A. The Legislature finds and declares that:
(1) Hazardous wastes in inactive or abandoned pits, ponds, lagoons, landfills, or other pollution sources pose a present and future hazard to the public health, safety, and welfare.
(2) State laws and regulations must comprehensively address those situations where the state must direct or participate in the clean-up, closure, or post-closure of inactive and abandoned hazardous waste sites through the exercise of its police powers and the expenditure of public monies or both.
B. In order to eliminate the hazards associated with inactive and abandoned hazardous waste sites, it is in the public interest and within the police power of this state to establish an inactive and abandoned hazardous waste site program and to establish a Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund to provide for the control, prevention, abatement, and cleanup of inactive and abandoned hazardous waste sites through administrative or legal action and expenditures from the Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund and to provide for the recovery of all monies so expended therefrom.
C. The secretary shall assign the duties, responsibilities, and authority provided for by this Chapter as appropriate within the department.