Section 2796.5.

(a) The director, with the consultation of appropriate state and local agencies, may remediate or complete reclamation of abandoned mined lands that meet all of the following requirements:

(1) No operator having both the responsibility and the financial ability to remediate or reclaim the mined lands can be found within the state.

(2) No reclamation plan is in effect for the mined lands.

(3) No financial assurances exist for the mined lands.

(4) The mined lands are abandoned, as that term is used in paragraph (6) of subdivision (h) of Section 2770.

(b) In deciding whether to act pursuant to subdivision (a), the director shall consider whether the action would accomplish one of the following:

(1) The protection of the public health and safety or the environment from the adverse effects of past surface mining operations.

(2) The protection of property that is in danger as a result of past surface mining operations.

(3) The restoration of land and water resources previously degraded by the adverse effects of surface mining operations.

(c) The director may also consider the potential liability to the state in deciding whether to act under this section. Neither the director, the department, nor the state, or its appointees, employees, or agents, in conducting remediation or reclamation under this section, shall be liable under applicable state law, and it is the intent of the Legislature that those persons and entities not be liable for those actions under federal laws.

(d) (1) The remediation or reclamation work performed under this section includes, but is not limited to, supervision of remediation or reclamation activities that, in the director's judgment, is required by the magnitude of the endeavor or the urgency for prompt action needed to protect the public health and safety or the environment. The action may be taken in default of, or in addition to, remedial work by any other person or governmental agency, and regardless of whether injunctive relief is being sought.

(2) The director may authorize the work to be performed through department staff, with the cooperation of any other governmental agency, or through contracts, and may use rented tools or equipment, either with or without operators furnished.

(3) In cases of emergency where quick action is necessary, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the director may enter into oral contracts for the work, and the contracts, whether written or oral, may include provisions for the rental of tools or equipment and in addition the furnishing of labor and materials necessary to accomplish the work. These emergency contracts are exempt from approval by the Department of General Services pursuant to Section 10295 of the Public Contract Code.

(4) The director shall be permitted reasonable access to the abandoned mined lands as necessary to perform any remediation or reclamation work. The access shall be obtained with the consent of the owner or possessor of the property or, if the consent is withheld or otherwise unobtainable, with a warrant duly issued pursuant to the procedure described in Title 13 (commencing with Section 1822.50) of Part 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure. However, in the event of an emergency affecting the public health or safety, the director may enter the property without consent or the issuance of a warrant.

(e) For any remediation or reclamation work accomplished, or other necessary remedial action taken by any governmental agency, the operator, landowner, and the person or persons who allowed or caused any pollution or nuisance are liable to that governmental agency to the extent of the reasonable costs actually incurred in remediating, reclaiming, or taking other remedial action. The amount of the costs is recoverable in a civil action by, and paid to, the governmental agency and the director to the extent of the director's contribution to the costs of the remediation, reclamation, cleanup, and abatement or other corrective action.

(f) (1) The amount of the costs constitutes a lien on the affected property upon service of a copy of the notice of lien on the owner and upon the recordation of a notice of lien, which identifies the property on which the remediation or reclamation was accomplished, the amount of the lien, and the owner of record of the property, in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the property is located. Upon recordation, the lien has the same force, effect, and priority as a judgment lien, except that it attaches only to the property posted and described in the lien. The lien shall continue for 10 years from the time of the recording of the notice of the lien unless sooner released or otherwise discharged, and may be renewed.

(2) Not later than 45 days after receiving a notice of lien, the owner may petition the court for an order releasing the property from the lien or reducing the amount of the lien. In this court action, the governmental agency that incurred the costs shall establish that the costs were reasonable and necessary. The lien may be foreclosed by an action brought by the director, for a money judgment. Money recovered by a judgment in favor of the director shall be used for the purposes of this chapter.

(g) If the operation has been idle for more than one year without obtaining an approved interim management plan, an application for the review of an interim management plan filed for the purpose of preventing the director from undertaking remediation or reclamation of abandoned mined lands under this section shall be voidable by the lead agency or the board upon notice and hearing by the lead agency or the board. In the event of conflicting determinations, the decision of the board shall prevail.

(h) "Remediate," for the purposes of this section, means to improve conditions so that threat to or damage to public health and safety or the environment are lessened or ameliorated, including the cleanup and abatement of pollution or nuisance or threatened pollution or nuisance.

(i) "Threaten," for the purposes of this section, means a condition creating a probability of harm, when the probability and potential extent of harm make it reasonably necessary to take action to prevent, reduce, or mitigate damages to persons, property, or the environment.

(j) This section shall apply to abandoned mined lands on which the mining operations were conducted after January 1, 1976.

(k) The director may act under this section only upon the appropriation of funds by the Legislature for the purposes of carrying out this section.

(l) Nothing in this section limits the authority of any state agency under any other law or regulation to enforce or administer any cleanup or abatement activity.

(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 869, Sec. 24. Effective January 1, 2007.)