BOARD MEETING DATE: December 5, 2003
AGENDA NO. 26

Adopt Resolution Proposing Summit of Members of AQMD Governing Board and California Air Resources Board

SYNOPSIS:

At its September 2003 meeting, the Board accepted a series of recommendations by staff contained within the White Paper entitled "Potential Control Strategies to Address Cumulative Impacts from Air Pollution." One of the control strategies called for a Governing Board resolution proposing a summit of board members of both AQMD and CARB to discuss enhanced efforts to achieve mobile source emission reductions, thereby contributing to decreases in cumulative impacts from air toxic and criteria pollutant emissions.

COMMITTEE:

Stationary Source and Mobile Source, November 21, 2003, Reviewed

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Approve the attached resolution proposing a summit of board members of both AQMD and CARB.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

The AQMD and CARB have had a lengthy and successful history of cooperation in the reduction of air pollution. Measurable progress has been achieved in the areas of stationary, mobile, and area source emission reductions, as well as reduced exposure to air toxics.

In 1998 and 1999, the AQMD conducted the second Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study (MATES II) that consisted of an 18-month monitoring and modeling effort to evaluate the ambient cancer risk from air toxics throughout the South Coast Air Basin (Basin). The AQMD conducted monitoring at 10 fixed sites and 14 community level sampling sites in various communities, collecting over 4,500 samples. The final report for MATES II, which was released in March 2000, indicated that the overall Basin cancer risk from air toxics is 1,400-in-one million when diesel and other mobile source emissions are considered. Mobile sources are a significant contributor to that risk. Seventy percent of all risk is attributed to diesel particulate emissions and about 20 percent to other toxics associated with mobile sources (including benzene, 1,3-butadiene, and formaldehyde). These mobile sources are regulated by CARB and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Consequently, additional controls from this sector would greatly enhance the reduction of cumulative impacts.

The 2003 AQMP, which was approved by the AQMD Governing Board in August 2003, includes strategies for reducing emissions from sources that are primarily under State and federal jurisdiction, including mobile sources. On-road mobile sources translate to approximately 10 million vehicles in the Basin; currently, these vehicles travel more than 332 million miles per day. The AQMP projects that by 2010 the daily vehicle miles traveled will increase to about 387 million miles traveled per day, an increase of approximately 55 million miles, or 17 percent. CARB and U.S. EPA have primary authority to reduce emissions from on-road mobile sources, including on-road heavy-duty trucks, through the adoption of emission standards and other related requirements. The AQMD has limited authority to impose requirements to reduce emissions from these sources. The authority to develop and implement regulations for off-road mobile sources also lies primarily with the U.S. EPA and CARB. This includes sources such as aircraft, trains, marine vessels, farm and construction equipment (e.g., bulldozers), industrial equipment (e.g., forklifts), and utility equipment (e.g., lawn mowers). The emissions associated with on- and off-road mobile sources contribute significantly to cumulative impacts in the Basin.

At its September 2003 meeting, the AQMD Governing Board accepted recommendations by staff contained within the White Paper entitled "Potential Control Strategies to Address Cumulative Impacts from Air Pollution." The Cumulative Impacts Reduction Strategy (CIRS) contains 25 control strategies, some of which are early-action measures currently under development. One of the early-action measures calls for a Governing Board resolution proposing a board-to-board level summit with CARB to discuss enhanced efforts to reduce the mobile source contribution toward cumulative impacts in the Basin. This action fulfills the intention of this strategy; however, efforts for the development of this dialog and its successful implementation will occur over time.

On October 23, 2003, CARB approved the 2003 AQMP and will be submitting the plan to USEPA for inclusion into the State Implementation Plan (SIP). Included in its approving motion was an amendment to increase CARB’s near-term state commitment by significant additional tons and to return with explicit commitments to achieve CARB’s remaining long-term reductions.

As part of the CARB's adoption of the 2003 State and Federal Strategy for the California State Implementation Plan, annual technology summits will be conducted with participation from technical experts, academia, consultants, and other interested stakeholders in order to identify additional control strategies for achieving the required long-term reductions from on-road and off-road mobile sources and consumer products. This technical summit should not be confused with Board-level policy summit called for in the attached resolution.

Following CARB’s approval of the amended State & federal component of the 2003 AQMP / SIP, the Mobile Source Committee (a standing advisory committee of the AQMD Board) acknowledged its appreciation of this action. Further, the Committee recommended at its October 24, 2003 meeting that the AQMD Governing Board formally invite CARB board members to join in a partnership summit to discuss enhanced efforts to achieve emissions reductions from on- and off-road mobile sources and consumer products. The recommended action in this letter would carry out that recommendation simultaneous with the White Paper Early Action Strategy related to addressing cumulative impacts from mobile sources.

Recommendation

This Early Action strategy contained in the September 2003 White Paper would entail a Governing Board resolution (see attachment) to CARB urging enhanced efforts at timely control of mobile source emissions, thereby resulting in decreases of air toxic and criteria pollutants which contribute to cumulative impacts. AQMD wants to work with CARB in full partnership in resolving cumulative impacts in this Basin, especially where mobile sources are the key contributors. Staff recommends that the resolution include an invitation for CARB Board members to participate in a summit with a delegation of AQMD Governing Board members to discuss this partnership and mutual efforts to assist in reducing cumulative impacts.

Attachment

Resolution

ATTACHMENT

RESOLUTION NO. 03-_____

                        A Resolution of the Governing Board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD).

                        WHEREAS, the AQMD is the local air pollution regulatory agency for Orange county and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties; and

                        WHEREAS, the AQMD has primary responsibility for regulating air pollution from stationary sources, but limited authority for regulating mobile sources; and

                        WHEREAS, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is the state air pollution regulatory agency and has primary authority for regulating air pollution from mobile sources and consumer products; and

                        WHEREAS, findings of the second Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study (MATES II), released in 2000, have shown that approximately 90 percent of the cancer risk from air toxics in the South Coast Air Basin (Basin) is due to motor vehicles, including diesel particulates; and

                        WHEREAS, components of mobile source exhaust, including diesel particulate matter, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde, are known or suspected carcinogens; and

                        WHEREAS, by 2010, Basin daily vehicle miles traveled are projected to increase by more than 55 million miles, or approximately 17 percent, as compared with current levels; and

                        WHEREAS, the AQMD Governing Board has determined that additional mobile source emission reductions are essential to meeting the one-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard by 2010; and

                        WHEREAS, mobile sources, which are regulated by CARB and U.S. EPA are a significant contributor to cancer risk from air toxics in the Basin; and

                        WHEREAS, the AQMD Board sincerely appreciates that CARB assumed additional commitments as part of its October 2003 approval of an amended state and federal component of the 2003 AQMP/SIP; and

                        WHEREAS, additional controls directed at the mobile source sector would greatly enhance the reduction of cumulative impacts from air pollution; and

                        WHEREAS, the AQMD Governing Board acknowledges the importance of AB 2766 (Health and Safety Code 44223) as a means to fund effective emission reduction programs and desires to further enhance the emission reduction potential of the Local Government portion; and

                        WHEREAS, the AQMD Governing Board desires to work with the CARB Board in full partnership in reducing mobile source air toxic and criteria pollutant emissions contributing to cumulative impacts.

                        NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the AQMD Governing Board does hereby propose a summit of delegations from the CARB and AQMD Boards to discuss this partnership and efforts to assist the AQMD in reducing cumulative impacts from air pollution through regulation, incentives, legislation or other avenues; such meeting to allow the respective delegations, each consisting of less than a quorum of Board members, to exchange information and report back to their respective Boards; and

                        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the AQMD Governing Board requests that such summit occur as soon as possible, but no later than March 31, 2004.

DATE: _________________    ______________________________________
                                                           CLERK OF THE BOARDS

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