Rep. Raul Ruiz (CA-25) and the UC Riverside Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) were among those recognized last week at the 34th Annual Clean Air Awards hosted by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD).
“We are here to celebrate and honor individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to reduce air pollution and to improve the health of our communities and environment,” Autumn Robertson, Spectrum News 1 SoCal meteorologist and emcee for the event, said. “Our air is cleaner and our families are healthier because of their efforts.”
Ruiz received the Robert M. Zweig, M.D. Memorial Award for his commitment to addressing environmental challenges and improving air quality and the health of residents in the region.
“As an emergency medicine physician, I’ve witnessed the dire consequences of polluted air, particularly on vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, those with chronic illnesses like asthma and COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease], and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds,” Ruiz said. “For this reason, I champion the Environmental Justice Act, allocating crucial funding for projects aimed at cleaning up our environment and communities, and I firmly believe that all Americans deserve access to clean air regardless of their location, their zip code or their income.”
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“I am committed to advocating for policies that uphold this principle,” he continued. “I look forward to continuing our work together so we can guarantee the passage and implementation of policies that will help protect our communities and save lives.”
CE-CERT was named this year’s Leadership in Air Quality honoree for its research on renewable energy and production, vehicle technology, transportation systems, pollution formation in the atmosphere and exposure and health effects.
“Though I’m the one accepting this award, the credit for all of CE-CERT’s achievements goes to the hundreds of researchers, technical and administrative staff and students who have contributed over the past 30-plus years,” CE-CERT Director Don Collins said. “CE-CERT is proud of its contributions towards improving the air quality in the South Coast over the past three decades and look forward to continuing our work.”
Other awardees included Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian, who received the S. Roy Wilson Memorial Award; Attorney General Rob Bonta, who received the Dr. William A. Burke Award for Leadership in Environmental Justice; Schneider National, Inc. and the Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative, which received the John J. and Ben J. Benoit Award for Innovative Clean Air Technology; Los Angeles City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez who received the Leadership in Air Quality Award; and Los Angeles County Youth Climate Commissioner Emily Ng, who received the Youth Leadership in Air Quality Award.
A recording of the ceremony can be found here on the South Coast AQMD’s YouTube page.
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