Proposal:

Report to the Legislature and the Air Resources Board on the AQMD’s Regulatory Activities for Calendar Year 1996

Synopsis:

The South Coast Air Quality Management District is required by law to submit a report to the Legislature on its regulatory activities for the preceding calendar year. The report is to include a summary of each rule and rule amendment adopted by the District, number of permits issued or denied, emission offset transactions, three-year budget forecast, the District’s response to any recommendations included from the triennial performance audit process, District actions in response to state Board and Legislative recommendations regarding their review of AQMD’s budget, and a biennial update on the clean fuels program.

Committee:

Legislative Committee, February 21, 1997

Recommended Action:

Receive and file the attached report, and direct staff to forward the final report to the Legislature and Air Resources Board.

James M. Lents, Ph.D.
Executive Officer

Attachment

Background

The South Coast Air Quality Management District is subject to multiple internal and external reviews of its air quality programs. These include triennial performance audits; an annual review of the District’s three-year budget forecast and proposed operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year and compliance program audits.

In 1990, the Legislature directed the District to provide an annual review of its regulatory activities (SB 1928, Presley), and specified the type of information required. Many of the required elements overlap with others contained in separate legislation. For example, this report is to include the District’s three-year budget forecast which is already a separate requirement under legislation passed in 1994. The purpose of this report is to fill in the pieces of missing data to compile a comprehensive regulatory overview. Most of the information included in this report is not new, but simply a compilation of monthly activity reports previously seen by the Board. For example, Chapter I compiles a list of rules and amendments adopted by the Governing Board during 1996.

The specific requirements of this report include:

• a summary of each major rule and rule amendment adopted by the District Governing Board;
• the number of permits to operate or to construct that are issued, denied or not renewed;
• data on emission offset transactions and applications during the previous year;
• a forecast of proposed budget and staff increases or decreases for the following fiscal year;
• an identification of the source of all revenues used to finance the District’s activities;
• any actions taken in response to recommendations from the state Air Resources Board or Legislature relating to their review of AQMD’s budget, and
• a biennial update on the results of the District’s clean fuels program.

Although not required by law, the attached report also includes information on the District’s Public Advisor and its activities in the areas of business and public outreach. This is meant to supplement the required elements and provide a more complete and comprehensive summary of AQMD’s annual regulatory activities.

Attachment:

Report to the Legislature for Calendar Year 1996