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CARB Adopts Strengthened Clean Air Plan

On September 27, 2007, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted the State Strategy CARBphoto
for the 2007 State Implementation Plan (SIP) and the 2007 South Coast Air Quality Management Plan as part of the SIP.

Every three years, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) prepares an overall plan (AQMP) for air quality improvements to be submitted for inclusion in the SIP. Each iteration of the plan is an update of the previous plan. The Final 2007 AQMP was adopted by the AQMD Governing Board on June 1, 2007, following the staff presentation (2.6 MB, pdf file) and public comments.

At its June 1, 2007 meeting, the AQMD Board approved the 2007 Final AQMP Adoption Resolution and established a 30-day public hearing notice for consideration of SCAG's Goods Movement Control Measures and adoption of the Transportation Conformity Budgets. However, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has since requested the removal of those measures at this time. Additional details regarding this Board action can be found in the Board Agenda Item. On July 13, 2007, the AQMD Board adopted 2007 Final AQMP Transportation Conformity Budgets and directed the Executive Officer to forward the adopted 2007 AQMP Transportation Conformity Budgets to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for its approval and subsequent submittal to the U.S. EPA.

On June 22, 2007, CARB held a hearing at the LAX Marriott Hotel. At the meeting members of the public, elected officials, as well as AQMD Board Members and staff had recommended more aggressive actions to reduce emissions from mobile sources, which contribute over 80 percent of the particulate matter pollution in our region, and are responsible for impacting our health. Based on public input received at the hearing, CARB delayed the adoption of its State Strategy. Instead, the CARB Board directed its staff to work closely with the AQMD to strengthen the plan to further reduce emissions.

The outcome of this joint effort between CARB and AQMD staff was presented to the CARB Governing at its September 27, 2007 meeting to consider the revised State Strategy proposal. CARB staff identified several mobile source control strategies that could be strengthened together with local, federal and AQMP measures that when implemented would result in an equivalent of 74 tons per day of NOx reductions to assure attainment of the PM2.5 standard in 2015.

Through their ensuing votes, on September 27, 2007, the CARB Board adopted the State Strategy for the 2007 State Implementation Plan and the 2007 South Coast Air Quality Management Plan as part of the SIP.

The staff reports describing the State Strategy and the 2007 South Coast portion of the SIP can be found at www.arb.ca.gov/planning/sip/2007sip/2007sip.htm.

Dear Friends:
We want to extend a thank you to all of the people who sent letters or emails, submitted comments and attended meetings in support of a strong, aggressive local clean air plan. Your input played a pivotal role in CARB’s decision to take the time to work closely with the SCAQMD and others to strengthen the plan to further reduce mobile source emissions for the sake of cleaning up the air sooner rather than later. The 2007 AQMP control strategies that were approved at CARB’s Board Meeting on September 27, 2007 are expected to bring this region into attainment with federal PM2.5 and 8-hour ozone standards by the designated attainment deadlines. Also noteworthy are the special efforts and leadership shown by Chair Mary Nichols of CARB, who personally led this effort over the last few months.

Thank you for your commitment and work in support of clean air.