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REPORT:

Study Findings on the Effectiveness of Voluntary Ridesharing and Other Emission Reduction Options

SYNOPSIS:

The exemption of Rule 2202 employer worksites with 100 – 249 employees, as required by Senate Bill 432 (Lewis), has resulted in an emission reduction shortfall. To determine the shortfall, the AQMD commissioned a study to evaluate the effectiveness of voluntary ridesharing. This report summarizes the study results and identifies the Rule 2202 emission reduction shortfall for 1998.

COMMITTEE:

Mobile Source, May 28, 1999, Reviewed

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Receive and file.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

Senate Bill 836 (Lewis), enacted in September 1996, exempted employer worksites of 100 – 249 employees from Rule 2202 – On-Road Motor Vehicle Mitigation Options (Rule 2202) from January 1, 1997 through December 31, 1997. This bill required a subsequent study to evaluate the effectiveness of voluntary ridesharing and other emission reduction options. The study, completed and issued in March 1998, showed an emission reduction shortfall to Rule 2202 during 1997.

On June 19, 1998, Senate Bill 432 (Lewis) was signed into law and took effect immediately. SB 432 permanently changed the compliance threshold of Rule 2202 from 100 employees per worksite to 250.

To track the potential emission reduction shortfall as a result of the SB 432 exemption, AQMD commissioned a 1998 study to evaluate the effectiveness of voluntary ridesharing and other emission reduction options during the year.

Objectives

Objectives of the study were (1) to determine the level of voluntary implementation of emission reduction options among the exempted employers; and (2) to assess employee travel behavior among employees at the exempted employer worksites. The 1998 study achieved its objectives through an Employer Activity Survey and an Employee Travel Behavior Survey.

Specifically, the objective of the Employer Activity Survey was to collect information on the degree to which exempted employer worksites participated in voluntary ridesharing and emission reduction programs in 1998. Those programs include Employee Commute Reduction Programs (ECRP), Air Quality Investment Programs (AQIP), and Emission Reduction Strategies (ERS).

The objective of the Employee Travel Behavior Survey was to collect travel behavior information from employees working at exempted worksites. This information was utilized to estimate the 1998 AVR at the exempted worksites.

Findings

1998 AVR

The actual AVR for 1998 was obtained from the employee travel behavior survey. The target AVR for employers who previously filed ECRPs under Rule 2202 was estimated based on the same annual growth rate (compounded) in 1996. The actual AVR and target AVR for 1998 by program type are as follows.

Deregulated Worksites

(100 – 249 Employees)

As shown on the above table, the weighted average actual and target AVRs for 1998 were 1.24 and 1.36, respectively.

AVR Trend

AVR in 1996 was obtained from AQMD’s Rule 2202 Database. AVRs in 1997 and 1998 were estimated from employee AVR sampling surveys. The AVR declining rate of 2.7% was compounded annually.

Deregulated Worksites

(100 – 249 Employees)

1998 Emission Reduction Shortfall (tons/day)

The following table indicates the estimated 1998 emission reduction shortfall by program type and pollutant.

Deregulated Worksites

(100 – 249 Employees)

1997 and 1998 Emission Reduction Shortfall Trend (tons/day)

Deregulated Worksites

(100 – 249 Employees)

Summary

In summary, the emission reduction shortfall in 1998 exceeded the 1997 shortfall by 0.08 tons per day for VOC, 0.04 tons per day for NOx, and 0.69 tons per day for CO. The net shortfall for 1998 was 0.62 tons per day for VOC, 0.68 tons per day for NOx, and 6.32 tons per day for CO. Since the adopted 1997 Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) includes the mobile source emissions from the regulation of worksites with 100 or more employees as part of the South Coast Air Basin attainment goals, the emission reductions shortfall to Rule 2202 must be offset. During 1997, the exemption of the smaller worksites resulted in a shortfall of emissions reductions that were offset by excess credits from the Rule 2202 Air Quality Investment Program. Recommendations on possible strategies to offset the 1998 emission reduction shortfall were developed by the Rule 2202 Emission Equivalency Task Force. Those recommendations were received by the Board at the May 14, 1999 Governing Board meeting.

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