AQMD EXPANDS ITS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRAM

The Southland’s air quality agency today adopted nearly two dozen enhancements to its Environmental Justice Program to further reduce the health risk from air pollution and to improve community access and involvement with the agency.

"Since it was adopted five years ago, our Environmental Justice Program has served as a model for other agencies around the state and across the country," said Norma Glover, chairman of the South Coast Air Quality Management District Governing Board.

"We are now taking it to a new level by adding measures that will help prevent toxic chemical releases, reduce emissions at cargo and container yards and provide community members with greater access to information about industrial and business emissions sources."

AQMD’s Governing Board unanimously adopted the 23 enhancements today, which will be put in place by next summer. The measures were discussed at eight public workshops across the region attended by more than 400 residents this summer. The enhancements include:

• Regulating the use of hydrogen fluoride, a highly corrosive acid used at one oil refinery and one chemical plant in the region, by requiring the use of additives or alternative processes to reduce the community health risk in the event of an accidental release;
• Developing a rule to reduce diesel emissions from off-road trucks such as yard hostlers used to move cargo containers at the ports, railroad yards and warehouse distribution centers. AQMD staff also will consider a provision to reduce diesel emissions from trucks delivering and picking up cargo from such facilities;
• Sponsoring research to develop small, low-cost outdoor air monitoring devices that can be placed in residential areas to assist AQMD in identifying the source of air pollution complaints;
• Developing an enhanced Model Air Quality Element for inclusion in city and county general plans. The element would assist local governments in making land use decisions that minimize the potential for health risk or nuisance from air pollution;
• Posting information on facility health risk assessments and validated violation notices on AQMD’s website;
• Developing a pilot Neighborhood Environmental Justice Council program in at least one neighborhood including residents, industry representatives and AQMD enforcement staff to improve dialogue between all parties;
• Continuing to develop localized analyses of air quality impacts, such as that now being performed for diesel truck emissions from warehouses in the Mira Loma area;
• Developing a program for expedited environmental review of proposed projects in exchange for emission reductions that exceed legal requirements; and
• Developing a user-friendly handbook in several languages to help residents recognize and report air pollution problems, find out about emission sources and request public documents.

AQMD first adopted a series of Environmental Justice Initiatives in 1997, which led to a landmark study of air toxics in the Southland and a series of clean fleet rules to transition heavy-duty diesel-powered vehicles to alternative fuels. Today’s enhancements are the result of one of Chairman Glover’s Strategic Alliance Initiatives announced in January.

For a complete list and description of the measures, see the Board item.

In other action today, the Board:

• Elected William A. Burke as chairman and S. Roy Wilson as vice chairman of the Governing Board. Burke is a past chairman and the Speaker of the Assembly representative on the AQMD Board. Wilson is a Riverside County Supervisor representing the county on the Board. Both will serve a term from February 2003 to January 2004;
• Authorized contracts for $3.45 million to retrofit 581 heavy-duty diesel-powered vehicles, operated by local and regional public agencies, with particulate traps;
• Authorized contracts for $2 million to install and demonstrate five hydrogen refueling stations in the following areas: Coachella Valley, near Los Angeles International Airport, Irvine, Anaheim and Long Beach;
• Authorized a $295,000 contract with Occidental College to establish 14 cleaners in the region using wet cleaning technology. Wet cleaning is a non-toxic alternative to dry cleaning, which uses the toxic chemical perchloroethylene; and
• Set a public hearing for Oct. 4 to amend Rule 1631 – Pilot Credit Generation Program for Marine Vessels.

AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.