(a)  (1)  An agency may take any actions that the agency determines are necessary and that are consistent with other state and federal laws to remedy or remove a release of hazardous substances on, under, or from property within a project area, whether the agency owns that property or not, subject to the conditions specified in subdivision (b). Unless an administering agency has been designated under Section 25262, the agency shall request cleanup guidelines from the department or the California regional water quality control board before taking action to remedy or remove a release. The department or the California regional water quality control board shall respond to the agency’s request to provide cleanup guidelines within a reasonable period of time. The agency shall thereafter submit for approval a cleanup or remedial action plan to the department or the California regional water quality control board before taking action to remedy or remove a release. The department or the California regional water quality control board shall respond to the agency’s request for approval of a cleanup or remedial action plan within a reasonable period of time.

(2)  The agency shall provide the department and local health and building departments, the California regional water quality control board, with notification of any cleanup activity pursuant to this section at least 30 days before the commencement of the activity. If an action taken by an agency or a responsible party to remedy or remove a release of a hazardous substance does not meet, or is not consistent with, a remedial action plan or cleanup plan approved by the department or the California regional water quality control board, the department or the California regional water quality control board that approved the cleanup or remedial action plan may require the agency to take, or cause the taking of, additional action to remedy or remove the release, as provided by applicable law. If an administering agency for the site has been designated under Section 25262, any requirement for additional action may be imposed only as provided in Sections 25263 and 25265. If methane or landfill gas is present, the agency shall obtain written approval from the California Integrated Waste Management Board prior to taking that action.

(b)  Except as provided in subdivision (c), an agency may take the actions specified in subdivision (a) only under one of the following conditions:

(1)  There is no responsible party for the release identified by the agency.

(2)  A party determined by the agency to be a responsible party for the release has been notified by the agency or has received adequate notice from the department, a California regional water quality control board, the Environmental Protection Agency, or other governmental agency with relevant authority and has been given 60 days to respond and to propose a remedial action plan and schedule, and the responsible party has not agreed within an additional 60 days to implement a plan and schedule to remedy or remove the release that is acceptable to the agency and that has been found by the agency to be consistent, to the maximum extent possible, with the priorities, guidelines, criteria, and regulations contained in the National Contingency Plan and published pursuant to Section 9605 of Title 42 of the United States Code for similar releases, situations, or events.

(3)  The party determined by the agency to be the responsible party for the hazardous substance release entered into an agreement with the agency to prepare a remedial action plan for approval by the department, the California regional water quality control board, or the appropriate local agency and to implement the remedial action plan in accordance with an agreed schedule, but failed to prepare the remedial action plan, failed to implement the remedial action plan in accordance with the agreed schedule, or otherwise failed to carry out the remedial action in an appropriate and timely manner. Any action taken by the agency pursuant to this paragraph shall be consistent with any agreement between the agency and the responsible party and with the requirements of the state or local agency that approved or will approve the remedial action plan and is overseeing or will oversee the preparation and implementation of the remedial action plan.

(c)  Subdivision (b) does not apply to either of the following agencies:

(1)  An agency taking actions to investigate or conduct feasibility studies concerning a release.

(2)  An agency taking the actions specified in subdivision (a) if the agency determines that conditions require immediate action.

(d)  An agency may designate a local agency in lieu of the department or the California regional water quality control board to review and approve a cleanup or remedial action plan and to oversee the remediation or removal of hazardous substances from a specific hazardous substance release site in accordance with the following conditions:

(1)  The local agency may be so designated if it is designated as the administering agency under Section 25262. In that event, the local agency, as the administering agency, shall conduct the oversight of the remedial action in accordance with Chapter 6.65 (commencing with Section 25260) and all provisions of that chapter shall apply to the remedial action.

(2)  The local agency may be so designated if cleanup guidelines were requested from a California regional water quality control board, and the site is an underground storage tank site subject to Chapter 6.7 (commencing with Section 25280) of Division 20, the local agency has been certified as a certified unified program agency pursuant to Section 25404.1, the State Water Resources Control Board has entered into an agreement with the local agency for oversight of those sites pursuant to Section 25297.1, the local agency determines that the site is within the guidelines and protocols established in, and pursuant to, that agreement, and the local agency consents to the designation.

(3)  A local agency may not consent to the designation by an agency unless the local agency determines that it has adequate staff resources and the requisite technical expertise and capabilities available to adequately supervise the remedial action.

(4)  (A)  Where a local agency has been designated pursuant to paragraph (2), the department or a California regional water quality control board may require that a local agency withdraw from the designation, after providing the agency with adequate notice, if both of the following conditions are met:

(i)  The department or a California regional water quality control board determines that an agency’s designation of a local agency was not consistent with paragraph (2), or makes one of the findings specified in subdivision (d) of Section 101480.

(ii)  The department or a California regional water quality control board determines that it has adequate staff resources and capabilities available to adequately supervise the remedial action, and assumes that responsibility.

(B)  Nothing in this paragraph prevents a California regional water quality control board from taking any action pursuant to Division 7 (commencing with Section 13000) of the Water Code.

(5)  Where a local agency has been designated pursuant to paragraph (2), the local agency may, after providing the agency with adequate notice, withdraw from its designation after making one of the findings specified in subdivision (d) of Section 101480.

(e)  To facilitate redevelopment planning, the agency may require the owner or operator of any site within a project area to provide the agency with all existing environmental information pertaining to the site, including the results of any Phase I or subsequent environmental assessment, as defined in Section 25200.14, any assessment conducted pursuant to an order from, or agreement with, any federal, state or local agency, and any other environmental assessment information, except that which is determined to be privileged. The person requested to furnish the information shall be required only to furnish that information as may be within their possession or control, including actual knowledge of information within the possession or control of any other party. If environmental assessment information is not available, the agency may require the owner of the property to conduct an assessment in accordance with standard real estate practices for conducting phase I or phase II environmental assessments.

(Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 1004, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2003.)