(a) The California Border Environmental and Public Health Protection Fund is hereby established in the State Treasury to receive funds appropriated in the annual Budget Act, including, but not limited to, proceeds of bonds sold pursuant to Division 26.7 (commencing with Section 79700) of the Water Code, and other sources, such as from the North American Development Bank, Border Environment Cooperation Committee, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and private businesses or foundations, and any interest accrued on those funds.

(b) The money in the fund shall be available, upon appropriation, to the California-Mexico Border Relations Council pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 99520) of Title 20 of the Government Code, for expenditure for the purposes of this part.

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(c) The money in the fund shall not be made available for the purpose of bringing a person or a facility into compliance with environmental laws, or to provide funds to remediate environmental damage. The fund, instead, shall assist appropriate responsible agencies in California and Baja California in the implementation of projects to identify and resolve environmental and public health problems that directly threaten the health or environmental quality of California residents or sensitive natural resources of the California border region, including projects related to domestic and industrial wastewater, vehicle and industrial air emissions, hazardous waste transport and disposal, human and ecological risk, and disposal of municipal solid waste.

(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 668, Sec. 5. (AB 965) Effective January 1, 2016. Provisions applicable as prescribed in Section 71104.)