On October 1, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 993 (Hadwick), co-sponsored by RCRC and the California Association of Environmental Health Administrators.
AB 993 expands eligibility for CalEPA’s Rural Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) Reimbursement program to additionally include Alpine, Amador, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Mono, Napa, Nevada, San Benito, Siskiyou, and Tuolumne Counties.
Under the program, small counties with a population under 150,000 residents whose CUPAs were established after January 1, 2000, were eligible for state reimbursement of up to 75% of program implementation costs, up to $60,000, annually. Thirteen counties are currently eligible for the Rural CUPA Reimbursement Program. AB 993 expands eligibility to the remaining twelve counties with fewer than 150,000 residents.
AB 993 will increase local capacity to respond to wildfires and other hazardous material emergencies; ensure first responders are aware of the dangerous chemicals and substances stored in the buildings throughout the communities they protect; and help prevent underground and aboveground storage tank leaks that may contaminate land and drinking water supplies.
For more information, contact RCRC Senior Policy Advocate, John Kennedy.