1999 Accomplishments and Priorities

Office of the Secretary

The mission of the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) is to improve environmental quality in order to protect public health, the welfare of our citizens, and California's natural resources. Cal/EPA will achieve its mission in an equitable, efficient, cost-effective manner.

Accomplishments during Second Half of 1999

1. Organizational and Fiscal Review. An organizational and fiscal review of the Agency was conducted and a report was transmitted to the Governor and to the Legislature in response to direction provided to the Secretary in the 1999 Governor’s Budget, and as further defined in the Supplemental Budget Language. Independent consultants interviewed scores of stakeholders, both inside and outside of government, including members of the executive and legislative branches. The report identifies 10 issues that are considered critical to the ability of Cal/EPA to meet its responsibilities, and provides a discussion, conclusion, and a range of alternative actions for each issue. The report supports the Secretary’s own conclusion that Cal/EPA has an important role in protecting human and environmental health, and that more can be done.

2. Consolidated Budget Change Proposals. Instead of developing budget proposals independently, the boards and departments within Cal/EPA were asked to share their 2000-2001 fiscal year Budget Change Proposals (BCPs) with each other. This stimulated a cross-media review of program and budgetary priorities. Where appropriate, the boards and departments were asked by Agency to produce a consolidated multimedia BCP.

3. Enforcement. Secretary Hickox requested that all Cal/EPA boards and departments conduct a review of their enforcement programs, identify challenges and shortcomings and possible solutions. This was completed at the end of 1999. This review was used in developing Cal/EPA's Comprehensive Enforcement Initiative Budget Change Proposal (BCP) and other planning processes. Agency boards and departments are following through with work plans for accomplishing many of the goals identified in the review process.

   Cal/EPA initiated and coordinated multimedia inspections of a specific industry in targeted geographic areas. Inspection teams composed of staff from different federal, state, and local agencies performed the inspections. Evaluation of the protocols used and the benefits of such multimedia inspection teams is in progress.

4. Multi-State Working Group on Environmental Management Systems. In December, Cal/EPA hosted the winter meeting of the Multi-State Working Group on Environmental Management Systems (MSWG) in Oakland. California chairs the MSWG. Approximately 80 people from government, business and the environmental community attended, including Secretary Hickox who presented his vision for California. The MSWG has developed policy papers on regulatory compliance and EMSs, transparency and external communication, and the relationship between states and the federal government in the regulatory innovation process. Many of the policy positions developed by the MSWG have been incorporated into new legislation now pending in Congress (HR 3448 -Dooley D-CA/Greenwood R-NY).
5. Brownfield Redevelopment. Cal/EPA recognizes the need for incentives to enhance cleanup and redevelopment efforts at abandoned and under-utilized urban properties for beneficial uses. To develop urban infills, the Secretary of Cal/EPA has initiated an innovative effort to jump start brownfield cleanups by using targeted financing directives developed jointly with the State Treasurer's Office. A $250 million bond issue is being considered.
6. Military Base Remediation and Re-Use. The Office of the Secretary is specifically charged with coordinating and assisting the six Cal/EPA boards and departments in their efforts to accelerate and smooth the transition of former military bases into productive uses for the surrounding communities. Cal/EPA has submitted several proposals to accelerate and simplify the remediation process and has called for the creation of independent, accountable program managers who are separate from operational military commanders. Meeting frequently with senior members of the Department of Defense, interested stakeholders, and key people from the Cal/EPA's own regulatory offices, the Office of the Secretary has facilitated the first accelerated base closures and transfers in California and has prepared other military sites for the same accelerated process within the next six to nine months.
7. BECC Environmental Projects Certified. Through the efforts of the California Border Environmental Cooperation Committee (Cal/BECC), six environmental infrastructure projects were BECC certified in 1999. The projects, which are located in California and include wastewater treatment and water delivery system improvements, will benefit 31,000 Californians. Additionally, Cal/BECC assisted in securing $2.1 million in Technical Assistance Grants for several California-Baja California border communities and a $20.6 million grant for improvements to a wastewater treatment plant in Mexicali, Baja California, that currently discharges into the New River.
8. Environmentally Responsible Investment. Working with commercial investment houses and independent financial analysts, Cal/EPA has been an advocate for a reorientation of investment criteria used by state institutional investors, such as the California Public Employees Retirement System and California State Teachers Retirement System. Cal/EPA is encouraging them to consider more environmentally sensitive and sensible investment philosophies.
9. Permit Assistance Centers/CalGOLD. Cal/EPA permit assistance centers and the CalGOLD program are designed to assist project applicants by providing information on what permits, licenses and approvals are needed to comply with state, regional and local requirements. Since their establishment in 1992, staffing for the centers had been borrowed or loaned from other government agencies and departments. In order to achieve greater consistency of mission and administrative accountability, permit assistance center staff in mid-1999 were formally converted to Cal/EPA staff. Staff vacancies are now filled with qualified environmental professionals with a new Department of Personnel Administration classification of Permit Assistance Directors.
10. Year 2000 (Y2K) Hazardous Materials Project. The Office of the Secretary worked with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) to complete a Y2K hazardous materials preparedness project for the state. The Office of the Secretary coordinated the efforts of the Cal/EPA boards and departments in working with OES and the Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPAs) to complete the project prior to January 1, 2000. The project consisted of surveying and identifying the Y2K readiness of more than 130,000 businesses in California that handle hazardous materials and waste. The project was successfully completed with no Y2K related releases of hazardous materials being reported. The project highlights the ability of multiple state agencies to work together with local government to accomplish a major public health and environmental protection project in a relatively short time period.
11. Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Awards. The California Environmental Protection Agency worked jointly with the California Resources Agency, on behalf of the Governor’s Office, in planning and directing the annual Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Awards. The awards ceremony, held on December 8, 1999, recognized eight organizations, projects, and individuals for exemplary achievements in environmental protection, resource conservation, and economic progress in California.
12. New Cal/EPA Headquarters Building. During the latter part of 1999, significant progress was made in connection with the new Cal/EPA headquarters building that is currently under construction. When completed later this year, all Cal/EPA boards and departments, which are currently scattered throughout the Sacramento area, will be consolidated into one high-rise building in downtown Sacramento. To prepare for the move this summer, working groups were established at Cal/EPA boards and departments to plan for a smooth transition and develop common policies for general operation of the building and the sharing of conference rooms, meeting rooms, and other facilities. There was also significant progress in making the building "greener," or more environmentally friendly, such as using non-air-polluting paint and recycled content materials in carpeting, ceiling tiles, and modular furniture fabric. In addition, low-mercury lighting fixtures were chosen for greater energy efficiency.

Priorities for First Half of 2000

1. Strategic Plan. Cal/EPA is embarking on a comprehensive strategic planning process to update the vision, mission, and goals of the Agency. The Office of the Secretary will be working closely with Cal/EPA boards and departments, the Resources Agency, and representatives of environmental and business organizations, including the California Environmental Dialogue (CED), to update the plan. The conceptual goal is to produce strategic plans for Cal/EPA and its boards, departments and office, and a strategic plan for achieving statewide environmental performance goals based on environmental indicators. While a strategic plan is considered a living document that is updated regularly to address changing circumstances, the initial revision is targeted for completion by midsummer.

2. Enforcement. Establishment of a cross-media enforcement unit is mandated by AB 1102 (1999), which became effective January 1, 2000. Initial staffing for this unit was proposed in Cal/EPA's Comprehensive Enforcement Initiative Budget Change Proposal. When fully established, the enforcement unit will be able to respond to violations affecting multiple media and committed in multiple jurisdictions. The unit will provide investigative resources to the boards and departments within Cal/EPA and to local agencies.

   A cross-media training program for all Cal/EPA board and department field staff is also being developed. This training program will produce a cross-media inspector certification program. A Cal/EPA inter-board and department task force has been assembled to oversee the development of the program's training standards and curricula. Curriculum design is in progress and is expected to be completed by the end of this fiscal year. Actual training is planned to begin in the next fiscal year. It is anticipated that this training will eventually be offered to local agency counterparts such as air districts, CUPAs and LEAs.

3. The Cal/EPA Environmental Management System (EMS) Innovation Initiative. The EMS Initiative is designed to inform public policy makers and engage stakeholders in determining whether and how the use of an EMS increases public health, increases environmental protection, and provides better public information than existing regulatory requirements. In order to determine if an EMS provides these benefits, Cal/EPA plans to conduct up to eight pilot projects. Voluntary partnerships have been established with representatives from the beverage, metal finishing, wastewater treatment, computer and defense industries. Data on changes in environmental performance and regulatory compliance, pollution prevention, and stakeholder involvement resulting from implementation of an EMS will be collected and evaluated, as well as information on the types and quality of information available to stakeholders.
4. Organizational and Fiscal Review. As a follow-up to the organizational and fiscal review of Cal/EPA, the Secretary will be working with the Legislature, business interests and the environmental community to explore opportunities for positive change at Cal/EPA, most importantly in the areas of risk assessment, risk management, and enforcement. In addition there are functions that Cal/EPA can uniquely perform and will be addressed immediately, such as cross-media coordination and information dissemination and management.
5. Partnership for a Sustainable Silicon Valley. Cal/EPA is proposing to partner with Silicon Valley business and environmental organizations, along with federal and local government regulatory agencies, to develop an integrated environmental management system for the region. The proposed process will involve: 1) the creation of a consensus environmental policy document for the valley, with articulation of long-term improvement goals and intermediate checkpoints in key environmental areas; 2) agreements with industrial or other sectors to achieve specified environmental performance targets; 3) creation of new or adaptation of existing environmental performance measurement systems to track progress and 4) rationalization of the existing regulatory structure where appropriate, along with a study of the efficacy of the strategies and publication and dissemination of the results.
6. Border Environmental Plan. Cal/EPA and its boards and departments will develop a comprehensive California-Baja California Border environmental plan. The plan will emphasize cross-media pollution prevention as well as address current activities, future needs and the direction of Cal/EPA efforts. The plan will be crafted with involvement from the California Border Coordinators Group, Baja California, counterparts and local governments on both sides of the border. In advances of that effort, Cal/EPA is assisting the City of Tijuana in the development of its own smog check program.
7. Brownfields. Future brownfield activities include efforts to: 1) secure passage of a brownfield remediation bond package on the November ballot; 2) continue accelerated brownfield remediation through close coordination of DTSC review efforts for specific proposed reuses; 3) continue to advocate for Land Use Controls (LUCs), deed restrictions, and not-to-sue covenants as a means of creating incentives for local limited development with the understanding that jurisdiction remains with Cal/EPA for any broader or different future use.
8. Improvements in Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) Inspection and Enforcement Activities. 1) During the first half of 2000, the Unified Program will develop an inspection and enforcement model program plan for the CUPAs. This plan will define what activities constitute a minimum inspection and enforcement program and will begin to move forward in the development of a multimedia enforcement program. A significant part of this effort will be the delivery of several major training modules to the CUPAs. The CUPA training will include: multimedia inspection and enforcement procedures, financial assurance for hazardous waste generators, hazardous waste generator inspection process, enforcement administrative process and penalties, hazardous waste classification and hazardous waste recycling; 2) Cal/EPA, working with its boards and departments and the other agencies with a role in the Unified Program, will complete a plan that provides for the implementation of the Unified Program by a CUPA or a state agency in every local jurisdiction. This plan will address resource and funding issues that have prevented a fully functioning Unified Program from being established in 15 rural counties of the state.
9. Military Base Remediation and Re-Use. The Office of the Secretary will continue to work closely with the Department of Toxic Substances Control to ensure all regulatory reviews related to reuse of military bases are completed on time and within budget. The Office of the Secretary will also participate in several national meetings hosted by the Department of Defense (DoD) to define new accelerated transfer and remediation procedures. Agency staff will draft and submit proposals for consideration by the DoD Task Force meeting in March 2000. Cal/EPA will submit independent proposals for budgetary and operational changes to DoD’s policies and procedures. The proposals encourage more remediation, taking place sooner, and more bases being considered for accelerated and early transfers.
10. Permit Assistance Centers/CalGOLD. A number of program improvements are planned for the first half of 2000 to elevate the quality and utilization of the services provided at the centers, such as expanding pollution prevention information services at the centers and on the CalGOLD Web site. In order to better serve California’s diverse population, information on the CalGOLD Web site will be translated into Spanish. Programs will be created to improve coordination between regulatory and environmental permitting boards, departments, offices and agencies at all levels of government. In addition, an Environmental Service Center will be established on the first floor of the new Cal/EPA building in Sacramento. The center will provide educational information from all the Cal/EPA boards and departments, using recycled materials where ever possible.
11. The Environmental Management Systems Academy. The Cal/EPA EMS Innovation team will continue working with its partners from other states, the Council of State Governments, and the National Academy of Public Administration to implement a proposal for creation of a National Environmental Management Systems Academy. The purpose of the academy is to build the necessary knowledge infrastructure within states regarding systems approaches to environmental management, concepts to promote environmental performance beyond regulatory minimums, and the creation of partnerships between government, business and the public interest sectors to achieve long-term environmental quality and sustainability goals.
12. New Cal/EPA Headquarters Building. Final decisions will be made in the first half of 2000 on adding more environmentally friendly "green" features to the new Cal/EPA building. Plans call for installation and implementation of a state-of-the-art indoor air quality flushing system to make sure the air inside the building is clean and healthy. A comprehensive commercial building recycling program is being developed. More parking spaces with recharging systems for nonpolluting electric vehicles will be created at the adjacent parking garage. Additional green features include installation of a nonpolluting fuel cell electricity generating system and use of clean-burning diesel fuel in the emergency power generator. Furthermore, final planning and preparations for moving into the new building will accelerate in the first half of 2000 with details such as selecting a moving company, installation of communications networks, and further development of common board and department policies for shared facilities.

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