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Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

I am writing this letter to voice my concern regarding the on-road
truck and bus regulation being proposed by California Air Resources
Board, that if implemented in it’s current form would negatively
affect my business, but also California’s economy, in the middle of
a recession that feels like a depression.

My Company, Western States Oil, is supportive of reducing
particulate matter and emissions from diesel engines, but now is
not the time to mandate such costly compliance standards , given
the unprecedented down turn of our economy.

California Air Resources Board is mandating companies like mine,
which is a small independently owned family business with 32
employees, to dispose of equipment and assets before their useful
life is completed, and purchase new equipment before it is needed.

Many companies have already begun the process of purchasing new
equipment or retrofitting their fleets, however the bulk of
trucking companies in California
is made up of small companies with fleets of 5 or less trucks,
which in most cases are the sole assets of a family run business.

However, there is an alternate proposal, created by Driving
Towards a Cleaner California Coalition (DTCC) , that would allow
small companies like mine to comply in a more reasonable and
flexible time frame, while still attaining aggressive emissions
reductions.

California Air Resources Board’s own analysis of the D.T.C.C.
alternative actually indicates it will achieve similar benefits to 
CARB’s proposed regulation in the long term.

For our company it is like a double HIT…. Because we are now
struggling to find financing to upgrade our gas stations with new
CARB EVR and ISD regulations mandated by April , 2009 !	

It is incumbent on our state’s leaders, and it is their
responsibility, to work towards building a strong and vibrant
economy while at the same time achieving clean air standards, which
I believe is possible using the DTCC alternative.

I urge you to do the right thing…