AB 1360: Cleaning up contaminated brownfield sites

In California, responsibility to oversee cleanup of contaminated brownfield sites is split between two agencies—the Regional Water Board and the Department of Toxic Substances Control. Worse yet, the site’s developer gets to choose which agency oversees their work. DTSC’s superior expertise in cleaning up contaminated soils and hazardous waste led to AB 1360 (Hancock), which would have required DTSC to oversee cleanups where the site is proposed for homes, hospitals, or day care centers and there is a risk of human exposure to contamination.