CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
AIR RESOURCES BOARD
Air Resources Board
Board Hearing Room, Lower Level
2020 "L" Street
Sacramento, CA
August 12, 1993
9:30 a.m.
AGENDA
Page
93-10-1 Public Meeting to Consider an Update on the 001
Feasibility of Reducing Oxides of Nitrogen
and Particulate Matter Emissions from Heavy-
Duty Vehicles.
93-10-2 Public Hearing to Consider the Triennial 047
Report of Assessment and Mitigation of the
Impacts of Transported Pollutants on Ozone
Concentrations in California and to Consider
Amendments to the Transport Identification
and Mitigation Regulations.
93-10-3 Public Meeting to Consider the Annual Report 209
to the Governor and the Legislature on the
Air Resources Board's Atmospheric Acidity
Protection Program.
ITEM NO.: 93-10-1
Public Meeting to Consider an Update on the Feasibility of
Reducing Oxides of Nitrogen and Particulate Matter Emissions from
Heavy-Duty Vehicles.
RECOMMENDATION
Informational Item.
SUMMARY
The staff plans to develop new emission standards for heavy-duty
diesel vehicles/engines. Part of the basis for developing these
standards will be information presented in a report prepared for
the ARB by Acurex Environmental Corporation (Acurex). The
staff's report presents information on the need to control
emissions from heavy-duty vehicles, the Acurex report's data on
achievable emission levels, and possible schedules for
implementing new emission standards. The staff's report also
discusses other issues related to stricter standards for heavy-duty vehicles.
DISCUSSION
The Board is directed by statute to consider standards for new
heavy-duty vehicles. Heavy-duty vehicles are significant sources
of emissions that contribute to violations of the state and
federal air quality standards. The Board contracted with Acurex
to investigate emission reductions that could be achieved by
applying advanced technology to heavy-duty vehicles. The Acurex
report was approved by the Board's Research Screening Committee
in March 1993.
The staff believes that the recently adopted federal standards
for emissions from heavy-duty engines (4.0 grams of NOx per brake
horsepower-hour), to be implemented in 1998, will not be
sufficient to address California's air quality problems. The
staff plans to investigate the technologies and emission levels
discussed in the Acurex report to develop emission standards that
go well beyond the federal requirements.
Even if these emission standards were relatively easy to achieve
in terms of the application of technology, there are a number of
issues that make it difficult to require emission standards that
are significantly different from the federal standards. Among
these issues federal preemption of states' authority over matters
dealing with interstate commerce, the significant mileage in
California of out-of-state line haul trucks, and the registration
of out-of-state trucks as "used trucks" in California. These and
other issues of importance must be addressed before new emission
standards can be implemented in California.
ITEM NO.: 93-10-2
Public hearing to Consider the Triennial Report of Assessment and
Mitigation of the Impacts of Transported Pollutants on Ozone
Concentrations in California and to Consider Amendments to the
Transport Identification and Mitigation Regulations.
RECOMMENDATION
The staff recommends that the Board adopt the proposed amendments
to the transport identification and mitigation regulations,
sections 70500 and 70600 respectively, Title 17, California Code
of Regulations.
DISCUSSION
Section 39610(b) of the Health and Safety Code requires the Air
Resources Board (ARB), in cooperation with the local air
pollution control districts, to assess the relative contribution
of upwind emissions to downwind ambient ozone levels to the
extent this can be done by using available data, and to establish
mitigation requirements commensurate with the level of
contribution. Section 39610(d) further requires the ARB to
review and update its transport analysis at least once every
three years.
The ARB staff has prepared a Staff Report with contains the first
triennial update of the ARB's transport analysis. The Staff
Report presents the results of the staff's analysis in terms of
transport couples; that is, the downwind areas which are impacted
by transported pollutants and the upwind areas which are the
source of the pollutants. The staff is proposing that the Board,
1) amend section 70500 to identify six additional transport
couples, 2) update its findings of transport severity for
identified transport couples, and 3) amend section 70600 to add
additional areas to the list of areas affected by the mitigation
requirements. Under these mitigation requirements, upwind areas
identified as causing overwhelming impacts must adopt control
measures sufficient to attain the state ozone standard within the
downwind impacted areas.
SUMMARY AND IMPACTS
Although it is unlikely, the amended regulations may eventually
result in the adoption of additional control measures in order to
mitigate the impact of overwhelming transport on downwind areas.
The need for any such control measures would be examined as part
of district air quality plans for ozone under the California
Clean Air Act.
ITEM NO.: 93-10-3
Public Meeting to Consider the Approval of the Draft Annual
Report to the Governor and the Legislature for the Atmospheric
Acidity Protection Program, 1992.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff is recommending approval of the draft report and
transmittal to the Governor and the Legislature.
DISCUSSION
The Atmospheric Acidity Protection Act of 1988 (Stats. 1988, ch.
1518, Health and Safety Code section 39900-39911) requires the
Air Resources Board to conduct a research and monitoring program
to determine the nature and extent of acidic deposition and
atmospheric acidity in California, and the potential effects on
human health and natural ecosystems. Health and Safety Code
Section 39910 requires the Board to prepare and submit to the
Governor and the Legislature, an annual report describing the
research and monitoring programs and findings to date.
The draft report outlines progress made in 1992, along with a
tentative plan for the balance of the five-year program.
Findings to date, are summarized in the following subject areas:
(1) acidic deposition monitoring, (2) atmospheric processes, (3)
effects on lakes and streams, (4) effects on forests, (5) effects
on human health, and (6) effects on man-made materials. Data
from the California Acid Deposition Monitoring Program are also
included in the report. The update of the five-year plan focuses
on progress to be made in program elements designed to
investigate the long-term effects of acidic air pollutants on
human health, determining the impact of acidic episodes on lakes
and streams in the Sierra Nevada, long-term effects on vegetation
and soil in forests in southern California and evaluating the
effects of emission control strategies on ambient concentrations
of atmospheric acidity and levels of acidic deposition.