| Sept. 7, 2007 The
Southland’s air quality agency today approved $5.2 million to reduce the
need for conventional power generation by installing solar panels and other
renewable energy projects on residences and commercial buildings in the
region.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) today also
approved $1 million to help fund the planting of one million trees in Los
Angeles to capture air pollution and reduce energy demand by providing
shade.
“The $5.2 million in funding fulfills a promise by AQMD’s Board to
promote renewable energy projects in communities near power plants that are
disproportionately impacted by air pollution,” said William A. Burke, Ed.D.,
AQMD’s Governing Board Chairman. “They will help improve air quality in
these communities and throughout the region.”
Today’s funding will equip 70 residences with solar photovoltaic panels
and 13 commercial buildings with solar panels and other renewable energy
projects. The projects were competitively ranked and selected from more
than 300 proposals received by AQMD this year.
Last fall, AQMD’s Governing Board approved a policy directing that
mitigation fees paid to AQMD for new power plants be used to reduce air
pollution in communities around the power plants. In addition, AQMD’s Board
specified that at least one-third of the fees would be used specifically for
renewable energy projects.
Funding for projects approved today comes from fees collected between
2000 and 2006 for 10 proposed new or modified power plants that purchased
emission reduction credits from AQMD’s credit “bank.” Federal, state and
local air pollution laws require new facilities to acquire emission
reduction credits to prevent a worsening of air pollution in areas such as
the Southland that already have poor air quality.
All projects funded are within a 5-mile radius of one of the ten power
plants. About 51 percent of the funding is awarded for residential projects
and 78 percent is reserved for projects located in areas disproportionately
impacted by air pollution.
AQMD today also approved $1 million to co-fund the Million Trees
Initiative sponsored by the City of Los Angeles to plant and care for 1
million trees in Los Angeles.
A recent study by The Center for Urban Forest Research reported that
trees have a significant ability to capture fine particles from the air and
absorb pollutants such as ozone. And while trees can emit volatile organic
compounds that contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, the trees
selected for planting in the program will be among the lowest-emitting
available. Tree planting can also help reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide,
which contributes to global warming.
In other action today, the Board:
- Awarded a contract to Sunline Transit Agency for $400,000 to
co-sponsor, as part of the National Fuel Cell Bus Program, the design,
development and demonstration of an advanced technology fuel cell bus;
and
- Approved recommendations to improve price reporting and averaging, as
well as program monitoring, under AQMD’s RECLAIM program.
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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