The California Environmental Protection Agency, or CalEPA, is a state cabinet-level agency within the

government of California The government of California is the governmental structure of the U.S. state of California as established by the California Constitution. California uses the separation of powers system to structure its government. It is composed of three branche ...

. The mission of CalEPA is to restore, protect and enhance the environment, to ensure public health, environmental quality and economic vitality. The current Secretary for Environmental Protection (Secretary of CalEPA) is Yana Garcia, (formerly Jared Blumenfeld), and is a member of Governor Gavin Newsom's cabinet. The Office of the Secretary heads CalEPA and is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the activities of one office, two boards, and three departments dedicated to improving California's environment. The Secretary of CalEPA is also directly responsible for coordinating the administration of the Unified Program and certifying Unified Program Agencies. The CalEPA 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. CalEPA should not be confused with the similarly named federal United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

History

CalEPA was created by Governor

Pete Wilson Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 36th governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as a United States senator from California betw ...

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. 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. As of 2019, the statutory creation of the agency is in

Government Code A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

section 12800. CalEPA, and its departmental

California Air Resources Board The California Air Resources Board (CARB or ARB) is the "clean air agency" of the government of California. Established in 1967 when then-governor Ronald Reagan signed the Mulford-Carrell Act, combining the Bureau of Air Sanitation and the Moto ...

, were one of the key supporters of the

Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, or Assembly Bill (AB) 32, is a California State Law that fights global warming by establishing a comprehensive program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sources throughout the state. AB32 was c ...

, making the state the first in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

to cap all

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and ...

from major industries. In June 2008, CalEPA announced that new

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

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.

Executive Management

* Yana Garcia, Secretary for Environmental Protection (Secretary of CalEPA) – appointed by Governor

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California f ...

. Started role in September 2022. Formerly Jared Blumenfeld, Secretary for Environmental Protection (Secretary of CalEPA) – appointed by Governor

in January 2019. Retired 2022. * Serena McIlwain, Undersecretary for Environmental Protection (Undersecretary of CalEPA) Deputy/Assistant Secretaries * Alexa Kleysteuber, Deputy Secretary for Border and Intergovernmental Relations * Alex Barnum, Deputy Secretary for Communications and External Affairs * Christiana Tiedemann, Deputy Secretary for Law Enforcement and Counsel * Ashley Conrad-Saydah, Deputy Secretary for Climate Policy * Grant Cope, Deputy Secretary for Environmental Policy * Christine Hironaka, Deputy Secretary for Legislative Affairs * Gina Solomon, Deputy Secretary for Science and Health * Jason Boetzer, Assistant Secretary for Local Program Coordination and Emergency Response * Eric Jarvis, Assistant Secretary for Fiscal & Administrative Programs * Christie Vosburg, Assistant General Counsel for Enforcement * Yana Garcia, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Justice and Tribal Affairs * Alejandro Rodarte, Assistant Secretary for Border Affairs * John Blue, Manager of Climate Programs * Sergio Gutierrez, Agency Chief Information Officer

Boards, Departments, and Offices

*Office of the Secretary * California Air Resources Board (ARB) * Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) * California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) * Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) * Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) * State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) The

California Integrated Waste Management Board The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (also known as CalRecycle) is a branch of the California Environmental Protection Agency that oversees the state's waste management, recycling, and waste reduction programs. CalRecycle ...

, that focused on

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

and

waste reduction Waste minimisation is a set of processes and practices intended to reduce the amount of waste produced. By reducing or eliminating the generation of harmful and persistent wastes, waste minimisation supports efforts to promote a more sustainab ...

, ceased in 2010. It was succeeded by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery—CalRecycle, also under CalEPA.Calrecycle.ca.gov: California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery—CalRecycle
. accessed 2.14.2014

References

External links

Calepa.ca.gov: Official California Environmental Protection Agency website
{{authority control Environment of California Environmental Protection Agency State environmental protection agencies of the United States Government agencies established in 1991 1991 establishments in California

History

Executive Management

Boards, Departments, and Offices

See also

References

External links