BOARD MEETING DATE: March 7, 2008
AGENDA NO. 40

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

1. Adopt the attached update of the Technology Advancement Plan for 2008 and include it in the AQMD’s Clean Fuels Program;
2. Approve the attached Technology Advancement Office Annual Report for 2007; and
3. Approve the attached Resolution finding that the update of the Technology Advancement Clean Fuels Program Plan and its proposed projects do not duplicate any past or present programs of specified organizations.

 

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

Achieving federal and state clean air standards in Southern California will require emission reductions from both mobile and stationary sources beyond those available from current technologies. The 2007 Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) relies on the expedited, future implementation of cleaner mobile and stationary advanced technologies in Southern California to achieve these standards. To meet the South Coast needs and accelerate commercialization of progressively lower-emitting vehicles and advanced technologies that are not yet fully developed, the AQMD adopted a Clean Fuels Program in 1988 and established the Technology Advancement Office to administer the program. Concurrently, the State Legislature authorized funds for the AQMD’s Clean Fuels Program via SB 2297 and subsequently renewed this funding authorization via SB 316 in 1993. On June 8, 1999, SB 98 extended the Clean Fuels Program funding mechanism until January 1, 2005, added administrative requirements, and specified the creation of and expectations for the Clean Fuels Advisory Group. On September 22, 2003, SB 288 was signed into State Law and extended the Clean Fuels Program funding mechanism until January 1, 2010.

The AQMD Clean Fuels Program is implemented as a public-private partnership in conjunction with private industry, technology developers, academic institutions, research institutions, and government agencies. This public-private partnership has enabled the AQMD to historically leverage public funds with outside investment in a ratio of more than $3 of outside funding to every dollar of AQMD funding.

Health and Safety Code (H&SC) Section 40448.5.1 requires that the AQMD adopt a plan that describes the expected cost and benefits of proposed projects prior to any Clean Fuels Program expenditure after January 1, 1996 and find that the proposed projects do not duplicate programs of other organizations specified in the H&SC provision. The Board initially adopted such a plan at its March 8, 1996 meeting. SB 98 amended this provision by requiring annual updates to this plan and 30-day public notice to specified interested parties and the public prior to the annual public hearing at which the Board takes action on the Clean Fuels Program.

SB 98 also requires the preparation of an annual report with specified contents. This annual report requires the review and approval by an advisory group and the Board, prior to submittal to specified offices of the Legislature by March 31st of each year. This legislation also specifies the make-up of the advisory group and its primary responsibilities to make recommendations regarding the most cost-effective projects that advance and implement clean fuels technology and improve public health. The membership of the advisory group was previously approved by the Board on September 10, 1999. Changes to the composition are reviewed by the Board’s Technology Committee and submitted to the Board for approval on an as-needed basis.

Proposal

This package includes an adoption resolution (Attachment A) and one combined document, the Technology Advancement Office Clean Fuels Program Annual Report and Plan Update (Attachment B), for the Board’s consideration. The first portion of the document is the draft Technology Advancement Office Clean Fuels Program Annual Report for 2007 and the second portion is the draft Technology Advancement Office Cleans Fuels Program Plan Update for 2008. As part of the Board’s consideration of the Plan Update, the Board must make a finding that the update to the Technology Advancement Clean Fuels Program and its proposed projects do not duplicate any past or present programs of specified organizations. An adoption resolution is provided in Attachment A making such a finding.

Technology Advancement Office Clean Fuels Program Annual Report 2007

The Annual Report covers projects and progress of the program for calendar year (CY) 2007. As discussed earlier, this report addresses all of the requirements specified in H&SC 40448.5.1(d). Specifically, the report includes the following required elements:

• A description of the core technologies that the AQMD considers critical to ensure attainment and maintenance of ambient air quality standards and a description of the efforts made to overcome barriers to commercialization of those technologies;
• An analysis of the impact of the AQMD’s Clean Fuels Program on the private sector and on research, development, and commercialization efforts by major automobile and energy firms, as determined by the AQMD;
• A description of projects funded by the AQMD, including a list of recipients, subcontractors, co-funders, matching state or federal funds, and expected and actual results of each project advancing and implementing clean fuels technology and improving public health;
• The title and purpose of all projects undertaken pursuant to the Clean Fuels Program, the names of the contractors and subcontractors involved in each project, and the amount of money expended for each project;
• A summary of the progress made toward the goals of the Clean Fuels Program; and
• Funding priorities identified for the next year and relevant audit information for previous, current, and future years covered by the report.

During CY 2007, the Technology Advancement Clean Fuels Program executed 67 new projects, studies, or amended contracts with expenditures to sponsor research, development, demonstration, and deployment projects of alternative fuel and clean fuel technologies. The AQMD’s contribution to these projects was nearly $10 million, with total projects costs of nearly $33 million from other government organizations, private sector, academia and research institutes. These projects address a wide range of air quality issues with a diverse mix of advanced technologies. Figure 1shows the distribution of funding committed from the Clean Fuels Program through executed agreements in 2007. It should be noted that the executed agreements typically lag the Governing Board awards due to the time necessary to negotiate contracts. During this phase, project awards may be reduced in scope, encounter delays in execution, or may not be contracted at all due to unforeseen difficulties following Board approval. As such, the funding distribution represents a “snapshot-in-time” of the Clean Fuels Program for the calendar year.

Figure 1: Distribution of Clean Fuels Program Funds
in Calendar Year 2007 (Total: $9.9 million)

During CY 2007, the AQMD supported a variety of projects and technologies, ranging from near-term to longer-term research, development, demonstration, and deployment activities. This “technology portfolio” strategy provides the AQMD the ability and flexibility to leverage state and federal funding while also addressing the specific needs of the South Coast Air Basin. Projects in CY 2007 included continued expansion and upgrade of natural gas infrastructure, development of heavy-duty natural gas engines, the further conversion of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles technologies, and demonstration of on-road emissions controls and retrofit devices for off-road construction equipment. The AQMD also executed five projects to participate in several broad health impacts studies including evaluating particulate matter toxicity, understanding actual exposure levels in communities with multiple air pollution sources, and measuring the effects of goods movement on port community children.

In addition to the new projects, 8 research, development, and demonstration projects, 19 technology assessment projects or studies, and 1 incentive projects were completed in CY 2007. Summaries for each of the technical projects are provided in Appendix C of the Annual Report.

As required, this annual report has been reviewed and approved by the SB 98 Clean Fuels Advisory Group and must be submitted to the state by March 31, 2008.

Technology Advancement Office Clean Fuels Program Plan Update

The attached Update to the Technology Advancement Plan for the Clean Fuels Program identifies potential projects to be considered for funding during 2008. The proposed projects reflect promising low- and near zero- or zero-emission technologies and applications that are emerging in the different source categories. This update includes a number of proposed projects, not all of which are expected to be funded in the current fiscal year given the available budget. Projects not funded in 2008 may be considered for funding in subsequent years.

In addition to identifying proposed projects to be considered for funding, this Update confirms ten key technical areas of highest priority to the AQMD. These high priority areas are listed below based on the proposed funding distribution shown in Figure 2:

• Infrastructure and Deployment (compressed natural gas and liquid natural gas)
• Fuels and Emission Studies
• Emission Control Technologies
• Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Technologies
• Engine Technologies (particularly in the heavy-duty vehicle sector)
• Mobile Fuel Cell Technologies
• Hydrogen Technologies and Infrastructure
• Health Impacts Studies
• Stationary Clean Fuels Technologies (including renewables)
• Outreach and Technology Transfer

It should be noted that these priorities represent the areas where AQMD funding is thought to have the greatest impact. In keeping with the diverse and flexible “technology portfolio” approach, however, these priorities may shift during the year to: (1) capture opportunities such as cost-sharing by the state government, the federal government, or other entities; or (2) address specific technology issues which affect residents within the AQMD.

Figure 2graphically depicts the potential distribution of AQMD Clean Fuels funds, based on projected program costs of more than $16 million for the ten project areas discussed above. The expected actual project expenditures for 2008 will be much less than the total projected program cost since not all projects will materialize. The target allocations are based on balancing technology priorities, technical challenges and opportunities discussed previously, and near-term versus long-term benefits with the constraints on available AQMD funding. Specific contract awards throughout 2008 will be based on this proposed allocation, the quality of proposals received and evaluation of projects against standardized criteria, and, ultimately, the Board’s approval. At that time, additional details will be provided about the technology, its application, the specific scope of work, the project team capabilities, and the project cost-sharing.

These technical priorities will necessarily be balanced by funding availability and the availability of qualified projects. Revenues from several sources support the AQMD’s Technology Advancement program. The principal revenue source is the Clean Fuels Program, which, under H&SC Section 40448.5 and Vehicle Code Section 9250.11, establishes mechanisms to collect revenues from mobile and stationary sources to support the program’s objectives, albeit with constraints on the use of the funds. Grants and cost-sharing revenue contracts from various government agencies, such as the California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the United States Department of Energy, also support technology advancement efforts.

Figure 2: Projected Cost Distribution for Potential Projects in 2008 ($16 million)

The proposed update is the result of a comprehensive planning and review process. This process has included consideration of the 2007 AQMP control measures and coordination activities involving outside organizations. As part of this process, staff hosted two one-day retreats in July 2007 and January 2008 to solicit input from the Clean Fuels Advisory Group, the Technology Advancement Advisory Group, and other technical experts. During these retreats, the participants reviewed the current Technology Advancement projects and discussed near-term and long-term technologies as potential projects. These discussions, where appropriate, were fashioned into project areas and included in this year’s Plan Update. Additionally, staff presented an outline of the 2008 Plan Update at a special Board workshop on September 28, 2007; the Plan Update reflects the priority areas presented at that workshop.

In 2006 staff initiated a series of day-long technology forums to help guide the overall research, development, demonstration, and deployment strategy for the Plan Update as well as solicit input and feedback on general agency strategies toward meeting overall AQMP goals. TAO continued this forum series in 2007 holding nine additional technology meetings. A total of 16 technology forums have been conducted to date. Table 1 below lists the meetings which have been held since we reported to the Board last year.

Table 1: Technology Forum and Roundtable Topics

At these public meetings, which have also been webcast (Technology Forums, http://www.aqmd.gov/tao/ConferencesWorkshops/techforum.htm), experts have been invited to present during the morning session and then discuss the major issues in the afternoon. Questions have been posed to the panelists regarding technology implementation feasibility, mitigation of emissions, and time-frame for air quality improvements. For example, at the Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicle Forum, a consensus by all panel members indicated the potential for near-term commercialization with significant emissions reductions along with fuel savings is considerable. As a result, there is a project category included in the Plan Update to further explore this technology. To the extent possible, staff has incorporated the project ideas, directions, and strategies into the Plan Update from the other Technology Forums as well.

Based on communications with the organizations specified in H&SC Section 40448.5.1 and review of their programs, the projects proposed in this update do not appear to duplicate any past or present projects. As each individual project is recommended to the Board for funding, staff will continue to coordinate with these organizations to ensure that duplication is avoided and ensure optimal expenditure of clean fuels program funds.

Attachments (exe 2506 kb)

1. Resolution
2. Technology Advancement Office Clean Fuels Program 2007 Annual Report and 2008 Plan Update