SB 1139 Summary

• Requires the Department of Administration, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Quality, to ensure all state agencies adopt environmental justice policies that provide meaningful involvement opportunities for all people regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, income, or education level.

• Establishes an Environmental Justice Advisory Council with 15 members including representatives from grassroots organizations, environmental groups, civil rights organizations, businesses, government entities, and labor organizations to advise the department on environmental justice issues.

• Creates a multiagency Environmental Justice Task Force led by the directors of Environmental Quality and Health Services, including senior management from the Governor's Office, Attorney General, Department of Agriculture, Transportation, and Education to address disproportionate environmental health impacts in affected communities.

• Authorizes community members to petition the task force regarding disproportionate exposure to environmental health risks, requiring the task force to develop action plans for selected communities that address environmental factors affecting health and safety.

• Directs the Department of Environmental Quality to review environmental and public health data to identify industrial and commercial facilities in communities of color and low-income communities for targeted compliance, enforcement, remediation, siting, and permitting strategies.