(a)  Any person may submit a petition to the office for the addition of a material to, or for the deletion of a material from, the regulated substances list adopted pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 25532 or to revise the existing state threshold quantities that are used as the standards for registration and RMP compliance.

(b)  A petition submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be accompanied by a submission fee, to be established by the office, in consultation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. The fee shall be in an amount that is sufficient to pay for the reasonable costs incurred by the office and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment necessary to carry out this section. Upon the receipt of the petition and fee, the office shall transmit to the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment funds sufficient to pay for the reasonable costs incurred by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to carry out this section.

(c)  An owner or operator of a stationary source shall not delay implementation of this article in anticipation of a ruling on a petition to delist a regulated substance or to change a state threshold quantity.

(d)  The office shall notify administering agencies of petitions for adding or delisting regulated substances or for changing state threshold quantities and shall take comments from administering agencies on the petitions. All comments shall be responded to in writing.

(e)  The office shall notify the public of petitions for adding or delisting regulated substances or for changing state threshold quantities and shall take public comment on the petitions. All comments shall be responded to in writing.

(f)  (1)  The office shall request the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to review the petitions and make recommendations to the office regarding the petitions.

(2)  Each recommendation made pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be based on current scientific knowledge and a sound and open scientific review and shall contain a finding whether a substance should be added to, or deleted from, the regulated substance list, or whether the state threshold quantity for a regulated substance should be revised.

(g)  The petition review by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall take into consideration all of the following factors:

(1)  The severity of any acute adverse health effect associated with an accidental release of the substance.

(2)  The likelihood of an accidental release of the substance.

(3)  The potential magnitude of human exposure to an accidental release of the substance.

(4)  The results of other preexisting evaluations of the substances potential risks which take into account the factors specified in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), including, but not limited to, studies or research undertaken by, or on behalf of, the Environmental Protection Agency for the purpose of complying with paragraph (3) of subsection (r) of Section 112 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 7412 (r)(3)).

(5)  The likelihood of the substance being handled in this state.

(6)  The accident history of the substance.

(h)  Upon receipt of a recommendation made pursuant to subdivision (f), the office may add or remove a substance or change an existing state threshold quantity as a requirement for this article.

(i)  In reviewing a petition under this section, the office shall consider the views of administering agencies that have indicated support or opposition to the petition.

(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 715, Sec. 35. Effective January 1, 1997.)