Aug. 1, 2003
AQMD ADOPTS UPDATED CLEAN AIR PLAN FOR SOUTHLAND
Calling on state and federal officials to aggressively accelerate their
cleanup programs, the region’s air quality agency today adopted an updated clean
air blueprint for achieving air quality standards across Southern California by
the end of the decade.
“This smog season – the worst in seven years – is a stark reminder that the
war on smog is far from over,” said Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the
South Coast Air Quality Management District.
“We are counting on a strong partnership effort with the state and federal
governments to speed up our air pollution control program and meet our 2010
clean air goals.”
Following a three-hour public hearing, AQMD’s Governing Board voted 9-0 to
adopt its 2003 Air Quality Management Plan, which relies on AQMD as well as the
state and federal governments to adopt measures to achieve clean air.
“The state and federal government have sole authority over pollution sources
responsible for 80 percent of the ozone-forming emissions in the Southland,”
Wallerstein said.
“In order to get clean air in Southern California, the California Air
Resources Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will have to ramp
up their efforts to reduce emissions from trains, planes, ships, cars, trucks
and other sources that AQMD does not have the authority to regulate.”
In adopting the air quality plan, AQMD’s Board:
- Committed to analyzing 12 additional long-term control measures, such as
requiring the electrification of all cranes at ports;
- Set a target for distributing needed long-term emission reductions between
AQMD, CARB and EPA;
- Assigned emission reductions to the EPA. In the event that EPA rejects
the plan due to the assignment, the plan would drop the provision; and
- Forwarded to CARB and EPA a list of more than 30 specific measures for
consideration to further reduce emissions from on- and off-road mobile sources
and consumer products.
The 2003 Air Quality Management Plan outlines the air pollution control
measures needed to meet federal health-based standards for ozone by 2010, and
for fine particulates, known as PM10, by 2006. It also demonstrates how the
federal standard for carbon monoxide, achieved for the first time at the end of
last year, will be maintained. Lastly, the plan takes a preliminary look at
what will be needed to achieve new and more stringent health standards for ozone
and ultrafine particulates known as PM2.5.
Ozone and fine particulates are two of the region’s worst pollutants,
responsible for a wide range of health effects including slowed lung growth in
children, worsening of asthma symptoms, increased susceptibility to respiratory
infections, increased hospital admissions and increased death rates.
The draft 2003 air quality plan identifies 26 air pollution control measures
to be adopted by AQMD to further reduce emissions from businesses, industry and
paints. It also identifies 22 measures to be adopted by CARB and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency to further reduce pollution from cars, trucks,
construction equipment, aircraft, ships and consumer products.
To reach federal health standards, however, additional control measures above
and beyond those identified will be needed to reduce 265 tons per day of
volatile organic compounds (VOC) and 183 tons per day of oxides of nitrogen.
These are known as “black box” measures because specific control strategies may
require future development and commercialization of clean air technologies.
These “black box” measures represent about 80 percent of the total emissions
reductions needed to achieve current air quality standards.
The VOC “black box” has increased by about 120 tons per day since the last
plan, which was adopted in 1997 and amended in 1999. One reason for the
increase is that the state and federal governments are lagging behind their
commitments in that plan by 118 tons per day of VOC emissions. AQMD, in
contrast, has exceeded its commitment in the last plan by 46 tons per day of
VOCs.
Today’s plan adoption came during the worst smog season in seven years.
There already have been 44 days this year of unhealthful air quality, compared
to 49 for all of last year and 36 in 2001. In addition, the Southland
experienced its first Stage 1 smog episode this summer since 1998.
The air plan now will be forwarded to the state Air Resources Board for its
review. If approved by the state, it will be sent to EPA for its final
approval.
“As we get closer to our goal of meeting federal health standards, we will
face some very significant challenges,” Wallerstein said. “In spite of those
hurdles, we are convinced that with the cooperation of residents, businesses and
the state and federal governments, we can restore blue skies to the Southland.”
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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