On February 14, 2013, Attorney General Kamala Harris announced the settlement of a Riverside County CEQA case that alleged failure to adequately analyze and mitigate a project’s impacts on residents of Mira Loma Village, who already faced serious health and environmental risks due to poor air quality. The proposed Mira Loma Commerce Center would have exposed residents already disproportionately affected by diesel exhaust and noise pollution to increased diesel truck traffic.
The project proponents and the lead agency (City of Jurupa Valley) agreed to a settlement that includes a number of groundbreaking elements, including adding an Environmental Justice Element to the City’s General Plan; installing air filtration systems in the homes of Mira Loma residents; air quality monitoring in Mira Loma Village; landscaping of the site to minimize exposure to diesel particulate emissions; and, making the project site “green” by including a 100kW capacity solar photovoltaic system, LEED Silver certified project buildings, and electric vehicle charging stations.
Harris stated she believed this project can be a model for “local governments, developers and communities to work together” in creating a thriving economy that does not cause public health to suffer.