California Environmental Protection Agency

California Environmental Protection Agency

Logo of Cal/EPA
Agency overview
Formed July 17, 1991
Headquarters 1001 I Street Sacramento, California
Employees 4,550 permanent staff
Annual budget $1.8 billion (2011)
Agency executives Matt Rodriquez, Secretary
Cindy Tuck, Undersecretary
Child agencies California Air Resources Board
California Department of Toxic Substances Control
California Department of Pesticide Regulation
California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
California State Water Resources Control Board
California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
Website http://www.calepa.ca.gov/

The California Environmental Protection Agency, or Cal/EPA, is a state cabinet-level agency within the government of California. The mission of Cal/EPA is to restore, protect and enhance the environment, to ensure public health, environmental quality and economic vitality.[1]

The current Secretary for Environmental Protection (Secretary of Cal/EPA) is Matt Rodriquez, and is a member of Governor Jerry Brown's cabinet.[2] The Office of the Secretary heads Cal/EPA and is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the activities of one office, two boards, and three departments dedicated to improving California’s environment.[3]

The Secretary of Cal/EPA is also directly responsible for coordinating the administration of the Unified Program and certifying Unified Program Agencies. The Cal/EPA Unified Program coordinates, and makes consistent the administrative requirements, permits, inspections, and enforcement activities of six environmental and emergency response programs. The state agencies responsible for these programs set the standards for their program while local governments implement the standards. To date, there are 83 Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPAs), who are accountable for carrying out responsibilities previously handled by approximately 1,300 different state and local agencies.[4]

Cal/EPA should not be confused with the similarly named federal United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

History

Cal/EPA was created by Governor Pete Wilson by Executive Order W-5-91 in 1991, following on a "Big Green" initiative Wilson proposed during the 1990 state gubernatorial elections, promising a cabinet-level agency to oversee state environmental regulations and research.[5] Following inter-agency reorganizations led by the governor with review by both houses of the California State Legislature, the agency became a cabinet department on July 17, 1991.

Cal/EPA, and its departmental California Air Resources Board, were one of the key supporters of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, making the state the first in the United States to cap all greenhouse gas emissions from major industries.

In June 2008, Cal/EPA announced that new global warming performance labels would be placed on all new cars effective on January 1, 2009. The stickers will provide two scores: a smog score and a global warming score with a grade from 1 to 10, where the higher the grade, the more environmentally friendly the vehicle.

Boards, Departments, and Offices

The California Integrated Waste Management Board, that focused on recycling and waste reduction, ceased in 2010. It was succeeded by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery—CalRecycle, also under Cal/EPA.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Boards, Departments, and Offices". California Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2014-09-03.
  2. ↑ "Executive Management". California Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
  3. ↑ "About Cal/EPA". California Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2014-09-03.
  4. ↑ "Cal/EPA Unified Program". California Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2014-09-03.
  5. ↑ "History". California Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
  6. ↑ Calrecycle.ca.gov: California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery—CalRecycle . accessed 2.14.2014

External links