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The board of directors of the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance (CCEEB) has unanimously elected Sunne Wright McPeak as its tenth chair. McPeak succeeds longtime chair Walter McGuire in leading CCEEB’s efforts to ensure the resiliency of California’s environment, its communities, and its economy.

“For well over a decade, I’ve had the honor of serving as CCEEB’s Chair,” says Walter McGuire. “It has been a wonderful ride. I have enormous confidence in the abilities our professional staff and consultants bring to work every day, and I look forward to seeing new leadership take the helm as we look towards a transformational future for California.”

“I want to thank Wally for his tremendous service to our organization over these last 16 years. He has been a steadfast leader in our work with the State to advance some of the nation’s most significant environmental policies,” says William J. Quinn, CCEEB President and CEO. “We could not be more honored that Sunne will lead our organization at this critical juncture for California. Her deep experience as a creative and dynamic leader is absolutely necessary to ensure we chart our vision for a bright and resilient future for our State.”

McPeak currently serves as the President and CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund, a statewide non-profit foundation working to close the Digital Divide by accelerating the deployment and adoption of broadband. From 2003 to 2006, McPeak served as Secretary of the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, the lead State agency for economic development. Before being recruited to the Governor’s Cabinet, McPeak led the Bay Area Council and the Bay Area Economic Forum, a public-private partnership between the Bay Area Council and the Association of Bay Area Governments. McPeak began her career in public service on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. She was inducted into the National Academy of Public Administration in 2016 and received the Champion of Technology Award from the California State Fair in 2018.

“My experience with Sunne has shown her to be a tireless, determined, and solutions-oriented leader,” notes Patricia Rucker, CCEEB’s vice chair and the legislative advocate for the California Teachers Association. “We share an optimistic vision for California’s future and a commitment to doing the hard work in front of us. Our workforce is evolving and their needs are changing. It’s important at this particular inflection point that CCEEB is being led by a woman of Sunne’s experience, her caliber, and her dynamic vision for what this organization can accomplish for California. I look forward to continuing CCEEB’s longstanding partnership between labor, business, and public policy leaders to develop creative policy solutions that make our State stronger.”

In accepting the position, McPeak says, “It is with a profound sense of urgency and a commitment to solutions that I accept this position. The people of California deserve the State’s promises – a safe and healthy environment for all, a wealth of cultural and ideological diversity, and a resilient economy in which all can participate. I believe that CCEEB, with its demonstrated capacity for creative coalition-building, is the right organization to take on the State’s most pressing challenges. We are ready to get to work.”

The nomination period for the 2020 Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Award is now open through Thursday, May 8. This prestigious award is presented each year to honor an individual or group whose activities exemplify the principles of environmental and economic balance.

Past recipients include Governor Jerry Brown, ARB Chair Mary Nichols, The Walt Disney Company, E2 Environmental Entrepreneurs, and California State Senator Fran Pavley. This year’s Pat Brown Award winner will be honored at the CCEEB annual reception and dinner on July 21.

All individuals and organizations are eligible, and self-nominations are welcome along with nominations of others. To apply, download the application and return to patbrownaward@cceeb.org or CCEEB at 101 Mission Street, Suite 1440, San Francisco, CA 94105. Questions may also be directed to the patbrownaward@cceeb.org.

Click here for more information on the award.

Click PBAapp2020 to download  the 2020 Application.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA., June 12, 2017 — The California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance (“CCEEB”) announced today its support for AB 398, a bill that would extend the state’s historic cap-and-trade program through 2030.

“There has never been a more important time for California’s leadership,” said CCEEB Chairman Walter McGuire. “Frankly, Washington is moving in the wrong direction. But California is big enough, smart enough, to fill this vacuum and show our partners—here in the U.S. and internationally—that American businesses are committed to fighting climate change, and even now are taking steps to reduce greenhouse gases.”

“We take seriously the threat of global climate change to public health, the health of the planet, and to our economic systems and infrastructure. So we stand with the governor, the speaker, and the senate president pro tem in support of Assemblymember E. Garcia’s bill,” said CCEEB President Gerald Secundy.

“Cap-and-trade covers more than 450 businesses, totaling about 80% of statewide emissions and employing many thousands of workers. Other options cost as much as thirty times more, but don’t do any better reducing emissions. It makes sense to continue doing what we’re doing right,” said Jose Mejia, CCEEB vice chairman and director of the California State Council of Laborers. “California workers are on the frontline. It’s our jobs at stake. We’ve got to be honest—reducing greenhouse gases is hardly cost-free, but it in the end it’s what we must do for our environment and economy. By keeping jobs in California, we keep the economic benefits and help businesses be the cleanest and most efficient in the world. That doesn’t happen when businesses leave.”

“This is where investments are being made. This is where we’re creating technologies for cleaner cars and trucks, cleaner fuel and energy production, and for sustainable industry and infrastructure,” said Robbie Hunter, CCEEB board director and president of the State Building & Construction Trades Council. “Cap-and-trade spreads our efforts to partners in industry and the environment far beyond California. It’s more than just symbolic leadership.”

Responding to criticism of the program, Secundy explained, “Saying industry ‘wants’ cap-and-trade is like saying you want to go to the dentist. You don’t do it because you like it; you do it because it’s important to your health. But you aren’t going to ask for it to be more painful than it has to be.”

Secundy concluded saying, “Cap-and-trade gives us a clear path where we know we’re creating green jobs, rebuilding our infrastructure, and fighting climate change. We support the governor, Assemblymember E. Garcia and AB 398because we see the need for this balance.”

Following the historic passage of Assembly Bill 617 (C. Garcia, Chapter 136, Statutes of 2017), the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance (CCEEB) has joined the state air board’s Consultation Group to help guide development of its landmark Community Air Protection Program.

AB 617 requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to establish statewide guidance for community air monitoring and emission reduction plans, and to oversee design and implementation of those plans by regional air districts, working in partnership with local communities that have been identified and prioritized by the CARB as having “high cumulative exposure burdens” for criteria and toxic air pollutants. The bill also requires CARB and the air districts to adopt targeted measures to reduce local community exposures.

As one of many actions to engage community and industry stakeholders, CARB has convened an AB 617 Consultation Group, which brings together over 20 of California’s leading voices representing community-based organizations, environmental justice, public health groups, air districts, academia, and industry. CARB Board Member John Balmes, chair of the Consultation Group, opened its first meeting on January 30, by emphasizing the groundbreaking nature of AB 617, calling for members to work together on successful implementation of the bill.

Janet Whittick, CCEEB director of policy, welcomed the invitation to participate and expressed appreciation for the inclusiveness of the group, expressing her hope that it would serve as a model for community-level collaboration. “It’s valuable to share perspectives, even when we can’t reach perfect consensus. CCEEB supported AB 617 and I’ve worked with many of the people here. I feel positive we can help ARB and the districts make the program a success.”

One of the key interests of CCEEB, echoed by many in the group, is to ensure that CARB and the districts base AB 617 programs on sound science and data vetted through transparent public processes. CCEEB is also interested in thte advancement of new monitoring and sensor technologies that can help assess air quality impacts in California’s communities.

While CCEEB’s Air Project is working closely with CARB on the state plans and strategy, the Council also participates in local air district planning efforts through its Bay Area Project and South Coast Air Project. Through its work with CARB and local air districts, CCEEB is one of the leading industry groups working in support AB 617 goals and objectives.

Managing storm water, including dry weather flows, presents many unique challenges. In contrast to traditional point source discharges, storm water discharges exhibit extreme variability in flow rates, flow volumes, and water quality, even within a single watershed or storm event. This variability, along with unique economic, technical, and legal issues, presents significant barriers for managing storm water and enhancing local water supplies. This report is a supplement to the “Clear Path” report, summarizing the key developments that have occurred since 2013, including development of the State Water Resources Control Board’s “Strategy to Optimize Resource Management of Storm Water,” or STORMS program. Through the STORMS program and other actions, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) is taking actions to optimize the management of storm water in California. For example, the State Water Board is working with the California State University of Sacramento Office of Water Programs on a report to identify and eliminate barriers to storm water capture and use. Yet these actions are not enough, and storm water permittees, industry, municipal water agencies, and other stakeholders can provide valuable insight to the State Water Board. To this end, CCEEB’s Water Quality Task Force provides six recommendations that are intended to assist the State Water Board in planning for sustainability, focusing on collaborative, creative solutions, and directing resources most efficiently as to have the greatest impact.

The California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance (CCEEB) convened a Water Quality Task Force in order to develop and advance proposals that can support the State’s ambitious goals for the waters and environment of California—that is, to improve water quality, increase recycled water use, augment stormwater capture, develop local water supplies, and reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Furthering these goals will require planning for sustainability and a focus on collaborative, creative solutions, and will require agencies to focus resources efficiently so that they can have the greatest impact. This report is the Water Quality Task Force’s targeted policy recommendations for meeting those goals.