(a) Appropriations from either the Oil Pollution Administration Subaccount or the Hazardous Materials Administration Subaccount shall not exceed one third of the maximum fund level established under Section 13012 in order to maintain a prudent reserve for future appropriations.
(b) If the director or the director’s designee expends funds from the prudent reserve established pursuant to subdivision (a) for activities authorized under subdivision (b) of Section 13230, the director or the director’s designee shall ensure that there are adequate funds remaining in those subaccounts to carry out their purposes. Expenditures from the prudent reserve shall be repaid in part, or in full, from any funds received pursuant to Section 13011 until those reserves are fully reimbursed.
(c) The director or the director’s designee, shall recover from the spiller, responsible party, or, in the absence of those responsible parties, from a particular pollution abatement or remediation account, all expenditures paid pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (d) of Section 13230, and all costs incurred by the department arising from the administration and enforcement of applicable pollution laws. The director or the director’s designee may request, and a district attorney, city attorney, or other prosecuting agency, as part of a prosecution or negotiation, may allege a claim for, these costs and expenditures and shall deposit any recoveries into the fund from which they were expended.
(d) The director or the director’s designee shall ensure that there are adequate funds in the accounts and subaccounts specified in this section to carry out their purposes.
(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 132, Sec. 223. (AB 1760) Effective January 1, 2024.)