SAN FRANCISCO - The California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance (CCEEB) announced that the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Sustainable Conservation have won the 2011 Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Award. The winners are part of a 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 Sen. Christine Kehoe, was 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 CCEEB. "That doesn't happen enough these days. They deserve to be recognized."

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Sustainable Conservation will accept the award at a ceremony in Sacramento on April 27. California State Sen. Christine Kehoe, author of SB 346, is invited as one of the guest speakers.

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 nonprofit and nonpartisan coalition of business, labor and public leaders that advances strategies for a sound economy and a healthy environment.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the leading advocacy group for the auto industry, represents 77 percent of all car and light truck sales in the United States, including the BMW Group, Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz USA, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen Group of America and Volvo Cars North America.

Founded in 1993, Sustainable Conservation focuses on building partnerships with business, agriculture and government to establish models for environmental and economic sustainability.

For more information on the Pat Brown Award, including ticket information, contact cceeb@cceeb.org.

For information on SB 346, visit http://www.suscon.org/bpp.