(a) Except as provided in subdivision (f), the department, in adopting the regulations pursuant to Sections 25252 and 25253, shall prepare a multimedia life cycle evaluation conducted by affected agencies and coordinated by the department, and shall submit the regulations and the multimedia life cycle evaluation to the council for review.

(b) The multimedia evaluation shall be based on the best available scientific data, written comments submitted by interested persons, and information collected by the department in preparation for adopting the regulations, and shall address, but is not limited to, the impacts associated with all the following:

(1) Emissions of air pollutants, including ozone forming compounds, particulate matter, toxic air contaminants, and greenhouse gases.

(2) Contamination of surface water, groundwater, and soil.

(3) Disposal or use of the byproducts and waste materials.

(4) Worker safety and impacts to public health.

(5) Other anticipated impacts to the environment.

(c) The council shall complete its review of the multimedia evaluation within 90 calendar days following notice from the department that it intends to adopt regulations. If the council determines that the proposed regulations will cause a significant adverse impact on the public health or the environment, or that alternatives exist that would be less adverse, the council shall recommend alternative measures that the department or other state agencies may take to reduce the adverse impact on public health or the environment. The council shall make all information relating to its review available to the public.

(d) Within 60 days of receiving notification from the council of a determination of significant adverse impact, the department shall adopt revisions to the proposed regulation to avoid or reduce the adverse impact, or the affected agencies shall take appropriate action that will, to the extent feasible, mitigate the adverse impact so that, on balance, there is no significant adverse impact on public health or the environment.

(e) In coordinating a multimedia evaluation pursuant to subdivision (a), the department shall consult with other boards and departments within the California Environmental Protection Agency, the State Department of Public Health, the State and Consumer Services Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Industrial Relations, and other state agencies with responsibility for, or expertise regarding, impacts that could result from the production, use, or disposal of consumer products and the ingredients they may contain.

(f) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the department may adopt regulations pursuant to Sections 25252 and 25253 without subjecting the proposed regulation to a multimedia evaluation if the council, following an initial evaluation of the proposed regulation, conclusively determines that the regulation will not have any significant adverse impact on public health or the environment.

(g) For the purposes of this section, “multimedia life cycle evaluation” means the identification and evaluation of a significant adverse impact on public health or the environment, including air, water, or soil, that may result from the production, use, or disposal of a consumer product or consumer product ingredient.

(Added by Stats. 2008, Ch. 559, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2009.)