In an effort to give essential public services greater ability to respond to power emergencies, the region's air quality agency issued an executive order today extending the amount of time that such agencies can run emergency generators.
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"Gov. Davis declared a state of emergency last week due to the state's power crisis," said Barry Wallerstein, AQMD’s executive officer. "In response, AQMD has increased the amount of time that emergency generators at hospitals, police stations, fire houses and other essential public services can operate."
Under AQMD's executive order, essential public service providers can operate emergency generators up to 500 hours in a calendar year, which more than doubles AQMD's Rule 1110.2 operation limit of 200 hours per year. AQMD rules normally limit emergency generators to 200 hours per year because they are typically diesel-powered, have no pollution controls and emit 300 times more smog-forming pollution per unit of energy than a new power plant.
Today's order allows essential public service providers to operate up to 500 hours per year during an imminent or actual power blackout in the provider's area. It also promotes the use of low-sulfur diesel fuel, defined as containing 15 parts per million or less of sulfur, if reasonably available. The provisions of the order are consistent with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidance on this issue.
The order expires on Feb. 23, 2001, but can be renewed in 10-day increments. It applies to the following public services:
Under AQMD's Rule 118, the agency's executive officer can suspend AQMD rules for public health and safety services for 10 days at a time in response to a state of emergency declared by the state or federal government.
AQMD has set up a hotline, (909) 396-2660, to assist operators of backup generators at non-essential public services to voluntarily apply for a variance with AQMD's independent Hearing Board.
AQMD also will approve applications submitted by any emergency generator operator that is not an essential public service to revise their permit to allow up to 200 hours of operation.
"The governor has determined that the power crisis poses an extreme peril to public safety," Wallerstein said. "We are doing our part to ensure that public health and safety agencies can keep operating during periods of potential blackouts."
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and the urban portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
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This page updated: April 09, 2004
URL: http://www.aqmd.gov/news1/Generators.htm