BOARD MEETING DATE: September 11, 1998 AGENDA NO. 31
REPORT:
Mobile Source Committee
SYNOPSIS:
The Mobile Source Committee met on Friday, August 28, 1998. Presentations were made on the following items: Legislative Update; Recommendation to Award Contract for Technical Assistance for Local Jurisdictions Utilizing AB 2766 Subvention Funds; Status Report on AB 2766 Coordination Between AQMD, ARB, and the Cities; Status of Rule 2202 Activities; Issue RFP for CEQA Documentation Support; Issue RFP to Provide Outreach Assistance to Basin Cities Regarding Low-Emission Clean Fuel Vehicle Technologies; Technology Advancement Office Projects Quarterly Update; and Reports on Environmental Justice Initiatives #2, 4, and 7. The next meeting is September 25, 1998 at 9:30 a.m., in Conference Room CC-8.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Receive and file this report.
ATTENDANCE: Present: Committee Chair Nell Soto, Committee Members Ronald Loveridge and Jon Mikels. Also present was Committee Vice Chair Roy Wilson who participated by video conference. Absent: Committee Members Norma Glover and Mee Hae Lee. Attachment 1 is an attendance roster.
MOBILE SOURCE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION ITEMS
Staff noted that Governor Wilson had vetoed AB 2194 (Washington). Staff highlighted AB 1368 (Villaraigosa) and SB 1857 (Brulte). AB 1368 seeks to provide grants for purchase of low-emission heavy-duty diesel engines or replacement/retrofit of existing engines; this bill has been sent back to the Senate. SB 1857 makes findings and declarations concerning the achievement of air quality standards; this bill passed the Assembly.
The Committee decided to defer action on this contract for one month pending the submission of a final report from the consultant, The Solis Group, on a previous contract on a similar project. The Committee passed a motion to have the Acting Executive Officer extend the Solis Group's current contract for one additional month.
Staff reported on four workshops that had been held in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties on Cleaning the Air with Motor Vehicle Fees. The workshops were organized by the California Air Resources Board in association with the AQMD. One of the points that emerged from the workshops was that the cities wanted technical assistance from the regulatory agencies in relation to the types of projects and technologies that could be utilized to achieve cleaner air.
Committee Members Loveridge and Mikels expressed concern about lack of accountability on the part of local governments regarding the use of the funds, lack of information on actual emission reductions being achieved through the projects, and the inability or failure to credit reductions from AB 2766 programs towards our clean air obligations. Staff is committed to work with ARB and EPA to address these concerns and to report back to the Committee.
a) Emissions Equivalency Task Force
Letters have been sent to 35 agencies/organizations inviting them to send representatives to serve on this task force. The goal of the task force is to formulate strategies to reduce the shortfall in emission reductions that will result from the permanent exemption of employer sites with fewer than 250 employees from Rule 2202. The task force is scheduled to meet on Thursday, September 3, 1998.
b) Proposed Rule 2202 Amendments
The Set Hearing for Amended Rule 2202 is scheduled to go to the Board in September, with the Public Hearing in October. The amendments include the following: raising the employee threshold from 100 to 250; deleting all SB 836 (Lewis) provisions; changing the Rule sunset provision from December 31, 1998 to whenever an equivalent replacement measure is available; replacing prior Rule 306-Plan Fees with Rules 308-On-Road Motor Vehicle Mitigation Option Fees and 311-Air Quality Investment Program Fees; using emission factors from ARB’s most current models; and replacing the December 8, 1995 adoption date with an October 9, 1998 amendment date.
Staff received four proposals to collect data on the emissions shortfall created by exempt employers. The Committee approved staff recommendation to award a $79,240 contract to Haug International, which received the highest score.
The Committee approved staff's recommendation to issue an RFP for approximately $100,000 to prepare environmental impact reports for projects for which the District is the Lead Agency. In response to a question by Committee Member Loveridge, staff agreed to revise the RFP to include the task of reviewing and commenting on those CEQA projects for which the AQMD has a review responsibility.
The goal is to obtain assistance to develop and implement six workshops to disseminate information on low-emission clean fuels and clean fuel vehicle technology. The workshops will target public and private transit agencies and school bus operators. The $100,000 RFP would be concluded within 18 months. The Committee approved staff's recommendation to issue the RFP.
Staff reported on three major projects recently undertaken by TAO. First is an RFP to solicit cost-shared proposals to provide support for the implementation of low emission, alternative fuel, heavy-duty vehicles within the western United States. Second is a program to establish an electric vehicle loan program for government agencies to be managed by the ARB with assistance from the California Department of General Services. Third is a propane heavy-duty engine development and demonstration. The co-sponsors included Detroit Diesel Corporation, U.S. Department of Energy, Texas Railroad Commission, Orange County Transportation Authority, Energy, Mines and Resources of Canada, and the Propane Vehicle Council.
Initiative #4 (b) CEQA Document Commenting: During the period of July 2, 1998 through August 1, 1998, staff received 61 documents in addition to 26 documents from the previous period. Staff has been reviewing approximately 90% of the reports. (This report is included in the August 1998 Board package as Attachment A-C to agenda item "Lead Agency Projects and Environmental Documents Received by the AQMD.")
Initiative #4 (a) CEQA Handbook Revision: Staff has compiled six chapters for review by the Working Group. Staff proposes to have a full draft of the report by end of September 1998. After review by the Working Group, there will be public consultation meetings. The final report should be ready by the end of December 1998.
Initiative #2 - Ambient Monitoring of Air: All ten MATES-II Sites are operational. Most laboratory analyses for April and May samples have been completed. Sampling continues to be done in the Microscale Study in Montclair, Torrance and Costa Mesa. (This report is included in the July 1998 Board package as an attachment to agenda item "Technology Committee Report.")
Initiative #7 - Cleanup Incentives for Diesel: A tugboat which has been retrofitted with a new low emission diesel engine was unveiled at a press event on August 7, 1998. The retrofit was a demonstration project cosponsored by the AQMD, U.S. EPA, Port of Los Angeles, Valley Detroit Diesel and Connolly-Pacific. AQMD staff also participated in an information workshop on alternative fuel buses for the Board of Foothill Transit on August 20, 1998. (This report is included in the August 1998 Board package as an attachment to agenda item "Technology Committee Report.")
Written report submitted, no comments.
Transportation staff will be representing the AQMD at the forthcoming American Public Transit Association (APTA) annual meeting in New York from October 4 through 8, 1998. Staff will provide a report to the Committee after the conference. The Committee was also informed about the UCLA Public Policy Transportation, Land Use and Air Quality Conference to be held at Lake Arrowhead from October 25 through 27, 1998.
There was no other business.
There were no public comments. The meeting was adjourned at 11:31 a.m.
Attendance Roster
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