- Environmental justice organization to ensure Air Resources Board holds SANDAG accountable to equitable, transparent implementation of SB 375
- EHC says low-income communities of color continue to suffer first and worst from climate change
SAN DIEGO, March 23, 2018 – Yesterday afternoon, the California Air Resources board updated the emission-reduction targets under SB 375, the bill intended to hold the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and other statewide metropolitan planning organizations accountable to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Now, SANDAG is required to meet a 19-percent decrease in current emissions by the year 2035 – a number that, according to the Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) and other local organizations, needed to be at least 25 percent to mitigate the harmful impacts of climate change on San Diego’s low-income communities of color.
At yesterday’s hearing, EHC Executive Director Diane Takvorian, who also sits on the California Air Resources Board, proposed a higher emissions-reduction target for SANDAG. Board members Dean Florez and John Gioia supported her amendment before the 19-percent target was finalized.
“The lack of strong statewide leadership behind SB 375 simply means local, grassroots organizations have more work to do,” says Ana Reynoso, transportation justice policy advocate at EHC. “Residents who journeyed to Riverside for last night’s vote know first-hand that the effects of climate change disproportionately impact communities south of the I-8 freeway and that we needed at least a 25 percent reduction in pollution by 2035 to alleviate that.”
EHC, an organization dedicated to bringing environmental justice to the San Diego / Tijuana region, maintains that SANDAG has long neglected requests from residents for a strong transportation system that centers on the needs of the most underserved neighborhoods. Moving forward, the organization promises to ensure SANDAG meets the 19-percent reduction standard for San Diego in an equitable and transparent way.
“We intend to work very closely with the Air Resources Board to ensure it holds SANDAG accountable to implementing SB 375 in a way that prioritizes the communities that need the most immediate help,” says Reynoso.
For more information on climate justice in the San Diego / Tijuana region, please visit www.environmentalhealth.org.
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ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH COALITION: Founded in 1980, Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) builds grassroots campaigns to confront the unjust consequences of toxic pollution, discriminatory land use and unsustainable energy policies. Visit us online at http://www.environmentalhealth.org.