(a) At least 90 days before filing an application for a land use decision for a specified hazardous waste facility project with a local agency, the proponent shall file a notice of intent to make the application with the Department of Toxic Substances Control and with the applicable city or county. The notice of intent shall specify the location to which the notice of intent is applicable and shall contain a complete description of the nature, function, and scope of the project. The Department of Toxic Substances Control shall immediately notify affected state agencies of the notice of intent. The local agency shall publish a notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the area affected by the proposed project, shall post notices in the location where the proposed project is located, and shall notify, by a direct mailing, the owners of contiguous property, as shown in the latest equalized assessment roll. A notice of intent filed with a local agency shall be accompanied by a fee which shall be set by the local agency in an amount equal to the local agency’s cost of processing the notice of intent and carrying out the notification requirements of this subdivision. A notice of intent is not transferable to a location other than the location specified in the notice and shall remain in effect for one year from the date it is filed with a local agency or until it is withdrawn by the proponent, whichever is earlier.

(b) A notice of intent is not effective and a proponent may not file an application for a land use decision for a specified hazardous waste facility project with a local agency unless the proponent has first complied with subdivision (a).

(c) Within 90 days after a notice of intent is filed with the Department of Toxic Substances Control pursuant to subdivision (a), the department shall convene a public meeting in the affected city or county to inform the public on the nature, function, and scope of the proposed specified hazardous waste facility project and the procedures that are required for approving applications for the project.

(d) The legislative body of the affected local agency shall appoint a seven member local assessment committee to advise it in considering an application for a land use decision for a specified hazardous waste facility project. The members of the local assessment committee may be appointed at any time after the notice of intent is filed with the local agency but shall be appointed not later than 30 days after the application for the land use decision is accepted as complete by the local agency. The local agency shall charge the project proponent a fee to cover the local agency’s costs of establishing and convening the local assessment committee. The fee shall accompany the application for a land use decision.

(1) The membership of the committee shall be broadly constituted to reflect the makeup of the community, and shall include three representatives of the community at large, two representatives of environmental or public interest groups, and two representatives of affected businesses and industries. Members of local assessment committees selected pursuant to this subdivision shall have no direct financial interest, as defined in Section 87103 of the Government Code, in the proposed specified hazardous waste facility project.

(2) The local assessment committee shall, as its primary function, advise the appointing legislative body of the affected local agency of the terms and conditions under which the proposed hazardous waste facility project may be acceptable to the community. To carry out this function, the local assessment committee shall do all of the following:

(A) Enter into a dialogue with the proponent for the proposed hazardous waste facility project to reach an understanding with the proponent on both of the following:

(i) The measures that should be taken by the proponent in connection with the operation of the proposed hazardous waste facility project to protect the public health, safety, and welfare, and the environment of the city or county.

(ii) The special benefits and remuneration the facility proponent will provide the city or county as compensation for the local costs associated with the operation of the facility.

(B) Represent generally, in meetings with the project proponent, the interests of the residents of the city or county and the interests of adjacent communities.

(C) Receive and expend any technical assistance grants made available pursuant to subdivision (g).

(D) Adopt rules and procedures which are necessary to perform its duties.

(E) Advise the legislative body of the city or county of the terms, provisions, and conditions for project approval which have been agreed upon by the committee and the proponent, and of any additional information which the committee deems appropriate. The legislative body of the city or county may use this advice for its independent consideration of the project.

(3) The legislative body of the affected jurisdiction shall provide staff resources to assist the local assessment committee in performing its duties.

(4) A local assessment committee established pursuant to this subdivision shall cease to exist after final administrative action by state and local agencies has been taken on the permit applications for the project for which the committee was convened.

(e) A local agency shall notify the Department of Toxic Substances Control within 10 days after an application for a land use decision for a specified hazardous waste facility project is accepted as complete by the local agency and, within 60 days after receiving this notice, the Department of Toxic Substances Control shall convene a meeting of the lead and responsible agencies for the project, the proponent, the local assessment committee, and the interested public, for the purpose of determining the issues which concern the agencies that are required to approve the project and the issues which concern the public. The meeting shall take place in the jurisdiction where the application has been filed.

(f) Following the meeting required by subdivision (e), the proponent and the local assessment committee appointed pursuant to subdivision (d) shall meet and confer on the specified hazardous waste facility project proposal for the purpose of establishing the terms and conditions under which the project will be acceptable to the community.

(g) (1) If the local assessment committee finds that it requires assistance and independent advice to adequately review a proposed hazardous waste facility project, it may request technical assistance grants from the local agency to enable the committee to hire a consultant. The committee may use technical assistance grant funds made available to it to hire a consultant to do either, or both, of the following:

(A) Assist the committee in reviewing and evaluating the application for the project, the environmental documents prepared for the project pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code) and any other documents, materials, and information that are required by a public agency in connection with the application for a land use decision or a permit.

(B)  Advise the local assessment committee in its meetings and discussions with the facility proponent to seek agreement on the terms and conditions under which the project will be acceptable to the community.

(2) The local agency shall require the proponent of the proposed hazardous waste facility project to pay a fee equal to the amount of any technical assistance grant provided the local assessment committee under paragraph (1). The funds received as a result of the imposition of the fee shall be used to make technical assistance grants exclusively for the purposes described in paragraph (1).

(3) The local agency shall deposit any fee imposed pursuant to paragraph (2) in an account created in the city or county treasury, maintain records of all expenditures from the account, and return any unused funds and accrued interest to the project proponent upon completion of the review of the proposed hazardous waste facility project.

(h) This section applies only to a specified hazardous waste facility project.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 78, Sec. 7. (AB 2605) Effective January 1, 2017.)