EPA, CalEPA Release Plan for Joint Enforcement Work to Protect California Communities Overburdened by Pollution

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Plan Builds on Groundbreaking Federal-State Partnership Launched via 2021 Environmental Justice-Targeted Settlement

THE ANGELS — The U.S. Environmental Safety Company (EPA) and the California Environmental Safety Company (CalEPA) in the present day launched a two-year motion plan to collaboratively handle environmental justice points throughout California by imposing legal guidelines that shield public well being and the atmosphere.

In 2021, EPA and CalEPA signed a five-year, first-of-its-kind settlement to develop joint federal-state actions for decreasing air pollution burdens, rising environmental compliance and enhancing public well being outcomes in overburdened California communities. In late 2022, the companies launched a 2023 Motion Plan, and in the present day they’re releasing a 2024/25 motion plan beneath the preliminary settlement, which builds on suggestions from group companions and helps information the companies’ shared civil and prison enforcement approaches via 2025.

“We are proud to continue this groundbreaking partnership with CalEPA to help ensure cleaner air, water and land for underserved communities across California,” stated EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “Enforcement of environmental laws has an enormous potential to address environmental justice issues, and working collaboratively with a committed state partner like CalEPA allows both agencies to focus our resources more narrowly on addressing community priorities.”

“CalEPA has long committed to working closely with community partners to understand and best respond to enforcement and compliance challenges impacting their health and wellbeing. We are excited to continue our first-of-its-kind partnership with U.S. EPA and leverage our shared resources to improve air, water, and soil quality and hold corporate polluters accountable,” stated CalEPA Secretary Yana Garcia.

Focal areas beneath the 2024/2025 Environmental Justice Enforcement Motion Plan embrace:

• A renewed dedication to enhanced, sustained engagement with the 5 group boards in Los Angeles, Fresno County, Kern County, the Jap Coachella Valley and the Bayview-Hunters Level group in San Francisco, which have been piloted beneath the 2023 motion plan.
• Continued use of fast response job forces.
• Elevated transparency and entry to environmental compliance info for the general public.
• Strengthened connections, together with enhanced alternatives for info sharing throughout communities and improved communication amongst program areas inside companies.

By partnerships in every of those areas, EPA and CalEPA begin with a community-first strategy for strategic focusing on and enforcement. The companies convene month-to-month conferences to grasp group issues, observe up on all complaints, work throughout environmental areas (e.g., air, soil, water) and ranges of presidency to hunt options, and repeatedly talk with the discussion board’s members relating to their progress and any challenges. EPA and CalEPA could use civil and prison enforcement instruments at their disposal to find out essentially the most acceptable actions to carry amenities accountable or, when wanted, refer them to essentially the most acceptable authority.

Native successes and commitments from this partnership embrace:

• Response to fireplace at Radius Recycling in Oakland — In August 2023, a fireplace was reported at Radius Recycling (previously often known as Schnitzer Metal) in Oakland. After the fireplace was extinguished, the group had questions on persisting environmental threats from the incident. In response, EPA and CalEPA arrange a fast response job pressure to coordinate and expedite investigations, negotiate corrective actions, and demand accountability for environmental non-compliance. It additionally compiled and consolidated info and distributed it to regulators and to the general public. The duty pressure now serves because the prototype for the companies’ new fast response job pressure device.
• Unlawful Dumping in Fresno County — Communities in Fresno, like many throughout the state, are burdened by unlawful dumping. After studying from group members about a big and longstanding unlawful dumpsite in Lanare, an unincorporated group in Fresno County, EPA and CalEPA engaged the related state and native companies to take away and clear up the unlawful dumpsite. These efforts wrapped up in February of 2023. Beneath the federal-state partnership, as a part of ongoing motion to reinforce and maintain engagement with group boards, the companies proceed to associate with the Fresno IVAN (Investigating Violations Affecting Neighborhoods) to handle unlawful dumping elsewhere within the county.
• Del Amo Motion Committee Participation in Emergency Response Drill — The Del Amo Motion Committee, a key group associate in Los Angeles, has lengthy expressed issues about JCI Jones, a chemical facility positioned instantly adjoining to residential neighborhoods in Torrance, California. Residents needed to have a voice in emergency response planning, within the occasion of a chemical launch. Performing on these requests, EPA and CalEPA labored with JCI Jones and native emergency responders to conduct an emergency response drill with group participation. Consequently, the group is engaged on an emergency response plan for his or her group that they anticipate to launch by early 2025.
• Alameda Hall in Los Angeles — As a part of EPA’s nationwide precedence enforcement initiatives, the Company has dedicated to figuring out and taking motion in focus areas with environmental justice issues throughout the nation. A type of areas is the Mid-Alameda Hall in Los Angeles, a 35-square-mile space with almost half 1,000,000 residents. EPA will interact with environmental and group teams within the space to obtain enter on challenges and examine particular amenities or areas of concern. EPA will associate with related California state and native companions as a part of this effort.

Read the 2024/2025 Environmental Justice Enforcement Action Plan on EPA’s website.

Read about implementation of the previous Action Plan on CalEPA’s website.

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Information merchandise from U.S. EPA.