California Automakers, Environmentalists Partner to Clean Up State Waters
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Sustainable Conservation win 2011 Pat Brown Award for removing copper from car brake pads and protecting salmon and aquatic life.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Sustainable Conservation have won the 2011 Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Award for their participation in an historic environmental-industry partnership that sponsored legislation to phase-out copper from car brake pads by 2025.
“Automakers support sustainable mobility that balances our need for safe transportation with protection of the environment and economic vitality,” said Curt Augustine of the Auto Alliance. “So when we began focusing on removing copper from brake pads, we talked with environmental experts about their concerns, and we shared with them the timeframes required for new auto designs. Through a good dialogue, we found a way to address the issue together to protect both motorist safety and our waterways.”
“SB 346, authored by Senator Christine Kehoe, was the one of the most important environmental bills passed last year,” said Ashley Boren, executive director of Sustainable Conservation. “It was the result of 15 years of investigating water impacts as well as partnering with manufacturers. We wanted to protect our waters and aquatic life, but to do so in a way that maintains high standards of vehicle safety.”
“This partnership shows once again that environmental policies work best and are most effective when industry and environmentalists work together,” said Jerry Secundy, president of the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance (CCEEB), the organization that will present the award. "That doesn’t happen enough these days. They deserve to be recognized.”
The groups will accept the award at a ceremony in Sacramento on April 27. Named after its founder, CCEEB presents the annual Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Award to a person or organization that exemplifies the spirit of environmental and economic balance.
CCEEB is a non-profit and nonpartisan coalition of business, labor, and public leaders that advances strategies for a sound economy and a healthy environment.
Source: California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance