South Coast Air Quality Management District

Mobile Source Committee

SYNOPSIS: 

The Mobile Source Committee met Friday, June 22, 2001.
Following is a summary of that meeting.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Receive and file.

Jon D. Mikels, Vice Chair
Mobile Source Committee

Attendance

The meeting started at 9:10 a.m. Present: Committee Vice Chair Jon Mikels and Committee Members Jane Carney, Norma Glover, Ron Loveridge (arrived at 9:40 a.m.), and Jim Silva. Absent: Committee Chair Roy Wilson. The attachment is an attendance roster.

ACTION/DISCUSSION ITEM

1. Rule 2202 – AQIP
   Proposal of Recommendations for 1st Quarter of 2001
   Staff’s presentation to the Committee for their proposal included: summary of available funding; proposals received – 3 proposals in total; emission reduction credits balance; emission reductions from the proposed projects and cost effectiveness of each proposal. Staff recommended that a contract be awarded to OceanAir Environmental (5 Year Option) for diesel tugboat repower, in the amount of $1,025,501.
   
   Committee Member Norma Glover moved to recommend approval of this item to the Governing Board and Committee Member Jane Carney seconded. The motion was passed unanimously.

2. Status Report on Credit Rule Implementation
   A status report was provided on implementation of recently adopted credit rules. Five mobile and area source credit generation rules were submitted for SIP approval. ARB has completed review of these rules and forwarded these to EPA on May 29, 2001. The federal process for approval of these rules is underway. In recent months, the Board approved execution of contracts for lowering emissions from marine vessels. Out of the settlement funds, $2 million went to fund retrofitting 13 marine vessels, and $5.4 million from mitigation fees were designated for retrofitting marine vessels. RFPs are also underway for marine engine testing and installation of global positioning systems (GPS) for monitoring purposes. The contracts for the marine vessel projects are expected to be executed by the end of June, and the emissions testing will start in July. In terms of individual credit generators and potential credit users, no applications have been received yet. However, staff has been receiving phone calls about potential credit generation projects from other rules, and also phone inquiries from RECLAIM facilities on how to use the AQIP program. Staff has created draft applications, and is developing internal implementation procedures to support this program.

3. Report on PM10 Conformity Issues for Coachella Valley
   Staff gave an overview of the PM10 air quality and transportation conformity lapse. As background information, staff reported that on April 12, 2001 the SCAG Regional Council approved the 2001 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) which was submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)/Federal Transit Authority (FTA) on May 9. On June 7 the FHWA/FTA transmitted to the Governor air quality & transportation PM10 conformity lapse notification relative to the Coachella Valley and the Mojave Desert Air Basin portion of San Bernardino county; on June 8 they issued the lapse determination.
   
   Staff then reported on the conformity determination issues. The PM10 analysis was performed separately from the regional emissions analysis. When added to the regional emissions analysis the PM10 analysis does not meet conformity in the Coachella Valley portion of the Salton Sea Air Basin, and the San Bernardino portion of the Mojave Desert Air Basin. In addition, the appropriate PM10 air quality and transportation conformity tests were not completed until after the RTP had been approved by the SCAG Regional Council, and the PM10 analysis was not available for a 30-day public review period. At this time, of the 17 Coachella Valley projects in the 2000 RTP potentially affected by the lapse determination, only one program will be affected. This lapse determination will also affect the region’s ability to receive federal funding for highway and transit program that have not started. No SIP-related projects will be affected. To resolve this issue, SCAG has taken or will take the following actions. Within the next 60 days SCAG will incorporate on-road PM10 construction emissions analysis as part of the regional conformity analysis. On June 15 a revised conformity analysis and a list of impacted projects were developed. On June 19 the revised conformity analysis was released for 30-day review. In July and August, SCAG will respond to public comments; the Transportation Conformity Working Group will conduct an interagency consultation meeting to review the revised analysis; and in August the revised analysis will be submitted to the SCAG Regional Council for approval and subsequently submitted to federal agencies for new conformity determination.
   
   
4. Rule 1195 Implementation Guidance Development
   Staff reported that the implementation date for Rule 1195 is July 20, 2001. To facilitate implementation of this rule, the Governing Board requested the following: development of a "School Bus Fund Availability" form and "Rule 1195 Enforcement Policy," and establishment of an "Implementation Advisory Group." Staff is in the process of developing an "Implementation Guidance" document and will incorporate the "Fund Availability" form and the "Enforcement Policy" in this document. Staff explained that the "Fund Availability" form is actually part of the overall rule exemption form. Elements of the "Implementation Guidance" document include the following: definitions and rule requirements; explanation of exemptions; supporting documentation for claiming exemption; enforcement policy; exemption application form; and informational attachments. Up-to-date information on funding availability can be obtained through: AQMD web postings; funding program announcements; communications with staff; and AQMD School Bus Grant Assistance. Also applications can be submitted by fleet operator or vendors on behalf of operators. Elements of the "Enforcement Policy" include the following: more lenient enforcement actions for first-time violations; more severe actions for repeated violations; and most actions would entail greater number of retrofits to existing buses. Staff anticipates completing development of this document by the end of June 2001 and scheduling the first meeting of the "Implementation Advisory Group" on July 12, 2001. Staff will also continue to identify future funding programs and work with school districts on an individual basis.
   
   

5. Rule 2202 Activity Report
   Rule 2202 Summary Status Report submitted, no comments.
   
   
6. Monthly Report on Environmental Justice Initiatives
   Item #4 – CEQA Commenting:
   a. CEQA Document Commenting Update: Written reports submitted, no comments.
   
   
7. Other Business
   None.
   
   
8.  Public Comment
   None

The meeting adjourned at 10:00 a.m.

Attachment
Attendance Roster

SOUTH COAST AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT
MOBILE SOURCE COMMITTEE

JUNE 22, 2001

ATTENDANCE ROSTER
 

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