California Attorney General Xavier Becerra will discuss Thursday, Feb. 7, the state’s efforts to defend environmental protections critical to residents’ health in an address that is part of the continuing Cal State Dominguez Hills Presidential Distinguished Lecture Series and open to the public.
The 4 p.m. free lecture — titled “Fighting for a Sustainable Future and Healthy Communities” – will be heard in CSUDH’s Loker Student Union Ballroom.
It’s a timely speech for the South Bay as residents in cities such as Torrance, Wilmington and Carson grapple with pollution issues including those caused by the refineries in each community.
The South Coast Management District’s AB617 Steering Community for the communities of Carson, Wilmington and West Long Beach is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, at the Wilmington Senior Center, 1371 Eubanks Ave., to discuss air monitoring plans and emission reduction plans that will be implemented through the legislation. The plans are separate from fenceline monitoring plans at refineries the AQMD is also in the process of formulating.
California has sued the Trump Administration more than 30 times, including a lawsuit last year to stop the roll back of methane pollution standards for oil and natural gas drilling. The year before that the state sued the Trump Administration for delaying an Obama-era policy capping methane leaks and flaring at oil and gas wells. Methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global. warming.
“(The Trump Administration) is effectively threatening the health of our families and our environment,” Becerra said in a statement accompanying the 2017 lawsuit. “The California Department of Justice won’t stand by and subscribe to this blatant violation of our laws.”
The Presidential Distinguished Lecture Series, created by incoming president Thomas A. Parham, is one of several events being held to mark his inauguration as the 11th president of CSUDH.
Becerra has made protecting the environment a top priority and has filed multiple lawsuits in an effort to do so.
Becerra established the Bureau of Environmental Justice in 2018 at the California Department of Justice, which seeks to protect people and communities that endure a disproportionate share of environmental pollution and public health hazards.
The state attorney general advises and represents the state legislature and agencies, while also acting as the lawyer for California residents.
The Presidential Distinguished Lecture Series is intended to “engage the campus and surrounding community in thought-provoking discussions on some of society’s most pressing issues,” the university said.
The lecture will be followed by a Q&A session with Becerra and Parham and a panel discussion with industry leaders that focuses on the moral and legal responsibility to protect all communities from environmental hazards.
Source: Daily Breeze
