(a)  To the extent consistent with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended, (42 U.S.C. Sec. 6901 et seq.), the department may exclude any portion of a response action conducted entirely onsite from the hazardous waste facility permit requirements of Section 25201 if both of the following apply:

(1)  The removal or remedial action is carried out pursuant to a removal action work plan or a remedial action plan prepared pursuant to Section 25356.1.

(2)  The removal action work plan or the remedial action plan requires that the response action complies with all laws, rules, regulations, standards, and requirements, criteria, or limitations applicable to the construction, operation, and closure of the type of facility at the hazardous substance release site and with any other condition imposed by the department as necessary to protect public health and safety and the environment.

(b)  The department may enforce in the court for the county in which a response action exempted pursuant to subdivision (a) is located any federal or state law, rule, regulation, standard, requirements, criteria, or limitation with which the remedial or removal action is required to comply. Any consent decree entered into pursuant to an enforcement action authorized by this subdivision shall require the parties to attempt expeditiously to informally resolve any disagreements concerning the implementation of the response action with the appropriate federal and state agencies and shall provide for administrative enforcement. The consent decree shall stipulate that the penalty for violation of the consent decree shall be an amount not more than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) per day, which may be enforced by the state. These penalties do not impair or affect the authority of the court to order compliance with the specific terms of the consent decree.

(Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 23, Sec. 2. Effective May 26, 1999.)