SUMMARY OF AGENDA ITEM:

The staff proposed guidelines for the establishment and implementation of the Carl Moyer Program, a $25 million incentive program which will provide grants for the incremental cost of cleaner heavy-duty engines. The program will be implemented by participating air pollution control and air quality management districts.

Staff presented general program requirements and project criteria for on-road heavy-duty vehicles, off-road equipment, marine vessels, locomotives, and stationary agricultural pump engines. Staff proposed to develop project criteria for forklifts and airport ground support equipment (GSE). Changes proposed by the staff at the Board meeting included allowing a greater share of the incremental cost of transit buses on a case-by-case basis, and allowing more funding for early (before rebuild is required) repowers with an alternative fuel engine.

ORAL TESTIMONY:

Norma Glover, South Coast Air Quality Management District

Doug Allard, Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District

Susan Brown, California Energy Commission

Howard Levin, Sempra Energy

Ed Ehlers, Associated California Loggers

Ed Gerber, California Transit Association

Greg Vlasek, California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition

Cecile Martin, California Electric Transportation Coalition

Bill West, Southern California Edison

Janet Hathaway, Natural Resources Defense Council

FORMAL BOARD ACTION:

Approved Resolution 99-1 by a unanimous vote.

RESPONSIBLE DIVISION: MSCD

STAFF REPORT: Yes (174 pages)

SUMMARY OF AGENDA ITEM:

Under the federal Clean Air Act, Santa Barbara County must submit a revision to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) demonstrating attainment by November 15, 1999, as a result of being bumped up from a "moderate" to a "serious" nonattainment area. Under the California Clean Air Act, Santa Barbara County is required to submit a triennial progress report and plan revision once every three years beginning in 1994. The District developed the 1998 Clean Air Plan to address the requirements of both the federal and State Clean Air Acts.

Under the 1990 Amendments of the federal Clean Air Act (FCAA), Santa Barbara County was classified as a "moderate" ozone nonattainment area and was required to submit a federal Clean Air Plan (CAP) by November 1994. The District submitted its 1994 CAP anticipating attaining the federal one-hour ozone standard by the "moderate" area attainment date of November 1996. However, while Santa Barbara County has been close to attaining the standard for several years it had two violations in 1994-1996. When it did not attain the standard in 1996 Santa Barbara was reclassified by U.S. EPA to a "serious" status. This triggered the requirement to submit a revised CAP demonstrating attainment by November 1999.

Under the California Clean Air Act (CCAA or Act), air districts are to develop plans to attain the state ambient air quality standards by the earliest practicable date. The original CCAA plans were developed by air districts in 1991. Each district is to revisit its plan every three years, beginning in 1994, to assess progress toward attainment of the State standards and to revise their plans to correct any deficiencies in meeting the Act's progress requirements.

Staff recommended that the Board approve the Santa Barbara 1998 Plan as a revision to the 1994 ozone SIP; specifically, the control strategy for the federal one-hour ozone standard, the attainment demonstration, the commitment to develop an enhanced monitoring program, the Post-96 Rate-of-Progress Plan and the conformity emissions budgets for Santa Barbara County.

Based on the review, the Air Resources Board (ARB) staff recommended conditional approval of the triennial progress report and plan revision. The recommendation for a conditional approval is based on the need for the District to complete a review of the feasibility of fourteen stationary source control measures identified in the 1998 Clean Air Plan under the "further study" category. Once the District submits a schedule for its feasibility review, completes that review, and makes any appropriate rulemaking commitments, staff proposed that the conditional approval convert to full approval.

Mr. Doug Allard, Air Pollution Control Officer for Santa Barbara County, addressed the Board and committed to providing ARB with a schedule of when each measure contained in the further study category will be reviewed and to notify ARB of any action needed as a result of the review.

ORAL TESTIMONY:

Doug Allard, Santa Barbara APCD

FORMAL BOARD ACTION:

Approved Resolutions 99-2a and 99-2b by a unanimous vote.

RESPONSIBLE DIVISION: PTSD

STAFF REPORT: Yes (40 pages)

The Board approved Resolutions 99-3, 99-4, 99-5, 99-7, and 99-8. Resolution 99-6, "Determination of the 'Next Generation' of Automotive Refinishing Coatings," was pulled from the Research Proposal package at the Board meeting.

ORAL TESTIMONY:

Rita Boggs, Ph.D., American Research and Testing, Inc.