As used in this chapter, “department” means the Department of Conservation and “director” means the Director of Conservation.

There is in the Resources Agency the Department of Conservation. The department shall be conducted under the control of an executive officer known as the Director of Conservation. The director shall be appointed by and hold office at the pleasure of the Governor and shall receive an annual salary as provided in Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 11550) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. The appointment of the director shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate.

The department succeeds to and is vested with all of the duties, powers, purposes, responsibilities, and jurisdiction vested in the Department of Natural Resources or the Director of Natural Resources and exercised by the following divisions of the Department of Natural Resources: Forestry; Mines and Geology; Oil and Gas; and Soil Conservation.

Wherever any reference is made to the Department of Natural Resources or to the Director of Natural Resources pertaining to a duty, power, purpose, responsibility, or jurisdiction transferred to the Department of Conservation by this section, it shall be deemed to be a reference to, and to mean, the Department of Conservation or to the Director of Conservation, as the case may be.

The director is hereby vested with all the duties, powers, purposes, responsibilities, and jurisdiction of the State Geologist as Chief of the California Geological Survey of the department. The director may appoint an assistant or deputy director to exercise any powers and duties in the administration of the California Geological Survey that the director may delegate to that person.

The department may expend the money in any appropriation or in any special fund in the State Treasury made available by law for the administration of the statutes the administration of which is committed to the department, or for the use, support, or maintenance of any board, bureau, commission, department, office or officer whose duties, powers, and functions have been transferred to and conferred upon the department. Such expenditures by the department shall be made in accordance with law in carrying out the purposes for which the appropriations were made or the special funds created.

The department shall have possession and control of all records, books, papers, offices, equipment, supplies, moneys, funds, appropriations, land and other property, real or personal, held for the benefit or use of all bodies, offices, and officers whose duties, powers, and functions have been transferred to and conferred upon the department.

The provisions of Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11150), Part 1, Division 3, Title 2 of the Government Code apply to the director. The director may appoint, in accordance with civil service, such deputies, officers, and other employees as may be necessary.

The work of the department shall be divided into at least the following:

instead, refer to the Geologic Energy Management Division.

The director, with approval of the Director of Finance, may accept on behalf of the various divisions of the department federal grants for the purposes for which the department is established. Such grants shall be deposited in the Special Deposit Fund in the State Treasury provided for by Section 16370 of the Government Code, and may be expended under such terms and conditions as may be required by the federal government.

Whenever the department has received and deposited any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the General Fund in an excessive amount or in error, or whenever a refund of all or a portion of such money is due any person, firm, or corporation because of the termination of an agreement or other lawful reason, payment of such refund shall be made upon the filing of a claim by the director with the State Controller. The State Controller shall draw his warrant for payment of the refund from any appropriation made for that purpose.

For the purpose of disseminating information relating to its activities, powers, duties, or functions, the department may issue publications, construct and maintain exhibits, and perform acts and carry on functions, as in the opinion of the director, will best tend to disseminate the information.

These publications may be distributed free of charge to public libraries and to other state departments and state officers. The department may exchange copies with contemporary publications.

All money received by the department from the sale of publications, exclusive of money received by any separate division of the department from the sale of publications, shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the General Fund.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this code or of law and except as provided in the State Building Standards Law, Part 2.5 (commencing with Section 18901) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code, on and after January 1, 1980, the department, director, the State Geologist, the State Mining and Geology Board, or the California Geological Survey shall not adopt nor publish a building standard as defined in Section 18909 of the Health and Safety Code unless the provisions of Sections 18930, 18933, 18938, 18940, 18943, 18944, and 18945 of the Health and Safety Code are expressly excepted in the statute under which the authority to adopt rules, regulations, or orders is delegated. Any building standard adopted in violation of this section shall have no force or effect. Any building standard adopted before January 1, 1980, pursuant to this code and not expressly excepted by statute from such provisions of the State Building Standards Law shall remain in effect only until January 1, 1985, or until adopted, amended, or superseded by provisions published in the State Building Standards Code, whichever occurs sooner.

The department shall prepare, update, and maintain Important Farmland Series maps as defined in subdivision (f) of Section 65560 of the Government Code and other soils and land capability information, and prepare and maintain an automated map and data base system to record and report changes in the use of agricultural lands.

The department, through the California Resources Information System and as budgetary resources permit, may provide informational assistance to local agencies in the development of geobased natural resource information systems. In addition, the department may assist local agencies in securing geobased natural resource information from state agencies.

Local agencies requesting assistance shall reimburse the department for identifiable costs incurred by the department pursuant to this section.

The department may do any of the following:

liaison with resource conservation districts.

Grants administered by the department, including, but not limited to, those awarded pursuant to Division 9 (commencing with Section 9001), Division 10.2 (commencing with Section 10200), and Division 12.1 (commencing with Section 14500), are not subject to the State Contract Act (Part 2 (commencing with Section 10100) of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code) or Article 6 (commencing with Section 999) of Chapter 6 of Division 4 of the Military and Veterans Code.

Upon an appropriation by the Legislature, or as other funds become available and are appropriated for these purposes, the department may provide grants and other forms of local assistance to resource conservation districts.