Amended in Senate June 24, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 1059


Introduced by Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia

February 26, 2015


An act to add Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 71090) to Division 34 of the Public Resources Code, relating to environmental justice.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1059, as amended, Eduardo Garcia. California Communities Environmental Health Screening.

Existing law requires the Secretary for Environmental Protection to convene a Working Group on Environmental Justice to assist the secretary in developing an agencywide strategy for identifying and addressing gaps in existing programs, policies, or activities of the agency’s boards, departments, and offices that may impede the achievement of environmental justice.

Existing law requires the California Environmental Protection Agency to identify disadvantaged communities as part of a 3-year investment plan developed by the Department of Finance for the moneys collected by the State Air Resources Board resulting from a market-based compliance mechanism.

This bill would require the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment tobegin insert include in the nextend insert updatebegin insert ofend insert the California Communities Environmental Health Screening, developed by the agency and the office to implement the above requirements,begin delete by using anyend delete relevantbegin insert necessaryend insert environmental data relating tobegin delete known impacts on the environmental quality ofend delete the communities in the California-Mexico borderbegin delete region.end deletebegin insert region, as specified.end insert The bill would require the office to make a report to the Legislature onbegin delete any barriers to accessingend delete that databegin insert not later than January 1, 2017end insert.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 71090) is
2added to Division 34 of the Public Resources Code, to read:

3 

4PART 2.1.  California Communities Environmental
5Health Screening

6

 

7

71090.  

(a) For purposes of this part, the following terms have
8the following meanings:

9(1) “Office” means the Office of Environmental Health Hazard
10Assessment.

11(2) “Tool” means the California Communities Environmental
12Health Screening, also known as CalEnviroScreen, that is used to
13identify disadvantaged communities pursuant to Section 39711 of
14the Health and Safety Code.

begin delete

15(b) The office shall update the tool by using any relevant
16environmental data relating to known impacts on the environmental
17quality of the communities in the California-Mexico border region,
18including, but not limited to, air pollution, water pollution, and
19toxic sites.

20(c) (1) The office

end delete

21begin insert(b)end insertbegin insertend insertbegin insert(1)end insertbegin insertend insertbegin insertIn the next update of the tool or by January 1, 2017,
22whichever is sooner, the officeend insert
shall report to the Legislature on begin delete23 any barriers in accessing the data described in subdivision (b) in
24the next update of the tool or by January 1, 2017, whichever is
25sooner.end delete
begin insert air quality, water quality, and toxic release and hazardous
26waste site data necessary for updating the indicators in the tool
27for communities located in the California-Mexico border region,
28including both of the following:end insert

begin delete

29(2) A report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be
30submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
31Code.

end delete
begin insert

32(A) Deficiencies in and barriers to accessing necessary data.

end insert
begin insert

P3    1(B) Current and future monitoring studies and plans for
2obtaining the data.

end insert
begin insert

3(2) A report submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall be
4submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
5Code.

end insert
begin insert

6(c) For the purposes of subdivision (b), necessary data and
7information may include, but need not be limited to, the following:

end insert
begin insert

8(1) Air quality measurements for ozone and particulate matter
92.5 microns and smaller in size in the border region.

end insert
begin insert

10(2) Vehicle emissions at border crossings.

end insert
begin insert

11(3) Complete traffic density data within 150 meters of the
12border.

end insert
begin insert

13(4) Water quality data for waterways that cross the border.

end insert
begin insert

14(5) Feasibility of incorporating into the tool information from
15Mexico contained in the Pollutant Release and Transfer Registry.

end insert
begin insert

16(d) When the relevant necessary data identified in subdivisions
17(b) and (c) are available for the communities in the
18California-Mexico border region, the office shall include that data
19in the next update of the tool.

end insert


O

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