Cal/EPA and Environment Canada Join the Advancement of the Environmental Technology Certification

For Immediate Release (C-36-96)
Contact: Communications Office (916) 324-9670
October 9, 1996

555 Capitol Mall, Suite 525
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 324-9670
FAX (916) 445-5563

Sacramento Capping more than a year of negotiations, the California Environmental Protection Agency today announced the signing of an agreement with Environment Canada to closely coordinate their environmental technology certification programs.

"We are pleased that Canada is joining with California to advance environmental technology certification.   Their experience and insights combined with those from the other states and nations working to advance environmental technology certification will help us all achieve success in this most important endeavor," California Secretary for Environmental Protection James M. Strock said.

"Our Memorandum of Understanding with Canada is an important step in bringing Canadian environmental technology into California and also expanding the market for California-certified technologies in Canada," Cal/EPA's Deputy Secretary for Technology  Ann  C. Heywood said.

The agreement with Canada is the latest in a series of Cal/EPA efforts to expand the verification and certification of environmental technologies around the world.   Through certification, promising environmental technologies are accelerated through the normally slow development cycle and more quickly deployed to meet urgent environmental needs.    In addition, these technologies are more readily accepted by customers and environmental regulators.

Under the two-year agreement signed by Secretary Strock and Environment Canada Minister Sergio Marchi, California and Canada will exchange information on verification process and procedure and work towards reciprocity in their program. A similar international agreement has been made with the German state of Bavaria.  Cal/EPA also has an agreement to conduct a joint certification pilot project with five other U.S. states and is working with U.S. EPA to further expand the certification program across the nation.  In recognition of these efforts, Cal/EPA's program has been named a finalist in the Harvard Kennedy School of Government's Innovations in Government Award program.

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