Pub. Resources Code, § 21151.1

(a) Notwithstanding paragraph (6) of subdivision (b) of Section 21080, or Section 21080.5 or 21084, or any other provision of law, except as provided in this section, a lead agency shall prepare or cause to be prepared by contract, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report or, if appropriate, a modification, addendum, or supplement to an existing environmental impact report, for a project involving any of the following:

(1) The burning of municipal wastes, hazardous waste, or refuse-derived fuel, including, but not limited to, tires, if the project is either of the following:

(A) The construction of a new facility.

(B) The expansion of an existing facility that burns hazardous waste that would increase its permitted capacity by more than 10 percent.

(2) The initial issuance of a hazardous waste facilities permit to a land disposal facility, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 25199.1 of the Health and Safety Code.

(3) The initial issuance of a hazardous waste facilities permit pursuant to Section 25200 of the Health and Safety Code to an offsite large treatment facility, as defined pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 25205.1 of the Health and Safety Code.

(4) A base reuse plan as defined in Section 21083.8.1. The Legislature hereby finds that no reimbursement is required pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution for an environmental impact report for a base reuse plan if an environmental impact report is otherwise required for that base reuse plan pursuant to any other provision of this division.

(b) For purposes of clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), the amount of expansion of an existing facility shall be calculated by comparing the proposed facility capacity with whichever of the following is applicable:

(1) The facility capacity authorized in the facility’s hazardous waste facilities permit pursuant to Section 25200 of the Health and Safety Code or its grant of interim status pursuant to Section 25200.5 of the Health and Safety Code, or the facility capacity authorized in a state or local agency permit allowing the construction or operation of a facility for the burning of hazardous waste, granted before January 1, 1990.

(2) The facility capacity authorized in the facility’s original hazardous waste facilities permit, grant of interim status, or a state or local agency permit allowing the construction or operation of a facility for the burning of hazardous waste, granted on or after January 1, 1990.

(c) For purposes of paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (a), the initial issuance of a hazardous waste facilities permit does not include the issuance of a closure or postclosure permit pursuant to Chapter 6.5 (commencing with Section 25100) of Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code.

(d) Paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) does not apply to a project that does any of the following:

(1) Exclusively burns digester gas produced from manure or any other solid or semisolid animal waste.

(2) Exclusively burns methane gas produced from a disposal site, as defined in Section 40122, that is used only for the disposal of solid waste, as defined in Section 40191.

(3) Exclusively burns forest, agricultural, wood, or other biomass wastes.

(4) Exclusively burns hazardous waste in an incineration unit that is transportable and that is either at a site for not longer than three years or is part of a remedial or removal action. For purposes of this paragraph, “transportable” means any equipment that performs a “treatment” as defined in Section 66216 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, and that is transported on a vehicle as defined in Section 66230 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, as those sections read on June 1, 1991.

(5) Exclusively burns refinery waste in a flare on the site of generation.

(6) Exclusively burns in a flare methane gas produced at a municipal sewage treatment plant.

(7) Exclusively burns hazardous waste, or exclusively burns hazardous waste as a supplemental fuel, as part of a research, development, or demonstration project that, consistent with federal regulations implementing the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended (42 U.S.C. Sec. 6901 et seq.), has been determined to be innovative and experimental by the Department of Toxic Substances Control and that is limited in type and quantity of waste to that necessary to determine the efficacy and performance capabilities of the technology or process. However, a facility that operated as a research, development, or demonstration project and for which an application is thereafter submitted for a hazardous waste facility permit for operation other than as a research, development, or demonstration project shall be considered a new facility for the burning of hazardous waste and shall be subject to subdivision (a) of Section 21151.1.

(8) Exclusively burns soils contaminated only with petroleum fuels or the vapors from these soils.

(9) Exclusively treats less than 3,000 pounds of hazardous waste per day in a thermal processing unit operated in the absence of open flame, and submits a worst-case health risk assessment of the technology to the Department of Toxic Substances Control for review and distribution to the interested public. This assessment shall be prepared in accordance with guidelines set forth in the Air Toxics Assessment Manual of the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association.

(10) Exclusively burns less than 1,200 pounds per day of medical waste, as defined in Section 117690 of the Health and Safety Code, on hospital sites.

(11) Exclusively burns chemicals and fuels as part of firefighter training.

(12) Exclusively conducts open burns of explosives subject to the requirements of the air pollution control district or air quality management district and in compliance with OSHA and Cal-OSHA regulations.

(13) Exclusively conducts onsite burning of less than 3,000 pounds per day of fumes directly from a manufacturing or commercial process.

(14) Exclusively conducts onsite burning of hazardous waste in an industrial furnace that recovers hydrogen chloride from the flue gas if the hydrogen chloride is subsequently sold, distributed in commerce, or used in a manufacturing process at the site where the hydrogen chloride is recovered, and the burning is in compliance with the requirements of the air pollution control district or air quality management district and the Department of Toxic Substances Control.

(e) Paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) does not apply to a project for which the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission has assumed jurisdiction under Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 25500) of Division 15.

(f) Paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (a) do not apply if the facility only manages hazardous waste that is identified or listed pursuant to Section 25140 or 25141 of the Health and Safety Code on or after January 1, 1992, but not before that date, or only conducts activities that are regulated pursuant to Chapter 6.5 (commencing with Section 25100) of Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code on or after January 1, 1992, but not before that date.

(g) This section does not exempt a project from any other requirement of this division.

(h) For purposes of this section, offsite facility means a facility that serves more than one generator of hazardous waste.