BOARD MEETING DATE: March 13, 1998 AGENDA NO. 31
REPORT:
Mobile Source Committee
SYNOPSIS:
The Mobile Source Committee met on Friday, February 27, 1998. Presentations were made on the following items: SB 836 Activities; Update on Regional Transportation Plan; Reports on Environmental Justice Initiatives #2, 4, and 7; Rule 2202 AQIP Contract Issues; Submittal of 1997 AQMP 2020 PM10 Emissions Inventory for Transportation Conformity Use; Update on TEP2000 Coordination Meeting with ARB; and Report on OCR Title VI Interim Guidance on Environmental Justice. The next meeting is March 27, 1998, 9:30 a.m., in Conference Room CC-8.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Receive and file this report.
Nell Soto, Chair
Mobile Source Committee
ATTENDANCE: Present: Committee Chair Nell Soto (left at 9:58 a.m.), Committee Vice Chair Dr. S. Roy Wilson (arrived at 9:40 a.m.), Committee Member Norma Glover (arrived at 10:02 a.m.), Committee Member Mee Hae Lee (left at 10:30 a.m.), Committee Member Ronald Loveridge (arrived at 10:03 a.m., left at 11:15 a.m.), and Committee Member Jon Mikels. Attachment 1 is an attendance roster.
MOBILE SOURCE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION ITEMS
Progress Report on SB 836 (Lewis) Activities (Attachment 2)
Staff informed the committee that Regional Transportation Agencies’ Coalition (RTAC) is currently reviewing the draft final report on the Employer and Employee survey data and the State of the Commute (SOC) survey data from Haug International. The Final Report is expected to be released on March 10, 1998. An informational workshop on the results will be held at the AQMD on Thursday March 26, 1998.
Preliminary results released by Haug International show that emission reduction equivalencies were not achieved through voluntary ridesharing. According to SB 836 (Lewis), if the results of the data sets showed that voluntary ridesharing and other replacement measures were unable to achieve the same level of emission reductions that Rule 2202 would have achieved, the employee threshold should revert to 100. Staff’s perspective is that, to allow additional evaluation time, a bare bones program could be established for the small employers. The amended program could include a requirement for these smaller worksites (100-249 employees) to register with the AQMD and to make a commitment to continue with whatever voluntary ridesharing efforts they had maintained in 1997. Committee Member Mikels felt this could raise equity concerns, and that the situation should be referred to the legislative for resolution.
After the Committee’s discussion on this item, it was agreed that staff should report the survey findings to the full AQMD Board at its meeting on March 13, 1998 to receive further direction. In the meantime staff was directed to proceed with the public noticing process for a Rule 2202 amendment as soon as possible so the rule can be amended, if needed. In addition, staff was asked to prepare a letter that could be sent to the legislative requesting further guidance in this matter.
Update on the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) (Attachment 3)
Staff informed the Committee that SCAG has recommended submitting the RTP in two sections, one fiscally constrained and the other unconstrained. The fiscally unconstrained section would be implemented should additional funding be available in the future. There are some issues that still remain to be resolved. One of these relates to trucking and dedicated truck lanes. Committee Member Mikels pointed out that SCAG’s proposal to spend $2 billion for the trucks-only lane to eliminate two tons of VOC was not cost-effective and therefore not acceptable. Another issue relates to who should pay for the mitigation of the Los Angeles Harbor expansion. Committee Member Mikels felt that asking the San Bernardino and Riverside Counties to contribute most of the cost was also not acceptable.
Staff informed the Committee that SCAG has released an addendum to the Draft 1998 RTP. A Technical Appendix on Conformity Analyses for PM10 (SCAB), and PM10 and Ozone (Imperial County) has also been released for public review and comment. The deadline for written comments is March 27, 1998. It was pointed out that the deadline for the Draft 1998 RTP which was released on November 6, 1998 was still March 15, 1998, and that SCAG’s Regional Council was scheduled to adopt the plan at its April 2, 1998 meeting.
Monthly Report on Environmental Justice Initiatives
Initiative #4 (a) CEQA Handbook Revision (Attachment 4): Staff informed the Committee about the meeting of the Working Group held at the AQMD on Thursday, February 26, 1998. Staff presented a table of the issues that were discussed. These included Significance Thresholds, Emissions, Air Quality and Air Toxics Models and Document Streamlining. The Working Group will meet again on Thursday, March 26, 1998.
Initiative #4 (b) CEQA Document Commenting: Staff informed the Committee that between January 7, 1998 and February 13, 1998, Transportation Programs received 64 CEQA documents. There was one document that was carried over from last month’s reporting period. Of the combined total of 65 documents, 41 were potentially appropriate for AQMD commenting. Comments will be provided for 39 (95%) of these documents. Of the remaining 26 documents, 24 were identified as plot plans and notices of public meetings, which do not need AQMD comments. Within this current reporting period, 14 comment letters were sent by the AQMD.
Rule 2202 AQIP Issues (Attachment 5)
Staff distributed copies of correspondence from the Los Angeles Superior Court regarding a $100,000 AQIP contract (No. 97155) that had been awarded the Court in July 1997 to establish videoconferencing centers at its Juvenile Dependency Headquarters in Monterey Park and a satellite court in Lancaster. The court was requesting that the AQMD amend the contract. The original contract was to construct a telecourt facility to allow clients and attorneys in the Palmdale/Lancaster area to attend the Children’s court proceedings via teleconferencing. The Children’s court is located in Monterey Park. It was estimated that this would save approximately eight trips per case from Lancaster to Monterey Park. The requested modification proposes to reduce the level of effort to only do training and teleconferencing for meetings with substantially less emission reductions. The Committee approved staff’s recommendation to discontinue this project and return the funds to the AQIP.
Monthly Report on Environmental Justice Initiatives
Under Initiative #2 - Ambient Monitoring of Air Toxics (Attachment 6): MATES-II and Microscale Study, Staff informed the Committee that the Air Toxic Study Technical Review Group (ATSTRG) continued to meet on a regular basis. At its last meeting there were presentations by University of California at Riverside on new measurement technologies. A third mobile platform had been approved for Microscale study. Efforts are continuing to find suitable locations in Wilmington and Huntington Park for study. Five bids had been received for the inventory project.
Under Initiative #7 - Cleanup Incentives for Diesel (Attachment 7): Staff informed the Committee about efforts made by staff to monitor the progress of AB 1368 (Villaraigosa/D-Los Angeles). AQMD staff continue to work with transit districts to promote the use of alternative fuels and technologies. Dr. Barry Wallerstein testified in support of OCTA’s proposed purchase of LNG-fueled transit buses. AQMD staff attended LACMTA Operations Committee meeting that was called to consider problems relating to the ethanol and methanol bus fleets. A workshop on electric and fuel cell technologies was held in Anaheim as part of the Clean Cities outreach program.
Submittal of the 1997 Air Quality Management Plan 2020 PM10 Emissions Inventory for Transportation Conformity Use (Attachment 8)
In response to SCAG’s request to the AQMD to submit 1997 AQMP Post-2006 PM10 Emission Inventories, staff explained that these inventories are needed for RTP Transportation Conformity Determinations. A public hearing will be conducted to demonstrate that Emission Budgets attain or maintain PM10 air quality standards. Committee Member Mikels asked how NOx, VOC and PM10 emissions could be shown to be declining through 2020 when SCAG projections showed continued economic and VMT growth in the basin. Staff responded that AQMD Rule 1186 - Emissions from Paved and Unpaved Roads and Livestock Operations would contribute substantially towards those reduced emissions by 2006 despite the economic and VMT growth. However, road dust emissions will increase after 2006 due to continued growth; VOC and NOx emissions will continue to decrease due to vehicle fleet turnover to newer technology. The combined reductions in VOC and NOx with the increase in road dust emissions would result in projected PM10 concentration levels below the federal PM10 air quality standards by 2020. The AQMD Board will be asked to adopt the 1997 AQMP 2010 and 2020 Emission Inventories to serve as PM10 Emission Budgets for 2010 and 2020.
Update on TEP2000 Coordination Meeting with ARB (Attachment 9)
Staff informed the Committee that the AQMD and ARB continue to meet on a monthly or bi-monthly basis to coordinate efforts on the 2000 AQMP. Topics discussed so far include Air Quality Modeling, Inventory Development, Review of TEP 2000 and Timing issues.
Report on OCR Title VI Interim Guidance on Environmental Justice (Attachments 10 and 11)
EPA Title VI outlines the procedure for EPA handling of complaints alleging discriminatory effects resulting from the issuance of pollution control permits by state and local government agencies that receive funding from EPA. EPA acknowledges that environmental permitting cases may have implications for a diversity of interests, including those of the recipient, the affected community and the permit applicant. The Interim Guidance document will solicit public input to ensure that Title VI issues and problems resulting from the permitting process are fully addressed.
Some of the questions raised by staff relating to the Guidance document include the following: How will the universe of facilities be determined? How will cumulative impacts be measured and addressed? Does analysis apply to emission reductions foregone? How is comparison population selected? How much impact is enough to constitute a violation? Must existing rules be amended? How can programs be designed to avoid adverse impact? Committee Member Mikels asked whether the term "minority community" is defined in the Interim Guidance document. The term is not defined in the document.
Legislative Update
Written report submitted, no comments. (This report is included in the March Board package as an attachment to agenda item "Legislative Committee.")
Rule 2202 Activity Report/Upcoming Events (Attachment 12)
Written report submitted, no comments.
Update on the Mobile Source Measures in the SIP (Attachment 13)
Written report submitted, no comments.
CEQA Document Review and Lead Agency Report
A written report submitted, no comments. (This report is included in the March 1998 Board package as Attachments A-C to agenda item "Lead Agency Projects and Environmental Documents Received by the AQMD.")
Other Business
There was no other business.
Public Comment
There were no public comments. The meeting was adjourned at 11:40 a.m.
1. Attendance Roster
2. Presentation on SB 836 Activities
3. Draft RTP Comment Letter to SCAG
4. Update on CEQA Handbook Revision
5. AQIP Letter from the Los Angeles Superior Court
6. Progress Report on Environmental Justice Initiative #2
7. Progress Report on Environmental Justice Initiative #7
8. Presentation on Submittal of 1997 AQMD 2020 PM10 Emissions Inventory
9. Update on TEP2000 Coordination Meeting with ARB
10. Title VI Draft Interim Guidance Table
11. Internet posting of EPA Interim Guidance for Investigating Title VI Administrative Complaints Challenging Permits
12. Rule 2202 Activity Report/Upcoming Events
13. Update on the Mobile Source Measures in the SIP
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