How CalEnviroScreen 3.0 Can Help
The tool ranks California’s communities for environmental inequality using 20 benchmarks in relation to pollution, environmental quality, and socioeconomic and public health conditions collected from census data. Using this data, state departments and agencies can identify the communities that are environmentally disadvantaged and implement pollution-reduction strategies. Many cap-and-trade investments are being used to pay for improvements in these communities. Additionally, the tool can help regulatory agencies improve compliance with environmental laws through providing environmental justice grants, prioritizing activities for site clean-ups, and identifying opportunities for sustainable economic development.
Major Updates
Prior to the release of the CalEnviroScreen 3.0, the most recent version was CalEnviroScreen 2.0, which was released in 2014. CalEnviroScreen 3.0 was developed as a result of extensive public review and includes several critical updates including:
- Two new indicators: high-housing costs and cardiovascular health
- Additional data sources for groundwater threats, solid waste facilities, and drinking water contaminants
- Updated data across all indicators
- Additional information on pollution sources affecting communities along the California-Mexico border
