The legislature hereby finds and declares:

    (a) That there exist in this state certain facilities containing hazardous substances that pose a danger to the public health, safety, or welfare, or to the environment of this state.

    (b) That there is a need to provide for a method of eliminating the danger of environmental contamination caused by the existence of hazardous substances at facilities within the state.

    (c) That it is the purpose of this part to provide for appropriate response activity to eliminate unacceptable risks to public health, safety, or welfare, or to the environment from environmental contamination at facilities within the state.

    (d) That there is a need for additional administrative and judicial remedies to supplement existing statutory and common law remedies.

    (e) That the responsibility for the cost of response activities pertaining to a release or threat of release and repairing injury, destruction, or loss to natural resources caused by a release or threat of release should not be placed upon the public except when funds cannot be collected from, or a response activity cannot be undertaken by, a person liable under this part.

    (f) That liability for response activities to address environmental contamination should be imposed upon those persons who are responsible for the environmental contamination.

    (g) That to the extent possible, consistent with requirements under this part and rules promulgated under this part, response activities shall be undertaken by persons liable under this part.

    (h) That this part is intended to provide remedies for facilities posing any threat to the public health, safety, or welfare, or to the environment, regardless of whether the release or threat of release of a hazardous substance occurred before or after October 13, 1982, the effective date of the former environmental response act, Act No. 307 of the Public Acts of 1982, and for this purpose this part shall be given retroactive application. However, criminal and civil penalties provided in this part shall apply to violations of this part that occur after July 1, 1991.

    (i) That a facility that is owned by the federal government, the state, or a local unit of government, or a facility where a release or threat of release is caused by the federal government, the state, or a local unit of government, should not be treated differently in terms of the expenditure of money for response activities than any facility.

    (j) That if a person who is liable under section 20126 is the state or a local unit of government, this part should be enforced by the attorney general and the department in the same manner as it would be for any other person who is liable under section 20126.

    (k) That this part is not intended to impose penalties or exemplary damages upon parties conducting response activities pursuant to a decree or order to which the United States is a party.

    (l) That this part is intended to foster the redevelopment and reuse of vacant manufacturing facilities and abandoned industrial sites that have economic development potential, if that redevelopment or reuse assures the protection of the public health, safety, welfare, and the environment.

    (m) That it is the intent of the legislature that, in implementing this part, the department shall act reasonably in its exercise of professional judgment.