Site Mitigation & Restoration Program

We protect and maintain California’s land and places
by setting strict standards for land restoration and cleanup

Community Benefits Agreement

The Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) Policy Framework is being established as part of the Cleanup in Vulnerable Communities Initiative (CVCI) to further improve the quality of life in the most vulnerable communities impacted by contaminated sites overseen by DTSC.

A CBA is a legally enforceable contract, which sets forth a range of community benefits that a project proponent agrees to provide as part of a project. CBAs are often established between developers and coalitions of community organizations to ensure affected residents share in the benefits of development projects. DTSC aims to apply CBAs in remediation projects, to provide the community with benefits that go beyond mitigation measures that are required for cleanups.

The goal of this policy is to develop CBAs as part of DTSC’s oversight of the investigation and restoration of sites within communities with high cumulative environmental burdens. DTSC will engage with environmental justice organizations, indigenous tribes, and other stakeholders to develop program guidance before identifying sites and communities for a pilot-stage CBA program. DTSC will then use lessons and findings from the pilot program to produce guidance materials that can be used to implement CBAs for DTSC sites across California.