Overall, the existing Cal/EPA environmental indicators demonstrate a significant improvement in California's environmental quality:

• Air quality is improving, even under the strain of a rapid increase in population and vehicle miles driven.

• Pesticide-related illnesses have been greatly reduced, illegal levels of pesticide residues in fresh produce are rare, pesticides have been effectively controlled in some surface water bodies, and a low number of new pesticides have been found in well water.

• The volume of federal hazardous waste has decreased by 40%, the volume of other hazardous waste has increased 40%, and the volume of remediation waste has increased 350%. The decrease in federal hazardous waste indicates a decrease in hazardous waste generation, the other non- federal hazardous waste increase is due primarily to an increase in the volume of waste oil recycled, and the remediation waste volume indicates an increased cleanup of contaminated sites. At the same time, the number of regulated businesses and hazardous waste shipments per year has greatly increased.

• The volume of solid waste per capita is decreasing, with a parallel diversion of solid waste from landfills.

• Fewer leaking underground storage tanks are reported each year, while existing leaking tanks are being cleaned up.

• TRI data indicate a significant reduction in the volume of chemicals released by manufacturers to air, water, and land.