[Approved by Governor October 8, 2015. Filed with Secretary of State October 8, 2015.]
AB 1059, 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, in the next update of the California Communities Environmental Health Screening tool, developed by the agency and the office to implement the above requirements, or not later than January 1, 2017, to report to the Legislature on specified data necessary for updating the indicators in the tool for communities in the California-Mexico border region, including barriers to accessing that data and studies and plans for obtaining that data. The bill would require the office, when such data of sufficient quality are available, to include that data in the next update of the tool.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 71090) is added to Division 34 of the Public Resources Code, to read:
(a) For purposes of this part, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) “Office” means the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
(2) “Tool” means the California Communities Environmental Health Screening, also known as CalEnviroScreen, that is used to identify disadvantaged communities pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code.
(b) (1) In the next update of the tool or by January 1, 2017, whichever is sooner, the office shall report to the Legislature on air quality, water quality, and toxic release and hazardous waste site data necessary for updating the indicators in the tool for communities located in the California-Mexico border region, including both of the following:
(A) Deficiencies in and barriers to accessing necessary data.
(B) Current and future monitoring studies and plans for obtaining the data.
(2) A report submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(c) For the purposes of subdivision (b), necessary data and information may include, but need not be limited to, the following:
(1) Air quality measurements for ozone and particulate matter 2.5 microns and smaller in size in the border region.
(2) Vehicle emissions at border crossings.
(3) Complete traffic density data within 150 meters of the border.
(4) Water quality data for waterways that cross the border.
(5) Feasibility of incorporating into the tool information from Mexico contained in the Pollutant Release and Transfer Registry.
(d) When such data of sufficient quality identified in subdivisions (b) and (c) are available for the communities in the California-Mexico border region, the office shall include that data in the next update of the tool.
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