Cal Enviro Index - Dataset 4.0

In California, environmental quality has improved over the last few decades as evidenced by improved water quality, reduced air pollution, decrease in pesticide use, continued cleanup of hazardous waste sites as well as increased recycling and reduction of solid waste going into landfills. These improvements are observed and well documented at the state and regional level. However, the pollution reduction and resulting health and environmental benefits are not uniformly distributed across the state, within a region, or among all population segments. Many communities continue to bear a disproportionate burden of pollution not only from multiple nearby sources, but also from pollution in multiple media (e.g., air or water). Some of these communities experience the additional burden of socioeconomic stressors and health conditions that render them more vulnerable to the impacts of pollution. . In order to address the cumulative effects of both pollution burden and these additional factors, and to identify which communities might be in need of particular policy, investment, or programmatic interventions, OEHHA developed and now maintains and updates the CalEnviroScreen tool on behalf of CalEPA. This tool applies a framework for assessing cumulative impacts that OEHHA developed in 2010, based in large part on input from a statewide working group on environmental justice that pointed out the unmet need to assess cumulative burdens and vulnerabilities affecting California communities (OEHHA 2010). This framework was incorporated into the first (1.0) version of CalEnviroScreen, providing the first statewide assessment of cumulative impacts across California communities. Subsequent versions updated the assessment tool using the most current available data and incorporating various improvements and recommendations from residents, stakeholders, and government partners. CalEnviroScreen 2.0 was released in 2014 and 3.0 in 2017. This update to CalEnviroScreen, Version 4.0, continues to evolve as a science-based method for identifying impacted communities by taking into consideration pollution exposure and its effects, as well as health and socioeconomic status, at the census-tract level. This updated version includes more recent data, improved methodology, and an additional indicator.