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Children's Breathing Rights Act Passes California State Senate

Posted on: Thursday, 1 June 2006, 15:00 CDT

LOS ANGELES, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, May 30, the California State Senate passed the Children's Breathing Rights Act of 2006 (SB 1205, Escutia). The Senate vote allows the Children's Breathing Rights Act to move forward to the State Assembly, where it is expected to be voted upon this summer. BREATHE California of Los Angeles County, the region's leader on lung health and clean air initiatives, has been the chief advocate for the Children's Breathing Rights Act.

"With passage of the Children's Breathing Rights Act by the Senate, our children are a step closer to being protected against air-polluting industries located near their homes and schools," said Senator Martha Escutia (D-Norwalk). "With SB 1205, major polluters that have accepted low fines as the cost of doing business will no longer have permission to pollute without the threat of major consequences."

SB 1205 comes on the heels of the U.S. EPA's estimate that one in every 10,700 Los Angeles residents are at risk of contracting cancer from breathing L.A.'s dirty air. Currently, state officials estimate 9,000 Californians die annually from diseases caused or aggravated by air pollution -- more than half of them in Southern California, where air quality was recently ranked the worst in the nation.

SB 1205 proposes to increase penalty caps for violations of air pollution laws and give local air districts the ability to seek stiff new penalties from serious air polluters. A portion of fines and settlements obtained from the penalties will be directed to Children's Health Initiatives in the district where the violation occurred. Funding can be used to improve asthma services in schools or add technology to school buildings that would improve the air California's children breathe.

"It's gratifying to see our lawmakers take the issue of clean air to heart and move forward on taking action that can have a positive impact on our region and on the state," said Enrique Chiock, president and CEO of BREATHE California of Los Angeles County. "I want to thank Senator Escutia for taking the lead on this legislation and understanding how important it is for us to protect the health and future of our children."

Statewide, more than 2.8 million children are enrolled in schools located near reported air emissions of carcinogens, reproductive toxins, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, or particulate matter. Fourteen LAUSD schools are located immediately adjacent to a "High Risk" facility, which is an industrial facility whose normal operation may potentially expose school occupants to hazardous air emissions. In the last ten years alone, cases of asthma in California have increased by 60 percent and asthma has become the #1 cause of school absenteeism in Los Angeles.

The Children's Breathing Rights Act of 2006 will create a much needed statewide internet database of major air polluters that would permit more uniform enforcement of air quality law and -- for the first time -- make it possible for the public to do a simple "track" of major polluters impacting their neighborhood right from their homes. The database information would also help Legislators set future state air pollution policy.

The list of organizations joining BREATHE California of Los Angeles in support of the Children's Breathing Rights Act continues to grow. The list now includes:

American Lung Association of California, Attorney General's Office, BREATHE California of Los Angeles County, California District Attorneys Association, California Environmental Health & Justice Team of the Women's Policy Institute, California Environmental Rights Alliance, California Medical Association, California Safe Schools, California Thoracic Society, Children's Health Environmental Coalition, Clean Power Campaign, Community Action to Fight Asthma, Environment California, Environmental Working Group, The Foundation for Early Childhood Education, Girl Scout Councils of California, Latino Issues Forum, Literacy for Environmental Justice, Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma, Mexican American Opportunities Foundation, Natural Resources Defense Council, PHFE Management Solutions, Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, Planning and Conservation League, Pueblo Y Salud, St. Mark AME Church, and Sierra Club-California.

SB 1205 is opposed by major air polluters and business groups.

For more information on the Children's Breathing Rights Act, visit http://www.breathela.org/

CONTACT INFORMATION: Enrique Chiock - 323.935.8050 x222 Melissa Spraul - 213.486.6560

BREATHE California

CONTACT: Enrique Chiock, +1-323-935-8050, ext. 222, or Melissa Spraul,+1-213-486-6560, both for BREATHE California

Web site: http://www.breathela.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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