An environmental justice leader resigned in protest Tuesday from a committee advising a top California climate agency, which was showing “growing hostility” toward the committee.
Catherine Garoupa, co-chair of a panel that advises the influential California Air Resources Board on environmental justice, said in a resignation letter that CARB was dismissing science “at the expense of low income communities and communities of color.”
Garoupa cited “the increasing bias of the agency toward regulated industries,” which was undermining the integrity of her group, the Environmental Justice Advisory Committee. The group offers guidance to the agency from disadvantaged communities.
CARB spokesperson Lindsay Buckley said in an email: “We respect Dr. Garoupa’s decision to step down in advance of her term ending this year and commend her for her service. CARB has made great strides embedding environmental justice into our policies and programs, and we remain steadfast in our support for the committee’s vital work.”
