(a)  The south coast district shall establish expedited permit review and project assistance mechanisms for facilities or projects which are directly related to research and development, demonstration, or commercialization of electric and other clean fuel vehicle technologies.

(b)  The mechanisms shall include all of the following:

(1)  The issuance of consolidated permits, serving the purpose of both the permit to construct and the permit to operate, to expedite the permitting process.

(2)  The review and processing of permits on a facility or project basis rather than on an equipment basis to ensure a single point of contact for the applicant and to allow entire projects to be reviewed and evaluated on a single, consolidated schedule.

(3)  The establishment of a “fast track” permitting procedure to approve permits in an average of 30 days from receipt of all information requested by the district, except for any of the following facilities:

(A)  Facilities that may emit significant amounts of toxic air contaminants.

(B)  Facilities that require public notice.

(C)  Facilities that require additional review to meet the requirements of the federal Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. § 7401 et seq.) or the California Clean Air Act of 1988 (Chapter 1568 of the Statutes of 1988).

(4)  The development and implementation of postconstruction enforcement procedures to ensure that new and modified sources are constructed according to permit requirements.

(5)  The establishment of a liaison program in the office of public adviser to assist facilities participating in research and development, demonstration, or commercialization of electric and other clean fuel vehicle technologies with preparing permit applications, complying with other district administrative procedures, and identifying and applying for state, federal, district, or other available funds set aside for electric and other clean fuel vehicle-related projects.

(c)  For purposes of this section, clean fuels are fuels designated by the state board for use in low, ultralow, or zero emission vehicles and include, but are not limited to, electricity, ethanol, hydrogen, liquefied petroleum gas, methanol, natural gas, and reformulated gasoline.

(Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 309, Sec. 1. Effective July 23, 1992.)