| Sept. 27, 2007 Following a
landmark agreement reached by air quality officials last week, the
California Air Resources Board today approved the Southland’s far-reaching
clean air plan – including aggressive measures to accelerate clean up of
mobile sources – to meet a federal clean air deadline by 2015.
“We commend the Air Resources Board for taking bold steps to address the
Southland’s severe air pollution problem,” said William Burke, Ed.D.,
Governing Board Chairman of the South Coast Air Quality Management District
(AQMD). “Now that we have consensus on what needs to be done, we need to
put the plan into action.”
At a meeting today in Diamond Bar, the California Air Resources Board (ARB)
approved the AQMD’s 2007 Air Quality Management Plan – a detailed strategy
that outlines how the region will meet federal health-based standards for
PM2.5 (fine particulate) by 2015 and 8-hour ozone by 2024.
As part of the plan, the ARB approved aggressive measures to reduce 76
tons per day of nitrogen oxides (NOx) needed to achieve the federal PM2.5
standard.
The overall Air Quality Management Plan relies on successful
implementation of dozens of air pollution control measures – primarily by
AQMD and ARB, but also by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
and local governments.
AQMD measures include mitigating emissions from new commercial and
residential developments; further reductions from industrial facilities
through modernization of equipment; and measures to reduce pollution from
wood-burning fireplaces and restaurant charbroilers.
Other measures include a plan by the ARB to modernize heavy-duty truck
fleets in the Southland; asking EPA to reduce locomotive emissions or
provide funding for state air quality officials to achieve equivalent
reductions; requesting local governments to use 40 percent of funds they
receive for air pollution-related programs to reduce pollution from
heavy-duty trucks and other equipment; and installation of pollution control
devices on Metrolink commuter locomotives to cut particulate matter
emissions.
The Southland’s air quality is the worst in the nation. The
comprehensive plan adopted today requires that all feasible measures be
implemented by local, state and federal agencies to achieve healthful air
for the Southland. The plan now must be submitted to EPA for its review and
approval.
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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