[CPEO-BIF] California vapor intrusion bill - AB 2092

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

FACT SHEET - AB 2092
Office of California Assemblywoman Loni Hancock
April 19, 2006

Public Health Priority Sites: Vapor Intrusion

THIS BILL:  AB 2092 is a first step in addressing the health hazard of 
vapor intrusion from toxic sites.  The goal is providing healthy living 
and working environments for California citizens well into the future. 
In the year 2007, AB 2092 mandates that a summary of sites with known or 
potential vapor intrusion from a hazardous substance release be compiled 
by January 1, 2008.  This summary would include sites with hazardous 
release substances on the site or migrating onto the site.  It would be 
compiled by the brownfields ombudsperson currently required as staff at 
the California Environmental Protection Agency.  The ombudsperson would 
work with the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), the State 
Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), the regional water boards, the 
Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB), and the appropriate local 
agencies including the redevelopment agencies, to create a comprehensive 
list of all the sites in California with known vapor intrusion hazards. 
 This information will be posted on the CalEPA website.

In the year 2008 and annually thereafter, new sites will be added to the 
list as they are identified.  Also, the agencies and owners of the sites 
now included in the data base will develop a strategy and implementation 
schedule for identifying other sites with potential vapor intrusion.   A 
uniform strategy will be developed for remediation, engineering and land 
use controls, and legal mechanisms to assure long-term maintenance of 
controls for as long as the vapor intrusion presents a human health 
risk.  And third, if data is not available for a vapor intrusion site, 
the responsible party will be required to conduct testing to determine 
the extent of the problem and submit that to CalEPA.  This information 
will be added to the data base so that the state will have a 
comprehensive overview of sites with vapor intrusion problems, and the 
extent of those hazards.


BACKGROUND:  Brownfield sites are important as we work to rejuvenate 
downtown and inner city areas and develop infill sites that are 
conveniently located in urban areas.  At this time, the inventory of 
known sites with vapor intrusion problems is scattered among a variety 
of agencies as listed above.  Staff members from various agencies bring 
different levels of expertise to toxic cleanup situations.  This leads 
to various methods and standards of cleanup.  A comprehensive list will 
inform the development community, the redevelopment community, the 
environmental community, and other interested parties as to the current 
situation with brownfields properties.  Once the extent of the problem 
is identified, comprehensive cleanup plans will be evaluated and devised 
in a more timely fashion.  All parties will benefit from this inclusive 
approach.


SUPPORT:
Bay Area Residents for Responsible Development
California Communities Against Toxics
California League of Conservation Voters
Planning and Conservation League
Sierra Club California
Trust for Public Lands

OPPOSITION:
4/19/06  None received

For more information:
Gayle Eads, Office of Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, 916-319-2014

To view or download the text of the bill, go to 
http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/acsframeset2text.htm
and key in "2092".


--


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org


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