(a) A tribe shall be eligible for technical assistance to the extent feasible, from the agencies specified in subdivision (b) of Section 25198.3, for the design, establishment, and implementation of a permit system, cooperative monitoring programs, a tribal enforcement system, and implementation of any other regulatory requirement.
(b) Each cooperative agreement shall provide for reasonable compensation to relevant state agencies for costs and expenses incurred by the state in connection with technical assistance provided to the tribe for the regulatory activities provided in this article, including, but not limited to, monitoring, enforcement, permitting, review, and other activities described in this article, and the reviews required by Section 25198.3, on a nondiscriminatory basis when compared with similar services to similar projects outside of Indian country.
(c) Each cooperative agreement shall provide for the sharing of appropriate data and other information between any tribal regulatory body, any federal agency, the owner or operator, and applicable state agencies, including, but not limited to, all monitoring data collected respecting the hazardous waste facility. The agreement shall provide for confidentiality of privileged, proprietary, or trade secret information.
(d) Each cooperative agreement shall include a dispute resolution mechanism for addressing issues of contract interpretation arising out of the cooperative agreement.
(e) The parties to a cooperative agreement executed pursuant to this article may mutually agree to modifications of time periods for actions which are required by this article, except the time periods provided for public notice, review, and comment shall not be eliminated or reduced.
(f) Each cooperative agreement shall require the relevant state agencies to provide detailed comments regarding completeness within 30 days after receiving copies of applications filed for tribal and applicable federal permits with respect to the deficiencies, if any, of the application with respect to the state standards identified in Section 25198.3. The failure of any of these state agencies to provide those comments within that period shall be deemed a finding of completeness of the respective applications.
(g) Each cooperative agreement shall provide for reasonable access by state agency personnel to Indian country governed by a tribe which has executed a cooperative agreement pursuant to this article for purposes of assistance with permit application review, inspection, and monitoring of operation of a hazardous waste facility. The cooperative agreement shall also provide for reasonable access for purposes of permit application review and inspection, to the extent the state can provide that access, by tribal regulatory authorities to transfer stations, or similar facilities, located outside of Indian country and handling waste to be transferred to tribal lands.
(Added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 805, Sec. 3.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018