CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD
County Administration Center
Supervisors Chambers, Room 310
1600 Pacific Highway
San Diego, CA
November 12, 1992
1:00 p.m.
Revised Public Meeting Agenda
Page
92-17-2 Public Hearing to Consider Revising the Test 001
Procedure for Qualifying a Fuel as a Substitute
Fuel for a Clean Fuel or as a New Clean Fuel.
92-18-1 Public Meeting to Consider Approval of the 080
San Diego Air Pollution Control District 1991
Regional Air Quality Strategy as Required by
the California Clean Air Act of 1988.
92-17-3 Public Meeting to Consider a Federal Clean Air 124
Act Progress Report.
92-17-4 Public Meeting to Consider a Revision to the 125
State Implementation Plan Regarding California's
Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program.
November 13, 1992
8:30 a.m.
Those items listed above which are not completed on November 12
will be hear beginning at 8:30 a.m. on November 13.
ITEM NO.: 92-17-2
Public Hearing to Consider Revising the Test Procedure for
Qualifying a Fuel as a Substitute for a Clean Fuel or as a New
Clean Fuel.
RECOMMENDATION
(1) Replace the existing test procedure ("California Test
Procedure for Evaluating the Emission Impacts of Substitute Fuels
for New Clean Fuels") with a revised procedure ("California Test
Procedure for Evaluating Substitute Fuels and New Clean Fuels",
cited in Title 13 CCR section 2317).
(2) Make minor conforming changes to Title 13 CCR section 2317
(part of the clean-fuels regulations) and to "California Exhaust
Emission Standards and Test Procedures for 1988 and Subsequent
Passenger Cars, Light-Duty Trucks, and Medium-Duty Vehicles"
(part of the low-emission vehicle regulations).
DISCUSSION
The Board's clean fuel/low-emission vehicle regulations allow
substitutes for designated clean fuels, and they allow new clean
fuels to be used for certifying vehicles. However, a substitute
fuel or a new clean duel must not cause vehicles to emit more
pollution than they emit when using their ordinary fuels. A test
procedure must be followed to demonstrate compliance with this
condition. The existing test procedure was approved by the Board
in September of 1990.
The revised test procedure provides several important
improvements over the existing test procedure. It contains a
revised statistical test that is better able to detect and reject
an unsuitable fuel (a fuel that would increase emissions in the
on-road fleet) and that provides more assurance of approving a
desirable fuel. The revised test procedure adds guidance on how
to demonstrate that the proposed substitute or new clean fuel
would not harm the durability of emission controls on vehicles
designed for other fuels. Finally, the revised test procedure
includes refinements that should lessen the cost of conducting
the required tests.
The revised test procedure is very similar to the alternative
gasoline test procedure in the Phase 2 gasoline regulations
approved by the Board in November 1991.
SUMMARY AND IMPACTS
Technical issues concerning the revised test procedure were
addressed during the development and approval of the very similar
gasoline test procedure. There has been no objection to revising
the test procedure for substitute and new clean fuels based on
the gasoline test procedure.
The use of the test procedure is voluntary. Furthermore, the
revised test procedure, if used, will most likely be used to
qualify fuels that are less expensive than their alternatives.
However, it is possible, though highly unlikely, that the
revisions could increase the costs for some small businesses
should a more expensive fuel be qualified.
ITEM NO.: 92-18-1
Public meeting to Consider Approval of the San Diego Air
Pollution Control District 1991 Regional Air Quality Strategy as
Required by the California Clean Air Act of 1988.
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the elements of the plan which fully comply with the Act.
Request the District address the identified deficiencies in the
remaining elements, as specified below.
DISCUSSION
The San Diego plan is substantially complete. All feasible
measures have been incorporated, cost-effectiveness assessments
have been done, and the appropriate level of control technology
has been selected given the District's "severe" classification.
However, there are a few significant deficiencies in the plan.
The required permitting program (due in 1991) has not yet been
adopted, the proposed schedule for rule making is not as
expeditious as the local circumstances allow, and the district
has not yet demonstrated compliance with the requirement for
achieving 1.5 average vehicle occupancy by 1999.
The transportation sections of the plan are otherwise complete.
However, the District has made implementation of its
transportation control measures contingent upon a separate action
by the State. Specifically, the TCMs will not be implemented
until the Legislature or DMV initiates action to include Mexican
commute vehicles in the biennial smog check program. This
contingency clause is problematic since the law makes no
provision for delaying District action until other pollution
control efforts are underway.
The amendments to the California Clean Air Act which take effect
January 1, 1993 (AB 2783, Sher), will have an impact on the
District's plan. The amendments will reduce the minimum
statutory requirements for permitting in San Diego. The AVO
requirement may also be reduced from 1.5 to 1.4, depending on
what area classification San Diego ultimately receives (severe or
serious).
Staff recommends the following steps to remedy the deficiencies
in San Diego's plan: 1) adoption of the required permitting rule
by July 1, 1993 (this schedule will enable the District to
consider any changes wrought by AB 2783); 2) submittal of a
revised rulemaking schedule within 4 months; 3) the
implementation of San Diego TCMs while efforts to address Mexican
commute vehicles are underway; and 4) provision of additional
data on average vehicle occupancy within 6 months.
SUMMARY AND IMPACTS
Partial approval of the plan will allow the District to begin
implementing satisfactory plan elements while other plan
deficiencies are addressed. Significant emission reductions, on
the order of 63 tons per day (TPD) of ROG, 29 TPD of NOx, and 290
TPD of CO, can be expected by 1994 from full implementation of
the plan measure. These emission reductions are expected to
increase to 80 TPD for ROG, 52 TPD for NOx, and 435 TPD of CO by
1997.
ITEM NO.: 92-17-3
Federal Clean Air Act Progress Report.
RECOMMENDATION
Not Applicable.
DISCUSSION
The 1990 Amendments to the Federal Clean Air Act (Act)
requirement the preparation and submittal of a number of
revisions to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for each area of
the state that has been designated as nonattainment for one or
more of the national ambient air quality standards. Federal
nonattainment areas have been designated in California for ozone,
carbon monoxide, PM10 (particulate matter less than 10 microns in
diameter), and nitrogen dioxide.
Required SIP revisions include emission inventories, 15%
reductions in emissions of volatile organic compounds between
1990 and 1996, contingency measures, and attainment
demonstrations. Other requirements include enhanced inspection
and maintenance programs, clean fuels pilot program, vehicle
fleet programs, and oxygenated fuels regulations. Meeting the
Act's planning requirements involves responsibilities for the Air
Resources Board (ARB), air pollution control districts, and local
governments.
Planning activities related to federal nonattainment requirements
are underway. Submittals of various products were required
beginning in May 1991. Several additional milestones will be
reached on November 15, 1992. California is generally on
schedule in meeting the milestones set forth in federal law.
Where revisions are trailing the Act's deadlines, a primary cause
has been delay by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
in providing required guidance.
The next major round of SIP revisions for most nonattainment
areas is due to EPA on November 15, 1993. The state is
progressing well in meeting the milestones in the Act, however, a
major effort will be required over the next year to meet the
November 15, 1993 milestones. ARB staff are closely tracking the
state's progress in meeting these upcoming requirements. Staff
are also attempting to integrate to the maximum extent possible
the planning activities underway for both state and federal
purposes.
ITEM NO.: 92-17-4
Public Meeting to Consider a Revision to the State Implementation
Plan (SIP) Regarding California's Vehicle Inspection and
Maintenance (I&M) Program.
RECOMMENDATION
The staff recommends that the Board approve the SIP committal
letter and requests that it be forwarded to the EPA's regional
administrator as part of the Board's commitment to support
legislation to further enhance the vehicle I&M program.
DISCUSSION
The 1990 Amendments to the federal Clean Air Act (CAA) required
that the EPA develop performance standards for basic and enhanced
vehicle I&M programs. The CAA requires that enhanced vehicle I&M
programs be adopted in certain areas that are in serious to
extreme nonattainment for ozone and, in nonattainment for carbon
monoxide. The EPA in their Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the
"NOPR"; 57 Federal Register 31058, July 13, 1992) proposed
performance standards for an enhanced vehicle I&M program and
suggested a centralized testing and decentralized repair program
as a possible means of meeting these standards.
The CAA requires the state to submit a SIP for a revised vehicle
I&M program by November 15, 1992. The EPA would consider the SIP
approvable provided it includes: an analysis of the emission
benefits based on EPA's mobile source emissions model (MOBILE)
for the state's proposed enhancements to the vehicle I&M program,
areas subject to the implementation and operation of the I&M
program and the text of all implementing regulations. Since
there is insufficient time for the state to submit a complete
SIP, the EPA has stated that it would conditionally approve the
SIP if the Board formally commits to supporting legislation which
would authorize implementation of an enhanced vehicle I&M
program. These enhancements must meet or exceed the performance
standards established by the EPA for an enhanced vehicle I&M
program.
SUMMARY AND IMPACTS
The EPA in its NOPR has proposed performance standards that
require a 28 percent reduction in volatile organic compounds, a
31 percent reduction in carbon monoxide and a 9 percent reduction
in oxides of nitrogen by the year 2000. These emission
reductions are in comparison to an area without an I&M program.
The EPA states that these performance standards can be met if an
enhanced vehicle I&M program utilizing a centralized test-only
and a decentralized repair-only network is established in the
state. Analysis of our current Smog Check program, which allows
test and repair to be performed at the same facility, indicates
we will fail to meet the proposed minimum performance standard.
EPA's proposed enhancements to the vehicle I&M program also
require that 1986 and newer model year vehicles be subject to a
transient exhaust test (IM240) and evaporative purge system
check. Additionally, these enhancements require raising the
repair cost limit to $450 for 1968 and new vehicles. A vehicle
owner must spend at least this amount in repairing the vehicle
before any waiver from compliance is granted.
The ARB staff, in conjunction with the Bureau of Automotive
Repair (BAR) and the I&M Review Committee, is completing a major
evaluation of the current program. Included in the evaluation
are alternatives to the EPA preferred approach which we expect
will meet the performance standard while being more convenient
and cost effective. The final results of this study will be used
to develop legislation for the 1993 Legislative Session to
enhance the performance of the current program sufficiently to
meet EPA requirements.