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California Air Resources Board releases a report today regarding San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution. It is another example of a Government entity marketing their own interests, and passing the buck.

What is particularly sad is that it is government staff laying the blame on the urban sprawl and essentially the residents of the Urban sprawl. Now don't get me wrong, we need to deal with it. But why is the agency with $360 million dollars a year at their disposal, charged with solving this problem.... why are they blaming the residents?

Now here is the best kicker. The ARB is requesting the local air district to work
with the Valley’s Councils of Governments to devise a strategy
that addresses pollution from sprawl that leads to increased
miles travelled and overall sustainability.

However, under California Air Resources Board regulations, the air districts cannot engage in Carpooling activities. That is under the Regional Transportation Authorities and they have their own special conflict of interest between those car taxes and too many cars on the road. To bad the ARB doesn't direct the Air Quality Management Districts to work with the Transportation Authorities. But then, we might solve the problems.

Do you think that $12 per year that you pay in California DMV registration fees is usefull? You know the Clean Air Act Fee. Because if you look into it, they get about $360 million a year off of that $12 fee. And they absolutely make sure that we do not use it to carpool.

So they convened yet another special committee to look at the problem. And once again they walk away with "its a local problem" attitude. Why are we increasing our global warming footprint on useless meetings that will not address the real issue at the table.

Namely, our governments dependence on the taxation of the automobile.

Full Release is below.


Release 07-51
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2007

Patricia Rey
916) 322-2990
www.arb.ca.gov

ARB credits local air district for stationary source program
improvements

Regulators now must tackle land use, trucks, agricultural
equipment and promote new technologies

SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board issued a report
today that concluded the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District has improved significantly over the past
several years and now regulates all stationary sources of
pollution that fall under its purview.

ARB staff conducted the analysis after being directed by the
Board in June to work with stakeholders via the San Joaquin
Valley Air Quality Task Force to identify new measures that
could be undertaken to clean up Valley smog sooner. ARB staff
has since met with the task force five times throughout the
Valley and held three community meetings to solicit additional
input from residents.

“We have a typical good news/bad news story here: the good news
is that the local air district is doing its part to regulate
local pollution sources. The bad news is that the remaining
areas still needing some work – trucks, agricultural equipment
and suburban sprawl – will be thorny issues with no real easy
answers,” said ARB Chairman Mary Nichols. “ARB can commit to
reducing emissions from agricultural equipment and trucks but
local officials need to take charge of their growth. We owe it
to Central Valley residents to continue to search for solutions
to clean up their air.”

Last month, ARB committed to actions that would take the Valley
90 percent of the way to attainment with federal ozone standards
by 2018. The state improved earlier attainment plans by adopting
a new regulation for off-road construction equipment that the
local air district can tailor for its needs, as well as
proposing other new measures for trucks and agricultural
equipment that will help clean the Valley’s air. To close the
final 10 percent gap, regulators will need to look into ways to
reduce pollution from agricultural operations and via local land
use planning efforts.

The Air Resources Board will consider a proposal to regulate
farm equipment such as tractors and combines in 2009. In the
meantime, the Board is requesting the local air district to work
with the Valley’s Councils of Governments to devise a strategy
that addresses pollution from sprawl that leads to increased
miles travelled and overall sustainability.

Finally, ARB staff outlined recommendations for the San Joaquin
Valley Air District, which included among others, to raise its
cost-effectiveness thresholds for Best Available Control
Technology for new sources to be in line with other air
districts, to widen its search for cutting-edge technologies by
looking beyond the Valley for innovative technology
applications, and to continue its local task force with expanded
purview to add industrial as well as mobile sources.

ARB and local air district staff are working with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency to hold a technology forum at UC
Merced next spring since emerging environmental innovations will
also play a key role in reducing local pollution in the coming
years.

The Air Resources Board will hear today’s staff report and
recommendations at next week’s hearing in Sacramento.

To see the ARB’s staff report: “Accelerating San Joaquin Valley
Air Quality Progress,” please go here:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/planning/sip/...aq_progress.pdf


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The Air Resources Board is a department of the California
Environmental Protection Agency. ARB's mission is to promote and
protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through
effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and
considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air
pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain
health based air quality standards.

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