CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD
                                
                         State Building
                     Auditorium, Room 1138
                       107 South Broadway
                        Los Angeles, CA
                                
                       December 19, 1985
                           10:00 a.m.
                                
                             AGENDA

                                                             Page

85-18-1   CONTINUATION OF Public Hearing to Consider 
          Regulations Regarding the Certification for Sale 
          in California of Modifier Certified New Motor 
          Vehicles.

85-18-2   Consideration of a Report on the Effects of Oxides  001
          of Nitrogen on California Air Quality.

85-18-3   CONTINUATION OF Public Hearing to Consider          254
          Amendments to Section 70200, Title 17, California
          Administrative Code, Regarding the Short-Term
          (One Hour) State Ambient Air Quality Standard for
          Nitrogen Dioxide.

Other Business

a.   Closed Session
     1.   Personnel (as authorized by State Agency Open Meeting
          Act, Govt. Code Sec. 11126(a).)
     2.   Litigation (Pursuant to the attorney-client privilege,
          Evidence Code Sec. 950-962, and Govt. Code Sec.
          11126(q).)
b.   Research Proposals
c.   Delegations to Executive Officer

                        ITEM NO.: 85-18-2

Consideration of a report on The Effects of Oxides of Nitrogen on
California Air Quality.

                          RECOMMENDATION

The Board approve the report, "The Effects of Oxides of Nitrogen
on California Air Quality," and authorize the staff to release
the report as final to the public.

                            DISCUSSION

The California Air Resources Board has been concerned with the
effects of nitrogen oxides for many years because emissions of
nitrogen oxides contribute to three of the four pollutants for
which national ambient air quality standards are exceeded in much
of California.  In addition, nitrogen oxide emissions contribute
to visibility impairment, acid deposition, and atmospheric
concentrations of various nitrogenous compounds of known or
potential concern.  Although many measures to control nitrogen
oxide emissions have been implemented and are effective, the ARB
is concerned that the public may not be fully aware of the
reasons for continued efforts to control nitrogen oxide
emissions.  This lack of awareness can lead other public
agencies, affected members of the regulated community, and the
public to misunderstand California's air pollution control
program.  Therefore, this report was developed to compile in one
document a description of the current state of knowledge of the
role played by nitrogen oxides in California air quality.

The staff presented to the Board on November 30, 1984, a briefing
on the draft of this report.  The Board directed the staff to
release the draft report to the public and to request comments
which were to be considered for incorporation in the final
report.  The report was released in March 1985 and subsequently
distributed to approximately 900 people.  Several extensive sets
of comments were submitted by interested parties.  The staff also
sponsored a public forum for comment on August 21, 1985, at which
the public was given additional opportunity to comment on the
draft report.  The staff then prepared a draft final report that
contains all the comments submitted by the public and the staff's
response to these comments.  In addition, the staff revised the
report to reflect the most recent air quality monitoring data and
recently completed air quality data analyses.

The report presents: a summary of the adverse effects of
pollutants which are formed in whole or in part from the
emissions of nitrogen oxides; the atmospheric chemistry by which
nitrogen oxides cause or contribute to the formation of air
pollutants; trends of air pollutants related to nitrogen oxides;
and trends and forecasts of nitrogen oxide emissions.

Major findings of the report include: there is at least a 50-50
chance that the national nitrogen dioxide standard will be
attained by 1987 at all sites in the South Coast Air Basin (an
earlier analysis done for the revision to the South Coast
Nitrogen Dioxide State Implementation Plan indicated there was
approximately a 50-50 chance of attaining the standard in 1988);
the control of nitrogen oxide emissions would reduce ozone
concentrations in most of the South Coast Air Basin, especially
in areas where ozone concentrations are highest; the atmospheric
burden of particulate nitrate compounds, which are formed from
nitrogen oxide emissions, accounts for a significant percentage
of measured PM10 concentrations at several sites and thus
reductions in nitrogen oxide emissions would contribute
substantially to reducing PM10 concentrations in some areas;
particulate nitrates also are responsible for a significant
amount of the visibility degradation experienced in many areas of
California; and unlike in the eastern United States, nitrogen
oxide emissions in California are a more significant contributor
to acid deposition than are sulfur oxide emissions.

           SUMMARY AND IMPACTS OF PROPOSED BOARD ACTION

The recommended Board action of approving the report and
authorizing the staff to release the final report to the public
has no direct economic or environmental impact, nor does such
action represent a change in existing Board policy.  The report
does not recommend any regulatory action to reduce nitrogen oxide
emissions.  The information contained in the report, however,
would be relevant to future policy/regulatory decisions on the
need to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions in California.