LOS ANGELES - In a significant development for the coatings industry in the state with the nation's toughest environmental regulations on coatings, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the appointment of Ellis Paint Co. President and CEO Sandra (Sandy) Berg to the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

The agency is the architect of a number of stringent VOC regulations on coatings, including a tough VOC rule on architectural and industrial maintenance coatings that has been copied by the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC), a 12-state alliance in the northeastern United States.

Berg is a member of the NPCA Board of Directors and joined Los Angeles-based Ellis Paint, a specialty coatings manufacturer, in 1977. She also heads Pacific Resources Recovery Services, a hazardous waste management business.

"My appointment is consistent with Gov. Schwarzenegger's philosophy that a good economy and a clean environment are not mutually exclusive," Berg said. "I hope to bring a balanced approach to the table and work for what we all want: clean air."

NPCA President Andy Doyle said Berg "will be an outstanding member of the Air Resources Board. She brings energy, enthusiasm, integrity and a commitment to good government."

The California legislature established CARB in 1967 to develop programs aimed at achieving and maintaining healthy air quality and to conduct research into the causes of and solutions to air pollution.