• Board Adopts Clean Vehicle Fleet Rules
• AQMD to Hold Open House at Boyle Heights Monitoring Site

In a landmark vote, the South Coast Air Quality Management District Governing Board today adopted the first in a series of regulations that will gradually shift the region’s transit buses, trash trucks and other vehicles from diesel to clean fuels or low emissions technology.

"For more than half a century, Southern California’s businesses and industries have reduced their emissions with cutting-edge technology to become the cleanest in the world," said William A. Burke, AQMD’s Governing Board Chairman. "Now it’s time for vehicle fleets -- especially highly polluting diesel trucks and buses -- to do their fair share in reducing smog-forming and toxic air pollution."

The action follows a study by AQMD late last year, which showed that some 70% of the 1,400 in one million cancer risk from toxic air pollution in the area stems from diesel exhaust. Diesel vehicles also are a major source of the smog-forming nitrogen oxides.

"Trucks and buses have not faced as many air pollution requirements as businesses," Burke said. "Clearly, it’s time to bring them into the 21^st century with clean technology that will reduce smog and an unacceptably high cancer risk for Southland residents."

The Board’s action today puts in place three of the eight clean fleet rules being developed by the District, namely Rules 1191, 1192 and 1193. These rules respectively cover light- and medium-duty vehicles, transit buses and public and private waste hauling trucks.

Under Rules 1192 and 1193, public transit agencies, cities and trash haulers under contract to public agencies will be required to purchase clean-fueled buses and trucks whenever they replace or add vehicles to their fleets. Clean fuels include compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane, methanol, electric batteries and fuel cells. Should manufacturers develop diesel trucks and buses certified by the state of California to be as low-polluting as clean-fueled models, AQMD pledged to amend the rules within 90 days to allow purchase of diesel vehicles too.

Rule 1191 will require government agencies in the region to purchase from among the cleaner cars, pickup trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles on the market. A wide variety of makes and models that generally run on gasoline and are available at no extra cost will be allowed under Rule 1191.

While the clean-fueled trucks and buses will cost more than current diesel models a number of public financing programs are in place to help local governments.

In addition, AQMD is working in Sacramento to support the Governor’s proposal to make $50 million available to fund purchases of cleaner school buses. Locally, AQMD is working to establish the Adopt-a-School Bus program that Governing Board Chairman Burke called for earlier this year. One of the five additional clean fleet rules AQMD staff is developing would cover school buses.

"Alternative fuel technology has a proven track record in Southern California and across the country," Burke said. "It’s time for the region’s fleets to start using these technologies to take the next big step toward achieving healthy air quality for our residents."

The South Coast Air Quality Management District will host an open house on Thursday, June 22, at its portable monitoring station located in the Boyle Heights area of East Los Angeles.

The station, which is temporarily set on the grounds of Salesian High School, near the intersection of 7^th & Soto Street, will be open to public from 2 to 5 p.m.

AQMD established the temporary site after community members of Boyle Heights Mejoramiento voiced their air quality concerns to the agency. Starting next week technicians will take air samples for a six-week period to evaluate the levels of gaseous organic contaminants and particulate matter emitted in the area. AQMD then will produce a report on the findings.

For months the community group, formed by neighborhood resident Margarita Sanchez, a registered nurse, has worked to stop heavy- and medium-duty diesel trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles from crowding their residential streets and to get sound walls erected along the East Los Angeles interchange that envelopes their block. They hope the results of AQMD’s monitoring will validate their request for immediate action to reduce exposure to harmful air contaminants.

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