Comment Log Display

RE: Public Meeting to Consider Assembly Bill 617 Community Air
Protection Program - Community Emissions Reduction Program for
Eastern Coachella Valley 

To the members of the California Air Resources Board,

On behalf of the Healthy Air Alliance, we are writing today to
support the CARB staff recommendation to approve the Eastern
Coachella Valley community emissions reduction program developed
pursuant to Assembly Bill (AB) 6171. We also support CARB staff
working in collaboration with the South Coast Air Quality
Management District and the Eastern Coachella Valley Community
Steering Committee to take additional actions to strengthen
implementation. 

The Healthy Air Alliance (HAA) believes every person has the right
to breathe clean air and recognizes that often what is harmful to
the planet is also harmful to humans. We are determined to stop
the
exposure of another generation to dangerous toxins from fossil
fuels and believe our best hope is to join together and share our
collective voice. We work collaboratively with concerned citizens,
community leaders, non-profit organizations, and government
agencies to bring forth solutions that will immediately improve
air
quality - for everyone.

We would like to thank CARB staff, South Coast AQMD, and the
Eastern Coachella Valley Community Steering Committee for all of
their work to create this plan. We were also pleased to see that
the Eastern Coachella Valley community was very active throughout
the process. We believe that true progress on air quality can only
be achieved with real community participation.

HAA appreciates the breadth of actions reviewed, and we
particularly appreciate the focus on diesel mobile sources and the
actions associated with the Greenleaf Desert View Power Plant.

We also support the recommended actions to strengthen the plan
with
regard to process, incentives prioritization, and agency
collaboration. Given challenges imposed by the ongoing pandemic,
we
applaud all stakeholders for their quick work on this plan. With
the recommended actions proposed, the plan will be even stronger.

Sincerely,


Jim Kennedy
Executive Director, Healthy Air Alliance