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Inventory of the California Environmental Protection Agency Records
R396
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Title: California Environmental Protection Agency Records
Dates: 1991-2002
Collection number: R396
Creator:
California Environmental Protection Agency Records
Collection Size:
19 cubic feet
Repository:
California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: The records of the California Environmental Protection Agency, or CalEPA, comprise 19 cubic feet of textual and audiovisual
records reflecting the work of the Secretary of Environmental Protection and the Secretary's role in overseeing the various
units within the agency, including the Air Resources Board (ARB), Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), Department of
Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), Integrated Waste Management Board (IWMB), Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
(OEHHA), State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), and regional Water Quality Control Boards. The records cover the period
from 1991-2002 and are organized into seven record series: Bill Files (1991-2002); Member Files (1997-1998); Chronological
Files (1997-1998); Controlled Correspondence (1992-1996); Legislative Files (1997-1998); Proposed Legislation Files (2001-2002);
and Federal Legislation Files (1991-1992). Found within the records are legislative analyses, correspondence, reports, member
files, federal legislation pertaining to the duties of the CalEPA, CalEPA proposed legislation, memoranda, photographs, newspaper
articles, journal articles, and press releases.
Physical location: California State Archives
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
While the majority of the records are open for research, any access restrictions are noted in the record series descriptions.
For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication
is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility
for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives
collections.
[Identification of item], California Environmental Protection Agency Records, R396.[series number], Box [number], folder [number],
California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.
The California State Archives acquired the California Environmental Protection Agency Records according to state law.
During the administrations of Governor Pat Brown (1969-1967), Governor Ronald Reagan (1967-1975) and Governor Jerry Brown
(1975-1983), it became increasingly clear that a statewide agency regarding environmental protection was needed as environmental
issues permeated national and local headlines. In 1969, an oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel prompted President Nixon
to create the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 through his Reorganization Plan 3. While most states followed
suit, an environmental agency for California followed a different pattern and was first created through a variety of state
statutes and implemented through local and regional agencies. Soon it was clear that the haphazard and informal organization
of the statutes required direction from a cabinet-level Secretary in order to be efficient.
Governor Jerry Brown's Executive Order B-2-75 in 1975 created the new post of Secretary of Environmental Affairs, who would
facilitate communication between the governor and the various boards and departments that oversaw implementation of the various
environmental laws. Tom Quinn, then the Chair of the Air Resources Board, was appointed the first Secretary of Environmental
Affairs. Under Governor Deukmejian, the Environmental Affairs Agency began to take shape when legislation such as the California
Clean Air Act, Integrated Waste Management Act, Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, Oil Spill Prevention
and Response Act, Proposition 65 (1986), and Drinking Water Well Protection Act, among others, added new duties and functions
to the Secretary's office. Although this environmental legislation formed the agency informally, the agency lacked statutory
authority.
Pete Wilson campaigned for Governor in his 1990 with the promise to formally create a cabinet-level environmental agency as
part of his "Big Green" initiative. In 1991, Governor Wilson proposed a reorganization plan that provided for the continuation
of the programs formerly under the Environmental Affairs Agency, as well as additional programs, administered by the new Secretary
for Environmental Protection. The Governor's Reorganization Plan went into effect in July 1991, and the Environmental Affairs
Agency became the California Environmental Protection Agency. This new agency, or CalEPA as it became known, consisted of
several departments and boards, including the Air Resources Board, Integrated Waste Management Board, State Water Resources
Control Board, Regional Water Quality Control Boards, Department of Toxic Substances Control, Department of Pesticide Regulation,
and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. These seven boards and departments were all previously under the
purview of the Environmental Affairs Agency, the Department of Food and Agriculture, the Resources Agency, or the Department
of Health Services.
The new CalEPA had several objectives, primarily to address activities, processes, and substances presenting the greatest
public health threats and environmental risks. The CalEPA also sought to prevent pollution rather than control it, enforce
state laws, hold other environmental programs accountable, reduce the overlapping and redundant agencies that previously had
environmental protection under their purview, and mediate between environmental protection and economic progress. The CalEPA
would be headed by the Secretary for Environmental Protection, appointed by the Governor along with three deputy secretaries
who hold office "at the pleasure of the Secretary." Among other duties, the Secretary served as the principal advisor to the
Governor on major policy and program matters regarding environmental protection, oversaw the departments and boards within
the CalEPA, and served as the Chair of the Air Resources Board. The Secretary also served as the Governor's Outer Continental
Shelf Policy Coordinator, administered the Hazardous Substance Cleanup Arbitration Panel, registered environmental assessors,
and managed the Office of Hazardous Materials Data Management.
As of March 2012, CalEPA oversees the Air Resources Board (ARB), the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), the Department
of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), and the State Water Resources
Control Board (SWRCB). CalEPA also oversees the Regional Water Quality Control Boards and the Integrated Waste Management
Board.
The records of the California Environmental Protection Agency, or CalEPA, comprise 19 cubic feet of textual and audiovisual
records reflecting the work of the Secretary of Environmental Protection and the Secretary's role in overseeing the various
units within the agency, including the Air Resources Board (ARB), Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), Department of
Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), Integrated Waste Management Board (IWMB), Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
(OEHHA), State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), and regional Water Quality Control Boards. The records cover the period
from 1991-2002 and are organized into seven record series: Bill Files (1991-2002); Member Files (1997-1998); Chronological
Files (1997-1998); Controlled Correspondence (1992-1996); Legislative Files (1997-1998); Proposed Legislation Files (2001-2002);
and Federal Legislation Files (1991-1992). Found within the records are legislative analyses, correspondence, reports, member
files, federal legislation pertaining to the duties of the CalEPA, CalEPA proposed legislation, memoranda, photographs, newspaper
articles, journal articles, and press releases.
The Bill Files relate to such topics such as water quality, oil spills, funding, hazardous waste, energy and energy efficiency,
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), public beaches, forest protection, petroleum and fuel, air and water pollution,
cement kiln dust, permit streamlining, recycling, pesticide regulation, vehicular emissions, and greenhouse gases. The Member
Files concern individual legislators from both the Assembly and Senate in the 1997-1998 session and their specific individual
contributions to environmental protection legislation. Chronological Files include correspondence, reports, and memoranda
from the 1997-1998 session. Controlled Correspondence include correspondence with constituents, lobbyists, other legislators,
and professionals in fields relating to the legislation, implementation and enforcement of CalEPA programs and span from 1992-1996.
Legislative Files document general legislation, hot bills, and legislative updates from the 1997-1998 session.
Further accruals are expected.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Environmental protection --California
Environmental law --California
California Environmental Protection Agency
Related Collections at the California State Archives
Environmental Affairs Agency Records