July 12, 2002
Other Board Action
As part of an ongoing effort to reduce the public’s cancer risk from air
pollution, the region’s air quality agency today approved $12.15 million to cut
diesel emissions from school buses, backup power generators and snowmaking
equipment.
"Diesel particulate emissions are responsible for 70 percent of the cancer
risk from air pollution in our region," said Barry Wallerstein, executive
officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
"This will reduce the cancer risk to school children by putting more than 60
clean-fueled school buses on the road and retrofitting more than 400 diesel
buses with particulate traps," he said.
AQMD’s Governing Board approved the following projects:
- $7.9 million to replace more than 60 diesel school buses with compressed
natural gas-powered models;
- $3 million to retrofit more than 400 diesel school buses with particulate
traps;
- $1 million to assist in replacement of diesel-powered snowmaking equipment
at ski resorts in the San Bernardino Mountains with lower-emission models; and
- $250,000 to install particulate traps on school district’s backup
generators, used to supply power during a blackout.
In a related item, the Board approved spending $3.1 million to retrofit
heavy-duty, diesel-powered public fleet vehicles in the region. Funding for
today’s projects will come from the California Air Resources Board and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
In other action today, the Board:
- Released for 60-day public review more than 20 proposed enhancements to
the AQMD’s Environmental Justice program, including readopting a rule
eliminating the use of concentrated hydrogen fluoride. Hydrogen fluoride, or
HF, is a highly corrosive acid used at some oil refineries and chemical
plants;
- Received a white paper on federal Clean Air Act Policy Interpretations.
The paper aims to help resolve key issues to achieve fair, reasonable and
consistent interpretation of the Clean Air Act while protecting air quality;
- Exempted adhesives used in shoe and handbag repair shops from requirements
in AQMD’s Rule 1168 limiting their smog-forming content;
- Approved forwarding comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
on EPA’s proposed changes to its New Source Review program governing new and
expanding facilities, which identifies numerous problems with the current
procedures; and
- Approved a three-year extension of a lease to Sept. 1, 2005 with National
Pediatric Support Services to continue operating a child care facility at
AQMD.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions
of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
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