BOARD MEETING DATE: September 10, 2010
AGENDA NO. 33

REPORT:

Year 2030 Air Quality & Energy Ad Hoc Committee

SYNOPSIS:

The Year 2030 Air Quality & Energy Ad Hoc Committee met Wednesday, August 4, 2010. Following is a summary of that meeting.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Receive and file the attached report.
 

Miguel Pulido, Chair
Year 2030 Air Quality & Energy Ad Hoc Committee

Attendance

Chair Miguel Pulido called the meeting to order at 3:20 p.m. Attending via teleconference were Committee Members Jane Carney, Josie Gonzales and Jan Perry. The following items were presented:

DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS:

1. Update on Trip Report Regarding Staff’s Visits to Washington D.C. to Meet with Members of Congress, Congressional Staff and U.S. EPA
   
   Oscar Abarca, Deputy Executive Officer of Legislative and Public Affairs reported to the committee regarding two recent trips to Washington, D.C. by AQMD staff and business and government representatives regarding the Section 185 fee issue.  Mr. Abarca described the mid-July trip to D.C. as successful in providing a foundation of information and understanding regarding the Section 185 issue.  Mr. Abarca reported that many of the electeds that staff met with during this first trip already had some familiarity with the issue.  Mr. Abarca informed the committee that on the second trip, which occurred in late July, meetings were held with various federal agencies and Congressional members and staff.  These meetings were very successful in communicating the issue to the offices and discussing possible approaches to solving the problem.  Mr. Abarca stated that the personal messages provided by the industry representatives were very effective and well received by the various decision makers in the meetings.  Overall the message from those in D.C. was that there is a clear understanding that this issue is a problem and that there is a willingness to work with AQMD to identify and implement an effective solution.
   
   
2. Update on Preparation of White Paper on Clean Air Standards
   
   Elaine Chang, Deputy Executive Officer of Planning, Rule Development and Area Sources updated the committee regarding the status of a white paper on energy and air quality issues. The Board at it’s March retreat directed the staff to prepare this white paper. Dr. Chang presented more detailed ozone modeling analysis to further substantiate staff’s belief that this region would need approximately 90% NOx reductions by 2030 to reach attainment of an 8-hour ozone standard of 70 ppb. More recently, U.S. EPA staff is considering revising the annual PM2.5 standard to 11 to 13 ug/m3 (current standard= 15 ug/m3) and the 24-hr standard to 20 to 35 ug/m3 (current standard=35 ug/m3). Based on the 2007 AQMP modeling methodology, it shows that in order to meet the 13 ug/m3 standard, this region needs to move up the 2023 NOx reduction target in the 2007 AQMP to 2020. It should be noted that the 2023 NOx target includes over 200 tons/day of reductions in the 185(e)(5) category (“black Box”) that requires significant technology breakthrough. If 11 ug/m3 is selected as the final standard, it would require moving up the 2030 NOx target (i.e., 90% reduction) for the proposed 8-hour ozone to 2020 plus additional controls on other PM2.5 contributors (i.e., directly emitted PM2.5 and SOx). All of these analyses further confirm the need for an integrated solution: electrification, to address local air quality issues, energy security, and green economy. Staff intends to release the white paper shortly after U.S. EPA’s final ruling on the new 8-hour ozone standard, which is expected by the end of August. Ms. Jane Carney suggested that staff engage in outreach with the venture capital sector on the need for investment in clean air technology for this region.
   
   Supervisor Gonzales left the meeting at 3:30 p.m. and Mayor Pulido left the meeting at 3:35 p.m.
   
   
3. Public Comment
   
   Mr. Bill LaMarr, California Small Business Association, attended the meetings in Washington D.C. with staff (see item 1) and expressed his appreciation to staff for all of their work. Mr. LaMarr stated that there was a sense of sincerity and willingness to help from both sides of the aisle. Mr. David Rothbart, Los Angeles County Sanitation District, also attended the meetings in Washington D.C., and he too expressed his appreciation to staff. Mr. Rothbart noted that the elected officials seemed to understand what the issue was and were very supportive.  
   
   The meeting adjourned at 3:55 a.m.
   

Attachment (DOC, 41k)

Attendance Roster