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| Jerry Brown. Photo by Thomas Hawk via Flickr. |
In a week when politicians in Sacramento are debating whether to eliminate state agencies that monitor environmental health, government lawyers across the state are joining forces to crack down on corporate pollution.
Attorney General Jerry Brown, 20 district attorneys and the Los Angeles city attorney jointly filed suit in Alameda County Monday claiming that Target Corp. has been illegally dumping hazardous waste into landfills.
Brown and three district attorneys also reached a settlement with Kmart over similar claims, requiring the company to stop dumping toxic substances in landfills and pay more than $8.65 million in civil penalties, costs and funding for projects to improve environmental protection.
The court decision comes at a time when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing the elimination of a state health department that shapes legislation addressing toxic chemicals and the environment.
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, which acts as the primary scientific advisor within the California Environmental Protection Agency, is on the chopping block as the governor looks for savings to close the budget gap.
Schwarzenegger is proposing to dismantle OEHHA and redistribute its duties within the Department of Public Health.
Scientists at OEHHA are specialists in how exposure to chemical pollutants in air, drinking water, soil, food and consumer products can lead to cancer, infertility, birth defects, asthma, effects on the developing brain and other health disorders.
On June 10, the state Senate Enviromental Quality Committee voted to recommend that the office remain intact, but a final decision has yet to be made by the governor.
