Here’s what you need to know:
- The District reappointed Esperanza Vielma, San Joaquin County At-Large Representative, to the Environmental Justice Advisory Group (EJAG) as outlined in the District’s adopted Environmental Justice Strategy.
- The District approved the launch of the Zero-Emission School Bus Replacement And Fueling Infrastructure Incentive Program.
- CARB’s Board received the Environmental Justice Advisory Committee’s (EJAC) initial recommendations for their consideration in developing the 2022 Scoping Plan.
The Scene
According to its website, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District comprises eight counties in California’s Central Valley: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, and the San Joaquin Valley Air Basin portion of Kern.
The Valley Air District includes a fifteen-member Governing Board consisting of representatives from the Board of Supervisors of all eight counties, one Health and Science member appointed by the Governor, one Physician appointed by the Governor, and five Valley city representatives.
The district held a meeting on Thursday, April. 21, 2022, at 9 am.
Officials present:
- Chair and Vice Mayor at City of Porterville Monte Reyes
- Vice-Chair and Supervisor at Stanislaus County Vito Chiesa
- Supervisor at Kings County Craig Pedersen
- Vice-Chair and Supervisor at Merced County Lloyd Pareira
- City of Clovis Mayor Drew M. Bessinger
- Supervisor at Kern County David Couch
- Councilmember at City of Stockton Christina Fugazi
- Supervisor at Fresno County Buddy Mendes
- Tania Pacheco-Werner, Ph.D. Appointed by Governor
- Mayor Pro Tem at City of Avenal Alvaro Preciado
- Robert Rickman Supervisor, San Joaquin County
- Alexander C. Sherriffs, M.D. Appointed by Governor
- Supervisor at Tulare County Amy Shuklian
- Supervisor at Madera County Tom Wheeler
- Councilmember at City of Los Banos Deborah Lewis
- Executive Director and Air Pollution Control Officer Samir Sheikh
Discussions/Actions
The Board (16-0) approved the consent calendar as follows:
#15. Assembly Bill 361 And District Remote Teleconferencing Update
Approve Resolution 22-04-15 directing the District to continue conducting remote teleconference meetings with the intent to periodically review this determination every 30 days as required by Assembly Bill (AB) 361.
#16. Receive And File Quarterly Update To The Best Available Control Technology (BACT) Clearinghouse
#17. Approve Contract With Atmospheric Analysis & Consulting, Inc. To Provide Laboratory Analysis Of Carbonyl Compounds For A Total Of $44,455
The District has a long history of successfully implementing a PAMS program consistent with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) title 40, part 58, and under the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements.
For its PAMS program, the District collects samples of ambient hydrocarbon compounds at six San Joaquin Valley air monitoring stations from June 1 through August 31 each year.
The data allows for a better understanding of the specific chemicals involved in ozone formation, which can also inform control measure development and improve inputs to photochemical ozone models used in attainment planning.
The District has contracted with private laboratories to provide carbonyl analyses for the PAMS season.
On Jan. 18, 2022, the District released a Request for Quotation (RFQ) seeking consulting laboratories to conduct carbonyl analyses for the District’s 2022 PAMS season.
The District received one response to the RFQ: Atmospheric Analysis & Consulting, Inc. (AAC).
The total cost estimate to complete the carbonyl analysis project is $44,455, including the cost of new cartridges treated with dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH), replacement denuder tubes, analysis of samples and reporting, and shipping.
The District has previously contracted with AAC for PAMS monitoring for several seasons. AAC has consistently completed the laboratory analysis and subsequent data preparation successfully.
The location of their laboratory in Ventura, CA, also results in quick, reliable shipping timeframes.
In addition, in past performance evaluations conducted by EPA, AAC has placed at or near the top for accuracy.
The evaluations, combined with AAC’s performance in past laboratory analyses for PAMS seasons, provide the District confidence that AAC will continue to provide precise and high-quality laboratory measurements.
Based on this evaluation, the District recommends contracting with AAC to provide the necessary laboratory analysis of carbonyl compounds for the upcoming PAMS season.
Under this contract, AAC will provide laboratory analyses for up to 350 carbonyl samples for a total cost not to exceed $44,455 ($105 per certified sample analyzed, $300 for denuders, a maximum of $3,364 for shipping, and a 10% contingency of $4,041 added to the contract total for unanticipated expenses).
#18. The District approved Contract With Atmospheric Analysis & Consulting, Inc. To Provide Laboratory Analysis Of Non-Methane Organic Compounds For A Total Of $112,388
On January 18, 2022, the District released a Request for Quotation (RFQ) seeking consulting laboratories to conduct NMOC analyses for the District’s 2022 PAMS season.
The RFQ states that the district will evaluate submitted proposals on the following:
- Completeness of the proposal
- Contractor’s experience in conducting laboratory analysis of PAMS samples
- Contractor’s experience in preparing and uploading the resulting data to EPA’s Air Quality System (AQS) database
- The overall cost of the project.
The District received two responses to the RFQ: Atmospheric Analysis & Consulting Inc. (AAC) and SGS North America Inc. (SGS).
AAC had the complete proposal for the NMOC analysis, and their proposal meets the requirements identified in the District’s RFQ.
Specific analysis tasks within the SGS proposal were costlier than what was proposed by AAC.
Additionally, the proposal from SGS was incomplete and did not address many of the items.
The total cost estimate to complete the NMOC analysis project with AAC is $112,388, including sample analysis, canister cleaning and certification, preparation of data reports, and shipping.
Since the proposal from SGS was incomplete, it is not possible to include a full representative comparable cost for completing the NMOC analysis with SGS.
The District has previously contracted with AAC for PAMS monitoring for several seasons. AAC has consistently completed the laboratory analysis and subsequent data preparation successfully.
The location of their laboratory in Ventura, CA, also results in quick, reliable shipping timeframes.
In addition, in past performance evaluations conducted by EPA, AAC has placed at or near the top for accuracy.
Combined with AAC’s performance in past laboratory analyses for PAMS seasons, the evaluations provide the District confidence that AAC will continue to provide precise and high-quality laboratory measurements.
Based on this evaluation, the District recommends contracting with AAC to provide the necessary laboratory analysis of NMOC compounds for the upcoming PAMS season.
Under this contract, AAC will provide laboratory analyses for up to 560 NMOC samples for a total cost not to exceed $112,388 ($180.00 per sample analyzed, a maximum of $1,371 for shipping, and a 10% contingency of $10,217 added to the contract total for unanticipated costs).
#19. The District reappointed To The District’s Environmental Justice Advisory Group
Reappoint Esperanza Vielma, San Joaquin County At-Large Representative, to the Environmental Justice Advisory Group (EJAG) as outlined in the District’s adopted Environmental Justice Strategy.
#20. The District received a claim for damages against San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District
The attached claim, filed by Claimant Megan Bloodworth, alleges that on October 27, 2021, she sustained personal injuries and property damage when her vehicle collided with a District vehicle at the intersection of Shepard Avenue near Minnewawa Avenue in Clovis, California.
Under the provisions of the Government Tort Claims Act, an aggrieved party must file a claim for damages within six (6) months of the occurrence.
Once the public entity rejects the claim and receives notice of the rejection, the claimant has six (6) months to file a lawsuit.
The district rejected the claim.
G. The District approved enhancements to the Truck Replacement Program
1. Approve the following enhancements to the District’s Truck Replacement Program to take advantage of recent changes to the state Carl Moyer Program guidelines to expand truck eligibility and increase participation in this critical voluntary incentive program:
- Increased funding caps for near-zero and zero-emission trucks
- Expanded truck model-year eligibility to allow for the replacement of vehicles six model years old or older with zero and near-zero-emission technology
- Updated administrative requirements to increase flexibility and facilitate more streamlined processing
2. Direct staff to continue to work with CARB and other air districts to incorporate similar changes into the state Carl Moyer Voucher Incentive Program guidelines for small fleets and incorporate those changes into the District’s Truck Replacement Program.
3. Authorize the Executive Director/APCO to make administrative changes to the program to ensure successful program funding implementation.
Reducing emissions from mobile sources, which make up the majority of ozone and
PM2.5 forming NOx and toxic diesel particulate matter emissions in the Valley is a
a critical component of the District’s overall strategy to attain stringent health-based
federal air quality standards.
These mobile sources, including heavy-duty vehicles, are primarily under state and federal jurisdiction.
This component of the District’s overall attainment strategy relies on reductions in emissions achieved through implementing the Statewide Truck and Bus Regulation and reductions attained through voluntary incentive programs, which achieve emission reductions beyond existing regulatory requirements.
Until recently, existing state Carl Moyer Program guidelines had not adequately evolved
to provide significant opportunities for voluntary incentive programs to achieve the surplus
emission reductions for large segments of the statewide heavy-duty truck population.
With the upcoming final compliance deadline for the Statewide Truck and Bus
Regulation on January 1, 2023, existing state incentive program guidelines were not consistently updated to provide adequate opportunities to achieve emission reductions beyond these regulatory requirements.
The program has led to a significant statewide slowdown in voluntary truck replacements through this program.
In recognition of this issue, for the past two years, the District has worked closely with
the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and other air districts to develop
enhancements to the Carl Moyer Program guidelines to expand funding opportunities
for fleets and incorporate options for 2010 and newer model year trucks to be eligible for
replacement with zero and near-zero emission technology.
Recently, CARB approved these enhancements to the Carl Moyer Program guidelines.
H. The District approved the launch of the Zero-Emission School Bus Replacement And Fueling Infrastructure Incentive Program.
- Approve the launch of the District’s Zero Emission School Bus Replacement and Fueling Infrastructure Program to replace existing diesel school buses with new, zero-emission school buses and associated fueling infrastructure under established state and District guidelines.
- Approve up to $20,000,000 in state Community Air Protection Program funds for zero-emission school bus replacement and up to $10,000,000 in locally generated motor vehicle surcharge funds for associated fueling/charging infrastructure.
I. The District discussed Public-Facing Air Quality Information Tools.
Providing accurate and up-to-date air quality information to Valley residents is a top priority for the District, especially when such circumstances overwhelm all clean air measures and lead to high pollution concentrations that may be unhealthy for sensitive individuals.
Under these circumstances, the best course of action is to notify Valley residents so that sensitive individuals, in particular, can take precautions to minimize exposure.
The District has expended significant resources on public notification and risk prevention measures.
In partnership with researchers and health experts, your Board took action in 2010 to launch the Real-time Air Advisory Network (RAAN) and the Real-time Outdoor Activity Risk (ROAR) guidelines.
The guidelines ensure that the public, particularly Valley schools, had the most up-to-date air quality information delivered directly to them via email and text (and in 2012, via mobile device).
At the time, these District tools were the only public-facing resource to provide accurate local and hourly air quality data accompanied by activity recommendations.
In the twelve years since developing the District’s RAAN and ROAR tools, both public and private entities launched new tools to provide the public with air quality information and activity recommendations.
In addition, there is increasing interest and concern from the public statewide regarding air quality impacts during major wildfires and other extreme air quality events.
The increasing number and variety of tools within this arena can confuse the public on which tool to use and what action can protect themselves during episodes of poor air quality.
J. The District discussed the Zero-Emission Vehicle Fleet Transition
The District considers environmental impacts in procurement and operational functions of the District.
In support of these efforts, your Board approved the District’s Green Procurement and Sustainable Practices Policy in January 2012.
The District has successfully implemented several sustainability measures through this policy, including electric or manual equipment for landscaping and parking lot sweeping at District facilities.
Another example of the Governing Board’s commitment to sustainability is the District’s Bakersfield office building, constructed in 2008, LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) certified by the US Green Building Council and equipped with a 32-kilowatt solar power system.
One of the measures in the Green Procurement and Sustainable Practices Policy includes the evaluation of the District’s fleet and considering opportunities to decrease the environmental impacts of fleet vehicles, including setting emissions goals, improving vehicle selection, improving vehicle use, and considering lifecycle costs.
With the rapid rise in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure in recent years, new opportunities have become available to take advantage of zero-emission vehicles in the District’s fleet.
In addition to the air pollution benefits of transitioning to zero-emission vehicles, overall cost reductions reduce fuel and maintenance costs.
These considerations provide the District with a guide in continuing to procure the most efficient and cleanest vehicles available in the market.
K. The District received the report On the 2021-2022 Winter Residential Woodsmoke Reduction Strategy
Receive and file the District’s report on the implementation of the residential woodsmoke reduction strategy in the 2021-2022 winter season, detailing the following:
- Valley air quality during the 2021-2022 winter season
- Effectiveness of District’s control strategy
- Public health benefits of strategy
- Air quality and meteorology compared to previous seasons
- District’s wood-burning device change-out incentive program
- Extensive public outreach efforts
- Enforcement and compliance assistance activities
- Looking ahead for opportunities
Given the significant localized health impacts of residential wood smoke, your Board has shown outstanding leadership in addressing woodsmoke emissions from residential fireplaces and wood-burning devices.
Today, the District has the stringent and most effective residential woodsmoke reduction strategy.
A combined regulatory and incentive-based strategy improves public health by reducing toxic wood smoke emissions in Valley neighborhoods during the peak PM2.5 winter season (November through February).
Given the importance of this program in protecting public health and attaining the PM2.5
standards, as directed by your Board, each year, the District presents a report on
implementation of the winter residential woodsmoke reduction strategy to assess the
effectiveness of this program and discuss potential enhancements that might be
warranted.
As detailed in this report, the Valley experienced continued progress toward
cleaner air quality throughout the 2021-2022 winter season, despite challenges from
arid and stable atmospheric conditions throughout the season.
L. The District received a verbal report on California Air Resources Board (CARB) Activities
CARB’s Board received the Environmental Justice Advisory Committee’s (EJAC) initial recommendations for their consideration in developing the 2022 Scoping Plan.
The CARB Board approved amendments to the Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation.
The amendments apply more stringent requirements to in-use and new vessels and expand the regulatory requirements to vessel categories previously exempt from in-use vessel requirements.
The CARB Board heard an informational update on the 2022 Scoping Plan development process.
In collaboration with other State agencies, CARB initiated the development of an update to the Assembly Bill (AB) 32 Climate Change Scoping Plan.
The 2022 Scoping Plan Update will assess progress towards achieving the Senate Bill (SB) 32 target of reducing statewide greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below the 1990 levels by 2030 and lay out a path to achieve carbon neutrality no later than 2045.
CARB staff presented modeling results of draft scenarios for achieving carbon neutrality.
The presentation also included an update on the engagement with the AB 32 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee and the Committee’s next steps.
CARB’s Board will receive the Final Scoping Plan in the fourth quarter of 2022.
CARB expects to consider amendments to the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulation.
Potential amendments include:
- New requirements for zero-emission vehicles
- Tightening criteria and GHG fleet standards
- Reducing cold-start emissions
- Improving emission control for plug-in hybrid and new medium-duty requirements
- Preventing emission backsliding and as more zero-emission vehicles operate in California’s on-road fleet
- Backsliding protections for fleet standards
- Updating supplemental federal test procedure (US06) particulate matter standard
- Prohibiting R134a refrigerants.
CARB expects to consider amendments to the medium and heavy-duty zero-emission fleet regulation to achieve a zero-emission truck and bus California fleet by 2045 everywhere feasible and significantly earlier for specific market segments.
CARB expects to consider amendments to the Criteria Air Pollutant and Toxic Air Contaminants (CTR) Regulation. The amendments would expand the number and types of facilities subject to emissions data reporting.
CARB is developing an In-Use Locomotive Regulation to accelerate the adoption of advanced, cleaner technologies, including zero-emission technologies, for locomotive operations.
The regulation would be implemented statewide and include a pathway to accelerate the adoption of advanced cleaner technologies for locomotive operations.
The meeting of the governing board approximately ended at noon. The next meeting will be through Zoom on Thursday, May 19, 2022.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at Documenters-admin@fresnoland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.