed to be a preliminary endangerment assessment if it specifically refers to the statutory provisions whose requirements it intends to meet and the document meets the requirements of a preliminary endangerment assessment.

(6) At the same time a school district submits a preliminary endangerment assessment to the Department of Toxic Substances Control pursuant to paragraph (5), the school district shall publish a notice that the assessment has been submitted to the department in a local newspaper of general circulation, and shall post the notice in a prominent manner at the proposed schoolsite that is the subject of that notice. The notice shall state the school district’s determination to make the preliminary endangerment assessment available for public review and comment pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B):

(A) If the school district chooses to make the assessment available for public review and comment pursuant to this subparagraph, it shall offer to receive written comments for a period of at least 30 calendar days after the assessment is submitted to the Department of Toxic Substances Control, commencing on the date the notice is originally published, and shall hold a public hearing to receive further comments. The school district shall make all of the following documents available to the public upon request through the time of the public hearing:

(i) The preliminary endangerment assessment.

(ii) The changes requested by the Department of Toxic Substances Control for the preliminary endangerment assessment, if any.

(iii) Any correspondence between the school district and the Department of Toxic Substances Control that relates to the preliminary endangerment assessment.

For the purposes of this subparagraph, the notice of the public hearing shall include the date and location of the public hearing, and the location where the public may review the documents described in clauses (i) to (iii), inclusive. If the preliminary endangerment assessment is revised or altered following the public hearing, the school district shall make those revisions or alterations available to the public. The school district shall transmit a copy of all public comments received by the school district on the preliminary endangerment assessment to the Department of Toxic Substances Control. The Department of Toxic Substances Control shall complete its review of the preliminary endangerment assessment and public comments received thereon and shall either approve or disapprove the assessment within 30 calendar days of the close of the public review period. If the Department of Toxic Substances Control determines that it is likely to disapprove the assessment prior to its receipt of the public comments, it shall inform the school district of that determination and of any action that the school district is required to take for the Department of Toxic Substances Control to approve the assessment.

(B) If the school district chooses to make the preliminary endangerment assessment available for public review and comment pursuant to this subparagraph, the Department of Toxic Substances Control shall complete its review of the assessment within 60 calendar days of receipt of the assessment and shall either return the assessment to the school district with comments and requested modifications or requested further assessment or concur with the adequacy of the assessment pending review of public comment. If the Department of Toxic Substances Control concurs with the adequacy of the assessment, and the school district proposes to proceed with site acquisition or a construction project, the school district shall make the assessment available to the public on the same basis and at the same time it makes available the draft environmental impact report or negative declaration pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code) for the site, unless the document developed pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code) will not be made available until more than 90 days after the assessment is approved, in which case the school district shall, within 60 days of the approval of the assessment, separately publish a notice of the availability of the assessment for public review in a local newspaper of general circulation. The school district shall hold a public hearing on the preliminary endangerment assessment and the draft environmental impact report or negative declaration at the same time, pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code). All public comments pertaining to the preliminary endangerment assessment shall be forwarded to the Department of Toxic Substances Control immediately. The Department of Toxic Substances Control shall review the public comments forwarded by the school district and shall approve or disapprove the preliminary endangerment assessment within 30 days of the district’s approval action of the environmental impact report or the negative declaration.

(7) The school district shall comply with the public participation requirements of Sections 25358.7 and 25358.7.1 of the Health and Safety Code and other applicable provisions of the state act with respect to those response actions only if further response actions beyond a preliminary endangerment assessment are required and the district determines that it will proceed with the acquisition or construction project.

(8) If the Department of Toxic Substances Control disapproves the preliminary endangerment assessment, it shall inform the district of the decision, the basis for the decision, and actions necessary to secure the Department of Toxic Substances Control approval of the assessment. The school district shall take actions necessary to secure the approval of the Department of Toxic Substances Control of the preliminary endangerment assessment or elect not to pursue the acquisition or construction project.

(9) If the preliminary endangerment assessment determines that a further investigation of the site is not required and the Department of Toxic Substances Control approves this determination, it shall notify the State Department of Education and the school district of its approval. The school district may then proceed with the acquisition or construction project.

(10) If the preliminary endangerment assessment determines that a release of hazardous material has occurred, that there is the threat of a release of hazardous materials, that a naturally occurring hazardous material is present, or any combination thereof, that requires further investigation, and the Department of Toxic Substances Control approves this determination, the school district may elect not to pursue the acquisition or construction project. If the school district elects to pursue the acquisition or construction project, it shall do all of the following:

(A) Prepare a financial analysis that estimates the cost of response action that will be required at the proposed schoolsite.

(B) Assess the benefits that accrue from using the proposed schoolsite when compared to the use of alternative schoolsites, if any.

(C) Obtain the approval of the State Department of Education that the proposed schoolsite meets the schoolsite selection standards adopted by the State Department of Education pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 17251.

(D) Evaluate the suitability of the proposed schoolsite in light of the recommended alternative schoolsite locations in order of merit if the school district has requested the assistance of the State Department of Education, based upon the standards of the State Department of Education, pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 17251.

(11) The school district shall reimburse the Department of Toxic Substances Control for all of the department’s response costs.

(b) The costs incurred by the school districts when complying with this section are allowable costs for purposes of an applicant under Chapter 12.5 (commencing with Section 17070.10) of Part 10 and may be reimbursed in accordance with Section 17072.13.

(c) A school district that releases a Phase I environmental assessment, a preliminary endangerment assessment, or information concerning either of these assessments, any of which is required by this section, may not be held liable in any action filed against the school district for making either of these assessments available for public review.

(d) The changes made to this section by the act amending this section during the 2001 portion of the 2001–02 Regular Session do not apply to a schoolsite acquisition project or a school construction project, if either of the following occurred on or before the effective date of the act amending this section during the 2001 portion of the 2001–02 Regular Session:

(1) The final preliminary endangerment assessment for the project was approved by the Department of Toxic Substances Control pursuant to this section as this section read on the date of the approval.

(2) The school district seeking state funding for the project completed a public hearing for the project pursuant to this section, as this section read on the date of the hearing.

(Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 935, Sec. 16. Effective January 1, 2003.)