Environmental Restoration

In his June 20 Opinion piece on inner-city redevelopment (“A Darker Shade of Green”), David Friedman is so anxious to fit the Sierra Club into a neat stereotype that he ignores the facts.

Friedman’s attack was sparked by draft language circulated by the sponsors of SB 324 (Escutia) which was never approved by the author and never placed in the bill. Despite the assertion that we tried to kill the bill, the Sierra Club has never opposed SB 324. We did raise concerns that the draft language would pose a threat to human health and the environment by allowing redevelopment on sites that are still contaminated by toxic chemicals. These concerns were shared by state Sen. Byron Sher and community organizations working to achieve environmental justice. We have been meeting with the author and sponsors of SB 324 in order to reach consensus on this issue. Meanwhile, the bill has been moving through the Legislature in a form which calls for a study of the financial barriers to reuse of contaminated property, a laudable proposal.

The Sierra Club is committed to redevelopment as a way to revive urban neighborhoods and fight sprawl. However, we firmly resist efforts to bypass safeguards that ensure adequate cleanup of contaminated properties. It is essential that urban communities are as well protected from toxic contamination as those in the suburbs.

BILL CRAVEN, State Director, Sierra Club California, Sacramento

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Friedman’s article has a lot of people seeing an “angry shade of red”--especially those environmental groups that have been assisting me with my California Land Environmental Restoration and Reuse Act, SB 324.

Just to set the record straight, the staff to Sher, chairman of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, and various environmental groups have helped identify potential problems with CLERR and have offered to assist in its improvement. Supporters of SB 324 and I have been engaged in constructive discussions with Sher, the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations.

By putting abandoned property back to productive use, inner-city neighborhoods could benefit from increased jobs, tax revenues and a healthier environment in areas needing an economic boost. As a beneficial side effect, CLERR can also limit urban sprawl.

SEN. MARTHA M. ESCUTIA, D-Whittier