(AGENPARL) – mer 24 aprile 2024 Issued: Apr 24, 2024 (3:50pm EDT)
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EPA, CalEPA Release Plan for Joint Enforcement Work to Protect California
Communities Overburdened by Pollution
Plan Builds on Groundbreaking Federal-State Partnership Launched through 2021
Environmental Justice-Focused Agreement
EPA, CalEPA Release Plan for Joint Enforcement Work to Protect California
Communities Overburdened by Pollution
Plan Builds on Groundbreaking Federal-State Partnership Launched through 2021
Environmental Justice-Focused Agreement
LOS ANGELES (April 24, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) today
released a two-year action plan to collaboratively address environmental
justice issues across California by enforcing laws that protect public health
and the environment.
In 2021, EPA and CalEPA signed a five-year, first-of-its-kind agreement to
expand joint federal-state activities for reducing pollution burdens,
increasing environmental compliance and improving public health outcomes in
overburdened California communities. In late 2022, the agencies released a
2023 Action Plan, and today they are releasing a 2024/25 action plan under the
initial agreement, which builds on feedback from community partners and helps
guide the agencies’ shared civil and criminal enforcement approaches through
2025.
“We are proud to continue this groundbreaking partnership with CalEPA to
help ensure cleaner air, water and land for underserved communities across
California,” said 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,” said
CalEPA Secretary Yana Garcia.
Focal areas under the 2024/2025 Environmental Justice Enforcement Action Plan
include:
A renewed commitment to enhanced, sustained engagement with the five community
forums in Los Angeles, Fresno County, Kern County, the Eastern Coachella
Valley and the Bayview-Hunters Point community in San Francisco, which were
piloted under the 2023 action plan.
Continued use of rapid response task forces.
Increased transparency and access to environmental compliance information for
the public.
Strengthened connections, including enhanced opportunities for information
sharing across communities and improved communication among program areas
within agencies.
Through partnerships in each of these areas, EPA and CalEPA start with a
community-first approach for strategic targeting and enforcement. The agencies
convene monthly meetings to understand community concerns, follow up on all
complaints, work across environmental areas (e.g., air, soil, water) and
levels of government to seek solutions, and regularly communicate with the
forum’s participants regarding their progress and any challenges. EPA and
CalEPA may use civil and criminal enforcement tools at their disposal to
determine the most appropriate actions to hold facilities accountable or, when
needed, refer them to the most appropriate authority.
Local successes and commitments from this partnership include:
Response to fire at Radius Recycling in Oakland – In August 2023, a fire was
reported at Radius Recycling (formerly known as Schnitzer Steel) in Oakland.
After the fire was extinguished, the community had questions about persisting
environmental threats from the incident. In response, EPA and CalEPA set up a
rapid response task force to coordinate and expedite investigations, negotiate
corrective actions, and demand accountability for environmental
non-compliance. It also compiled and consolidated information and distributed
it to regulators and to the public. The task force now serves as the prototype
for the agencies’ new rapid response task force tool.
Illegal Dumping in Fresno County – Communities in Fresno, like many across
the state, are burdened by illegal dumping. After learning from community
members about a large and longstanding illegal dumpsite in Lanare, an
unincorporated community in Fresno County, EPA and CalEPA engaged the relevant
state and local agencies to remove and clean up the illegal dumpsite. These
efforts wrapped up in February of 2023. Under the federal-state partnership,
as part of ongoing action to enhance and sustain engagement with community
forums, the agencies continue to partner with the Fresno IVAN (Investigating
Violations Affecting Neighborhoods) to address illegal dumping elsewhere in
the county.
Del Amo Action Committee Participation in Emergency Response Drill – The Del
Amo Action Committee, a key community partner in Los Angeles, has long
expressed concerns about JCI Jones, a chemical facility located immediately
adjacent to residential neighborhoods in Torrance, California. Residents
wanted to have a voice in emergency response planning, in the event of a
chemical release. Acting on these requests, EPA and CalEPA worked with JCI
Jones and local emergency responders to conduct an emergency response drill
with community participation. As a result, the community is working on an
emergency response plan for their community that they expect to release by
early 2025.
Alameda Corridor in Los Angeles – As part of EPA’s national priority
enforcement initiatives, the Agency has committed to identifying and taking
action in focus areas with environmental justice concerns across the country.
One of those areas is the Mid-Alameda Corridor in Los Angeles, a
35-square-mile area with nearly half a million residents. EPA will engage with
environmental and community groups in the area to receive input on challenges
and investigate specific facilities or areas of concern. EPA will partner with
relevant California state and local partners as 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.
Learn about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us
on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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