Section 44203.

(a) The secretary may enter into any cooperative agreement which meets the requirements of this article.

(b) Each cooperative agreement shall include, but shall not be limited to, all requirements determined to be necessary to meet the requirements of subdivision (e) to do all of the following:

(1) Protect water quality, as determined by the State Water Resources Control Board or the appropriate California regional water quality control board.

(2) Protect air quality, as determined by the State Air Resources Board or the appropriate air pollution control officer.

(3) Provide for proper management of solid wastes, as determined necessary by the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

(4) In making these determinations, the state agencies shall consider any applicable federal environmental and public health and safety laws.

(c) A decision by the secretary whether to enter into a cooperative agreement shall be based on a good faith determination concerning whether a proposed cooperative agreement meets the requirements of this article. The secretary shall take this action within 130 days of a written request by the tribe that the secretary approve a draft cooperative agreement. At least 60 days prior to determining whether to enter into a cooperative agreement, the secretary shall provide notice, and make available for public review and comment, drafts of his or her proposed action and drafts of the findings and determinations that are required by this section. The secretary shall hold a public hearing in the affected area on the proposed action within the time period for taking that action, as specified in this section. Within 10 days after the close of the public review and comment period, the agencies shall complete the determinations required by this section and the secretary shall issue a final decision.

(d) The findings and determinations of the secretary and relevant agencies made pursuant to this section shall explain material differences between state laws and regulations and the proposed tribal or federal functionally equivalent provisions. The findings and determinations do not need to explain each difference between the state and tribal or federal requirements as long as they identify and evaluate whether the material differences meet the requirements of this article, including, but not limited to, providing at least as much protection for public health and safety and the environment as would the state requirements.

(e) Any cooperative agreement executed pursuant to this article shall provide for regulation of the solid waste facility through inclusion in the agreement of design, permitting, construction, siting, operation, monitoring, inspection, closure, postclosure, liability, enforcement, and other regulatory provisions applicable to a solid waste facility, or which relate to any environmental consequences that may be caused by facility construction or operation, that are functionally equivalent to all of the following:

(1) Article 4 (commencing with Section 13260) of Chapter 4 of, Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 13300) of, and Chapter 5.5 (commencing with Section 13370) of, Division 7 of the Water Code.

(2) Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 41700) of, Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 42300) of, and Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 42700) of, Part 4 of, and Part 6 (commencing with Section 44300) of, Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code.

(3) This division.

(4) All regulations adopted pursuant to the statutes specified in this section.

(5) Any other provision of state environmental, public health, and safety laws and regulations germane to the solid waste facility proposed by the tribe.

(f) The tribal organizational structures or other means of implementing the requirements specified in subdivision (e) are not required to be the same as the state organizational structures or means of implementing its system of regulation.

(g) Neither the approval of any cooperative agreement nor amendments to the agreement, nor any determination of sufficiency provided in Section 44205, shall constitute a "project" as defined in Section 21065 and shall not be subject to review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000)).

(h) Each cooperative agreement shall provide for the incorporation of the standards and requirements germane to the protection of the environment, public health, and safety listed in subdivision (e), as enacted, or as those provisions may be amended after January 1, 1992, or after the effective date of any cooperative agreement, if those standards and requirements meet both of the following requirements:

(1) The standards and requirements do not discriminate against a tribe which has executed a cooperative agreement, or a lessee of the tribe, and are applicable to, or not more stringent than, other rules applicable to other similar or analogous facilities or operations outside Indian country.

(2) Adequate notice and opportunity for comment on the incorporation of new and amended standards or requirements are provided to the tribe, facility owner, and operator to facilitate any physical or operational changes in the facility in accordance with state law.

(Amended by Stats. 1992, Ch. 427, Sec. 151. Effective January 1, 1993.)