California Assembly Bill AB2292 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2292INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Gordon FEBRUARY 18, 2016 An act to amend Section 71090 of the Public Resources Code, relating to environmental justice. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2292, as introduced, Gordon. California Communities Environmental Health Screening. 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 relative to greenhouse gas emissions. Existing law requires the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to update the California Communities Environmental Health Screening tool, developed by the agency and the office for the purposes of identifying those disadvantaged communities, to include specified environmental data, when available, relating to communities in the California-Mexico border region. This bill would additionally require the office in the next update of the tool or by January 1, 2018, whichever is sooner, to include in the tool population density as a population characteristic. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 71090 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read: 71090. (a) For purposes of this part, the following terms have the following meanings:  (1) "Border" means the California-Mexico border.   (1)   (2)  "Office" means the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.  (2)   (3)  "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.  (e) In the next update of the tool or by January 1, 2018, whichever is sooner, the office shall include in the tool population density as a population characteristic.