Earlier this week, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) released the final update of the California Communities Environmental Health Screening Tool, known as CalEnviroScreen 3.0, after a series of public hearings and comment periods in late 2016. CalEnviroScreen has long been the subject of controversy among many stakeholders due to what many, including RCRC, believe is the inappropriate use of the tool for allocation of Cap-and-Trade auction proceeds.
While the original purpose of the tool was to help the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) prioritize resources for cleanup and abatement projects and outreach efforts by CalEPA’s boards and departments, CalEPA has mandated that the tool be used as the sole method of identifying disadvantaged communities for Cap-and-Trade funding purposes. As a result, some of the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas in the state are excluded from receiving earmarked Cap-and-Trade funds, and more than half of California’s counties are shut out completely. These include counties that have had devastating climate-related disasters in recent years, such as high severity wildfires that produced much of the State’s black carbon emissions.
The updated CalEnviroScreen 3.0 and related documents can be accessed here.