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newsrel -- ARB allocates additional funding to improve air quality, keep Oakland Port truckers working in New Year
Posted: 31 Dec 2009 16:56:38
Additional $8 million in compliance assistance funding combined with yesterday’s $3 million. California Environmental Protection Agency NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 31 , 2009 Air Resources Board CONTACT: Leo Kay, ARB (916)849-9843 Lisa Fasano, BAAQMD (415)710-3505 ARB allocates additional funding to improve air quality, keep Oakland Port truckers working in New Year SACRAMENTO: Hours before the deadline for the state port truck regulation is set to take effect, the Air Resources Board announced an additional $8 million today in compliance assistance funding that, combined with yesterday’s $3 million in funding, will partly pay for more than 1,200 retrofits and more than 100 new trucks serving the Port of Oakland. The additional Proposition 1B funding will provide $5,000 per truck for 1,216 additional trucks to install particulate matter filters on their rigs, and provide $50,000 for owners of 103 old trucks to purchase newer models. ARB will continue to work with its local, port and federal partners to seek additional compliance assistance funding. ARB will also consider regulatory changes to provide compliance flexibility while seeking additional matching funds from other sources. Truckers who made timely application for retrofit funding to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in 2008 and 2009 but were denied funding when the money ran out, and who will be unable to enter the port when the new rule goes into effect, are eligible for the grants. In addition, truckers who applied and qualified for replacement funding in 2008, but were denied in 2009 when the money ran out, are also eligible. Those who meet all of the Proposition 1B eligibility criteria will receive an extension as soon as possible but no later than February to operate their trucks at ports and rail yards until April 30. “With today’s announcement, we are helping keep more than 1,200 truckers operating at the Port of Oakland,” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols. “This is good news for both the trucking community and those that suffer from poor air quality in West Oakland. We will work tirelessly with the Bay Area Air District and port to get all of the applications processed and get the money out the door quickly.” Air quality officials laid out a five-step process for people who were previously denied retrofit funding for trucks serving the Port of Oakland: • Come to the Bay Area Air District’s trucker’s information center office at 11 Burma Road in Oakland between 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. daily between Jan. 4 and Jan. 8; • Express continued interest in receiving funding to Air District staff, at the $5,000 level. This information will be recorded and placed in the applicant’s file; • Be prepared to submit any additional required information to the Air District (ownership records, device quotes, proof of mileage, proof of port visits, etc.), before Jan. 22, if required; • Be prepared for a truck pre-inspection to confirm eligibility; and, • Be prepared to quickly line up the additional funding or financing to purchase a soot filter that complies with the port truck rule and that works on your truck. The average cost of a particulate matter filter is $16,000, with the devices removing 85 percent of the diesel emissions from older trucks. With today’s announcement, state, local and federal air agencies and ports now have provided $37 million in funding to help clean up more than 2,300 trucks at the Port of Oakland. Overall, ARB, local air districts, ports and the U.S EPA have contributed more than $196 million statewide to help port truckers meet the 2010 requirements, half of which came from voter-approved Proposition 1B funds. ARB passed the port truck rule in December 2007, which requires truck owners operating in and out of ports and intermodal rail yards to retrofit and replace their trucks over the next several years. ARB estimates that the regulation will prevent 580 premature deaths over the next five years, with benefits being the most dramatic in the communities where port trucks are heavily concentrated. ARB passed an additional rule last December that will clean up the remaining truck fleet operating in California estimated at one million vehicles. The ARB listed diesel particulate matter as a toxic air contaminant over a decade ago in order to protect public health. Exposure to diesel soot emissions can increase the risk of lung cancer, plus asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases. Through its diesel risk reduction strategy, ARB plans on reducing toxic diesel emissions in the state 85 percent by the year 2020. The Air Resources Board is a department of the California Environmental Protection Agency. ARB’s mission is to promote and protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain health based air quality standards. The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy cost, see our web site at http://www.arb.ca.gov ###
