SECTIONS 25395.60-25395.62 - California Statutes

HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE

SECTION 25395.60-25395.62

25395.60. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) There are thousands of properties in the state where
redevelopment has been hindered due to real or perceived hazardous
materials contamination. Cleaning up these sites and returning them
to productive use will benefit the communities in which they are
located and the state as a whole.
(b) Contamination of property in the state has hampered
redevelopment, which in turn has limited job creation, economic
revitalization, and the full and productive use of the land.
(c) Private developers, local governments, and schools are
reluctant to acquire or redevelop these properties due, at least in
part, to concerns regarding liability associated with historic
contamination. Instead, they focus new development on clean areas
that present fewer complications and lower risk of liability.
(d) This has resulted in a multitude of problems, including urban
sprawl, decaying inner-city neighborhoods and schools, public health
and environmental risks stemming from contaminated properties, lack
of development at former manufacturing sites and rural areas in need
of economic investment, and reduced tax bases.

25395.61. It is the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this
chapter, to do all of the following:
(a) Establish the cleanup and reuse of these sites in a manner
protective of public health and safety and the environment as a
priority of the state.
(b) Relieve innocent owners, bona fide prospective purchasers, and
owners of property adjacent to contaminated sites of liabilities and
responsibilities that should be borne by those who caused or
contributed to the contamination.
(c) Encourage process efficiencies that continue to ensure that
cleanups are protective of public health and safety and the
environment.
(d) Encourage the development and redevelopment of unused or
underused properties in urban areas.
(e) Establish a voluntary process for bona fide purchasers,
innocent landowners, and contiguous property owners to make certain
the extent of their liability, if any, under state law for hazardous
materials contamination caused by other persons, without otherwise
altering existing state law regarding liability for hazardous
materials releases.

25395.62. This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the
"California Land Reuse and Revitalization Act of 2004."