News Release C01-09

For Immediate Release December 27, 2001

Contact: William L. Rukeyser, Cal/EPA 916-324-9670  (cell) 916-715-5852

Cal/EPA Selects Its Members to the Advisory Committee on Environmental Justice

Sacramento - Cal/EPA Secretary Winston H. Hickox today announced the members of the California Environmental Protection Agency’s new Environmental Justice Advisory Committee. The 13 members (list attached) represent a cross-section of Californians.

Agency Secretary Hickox observed, “We are making environmental justice an everyday part of all our activities. This new advisory committee will help us make sure we meet our goal to ‘reduce or eliminate the disproportionate impacts of pollution on low-income and minority populations.'”

The committee is established by Senate Bill 89 (of 2000) by Sen. Martha Escutia. SB 89 delineates seven categories of activities and professions. Under the terms of the bill members of the committee are drawn from each category. “This committee represents communities from south to north, from the coast and the valleys,” said Mr. Hickox. “We expect to further broaden its diversity as we establish subcommittees in the next few months.”

Cal/EPA will work with the new committee through its Assistant Secretary for Environmental Justice Romel Pascual. The Environmental Justice office’s mission statement states that “the California Environmental Protection Agency and its Boards, Departments and Offices shall conduct their public health and environmental protection programs, policies and activities in a manner that is designed to promote equality and afford fair treatment, full access and full protection to all Californians, including low income and minority populations.”

The committee will help Cal/EPA by examining existing data and studies on environmental justice; recommending criteria for identifying and addressing any gaps in existing programs; providing guidance to Cal/EPA for the coordination and implementation of intra-agency environmental justice strategies; recommending procedures for collecting, maintaining, analyzing, and coordinating information relating to environmental justice and recommending procedures to ensure that public documents, and public hearings related to health or the environment are concise, understandable, and readily accessible to the public.

Among recent Cal/EPA activities to promote environmental justice have been programs to limit diesel exhaust in low income and minority neighborhoods and monitoring of industrial activities in residential areas so that pollution can be minimized or eliminated.

Attachment - The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Advisory Committee On Environmental Justice

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