(a)  The Legislature finds and declares that small businesses are responsible for a significant amount of environmental emissions in the state, but are less able than larger businesses to afford the investment in new equipment or process modifications needed to comply with environmental regulations, with regard to controlling emissions, preventing the creation of pollutants, contaminants, or waste products, and remediating contamination of properties with a reasonable potential for economically beneficial reuse. Additionally, small businesses faced with financial pressures will be likely to reduce expenditures to achieve environmental compliance. Better access to capital will allow small businesses to more easily comply with environmental mandates, and to remediate contamination of properties with a reasonable potential of economically beneficial reuse, and to succeed economically, generating additional revenue to state and local governments that can be used for environmental improvements, all to the benefit of all the residents of the state.

(b)  The Legislature also finds and declares that it is in the best interest of the state to expand the Capital Access Loan Program for small business regardless of whether the operations of the small business affect the environment, and to permit business loans to be included in the program for small businesses whose operations do not, necessarily, affect the environment. Small businesses have difficulty gaining access to capital for startup and expansion purposes. Small businesses owned by minorities and women have special capital access difficulties. In addition, small businesses operating in areas affected by military base closures are disadvantaged by limited access to capital. The Legislature finds that improving access to capital for these small businesses will spur investment, create jobs, expand economic opportunities, assist in the recovery of communities affected by defense and aerospace losses, assist in the recovery of neighborhoods and communities affected by contaminated properties that are not being used for economically beneficial purposes but which could be so used if the contamination was remediated, and help sustain and strengthen economic recovery in California.

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(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 915, Sec. 11. Effective January 1, 2001.)