State of California
AIR RESOURCES BOARD


NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING TO UPDATE THE BOARD ON THE PROGRESS MADE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF REGULATIONS TO REDUCE CLIMATE CHANGE EMISSIONS FROM MOTOR VEHICLES

The Air Resources Board (Board or ARB) will conduct a public hearing at the time and place noted below. At this meeting ARB staff will update the Board on the progress made in the development of regulations to reduce climate change emissions from motor vehicles. Assembly Bill 1493 (AB 1493), Pavley, Chapter 200, Statutes of 2002, directs the ARB to develop and adopt, by January 1, 2005, regulations that achieve the maximum feasible and cost-effective reduction of greenhouse gases emitted by passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks, and any other vehicles determined by the ARB to be vehicles whose primary use is noncommercial personal transportation.

The item will be considered at a two-day meeting of the Board, which will commence at 9:00 a.m., November 20, 2003, and may continue at 8:30 a.m., November 21, 2003. Please note that this item may not be considered until November 21, 2003. Please consult the agenda for the meeting, which will be available at least 10 days before November 20, 2003, to determine the day on which this item will be considered.

If you have special accommodation, language needs or are a person with a disability and desire to obtain this document in an alternative format, please contact ARB's Clerk of the Board at (916) 322-5594 or sdorais@arb.ca.gov as soon as possible. TTY/TDD/Speech-to-Speech users may dial 7-1-1 for the California Relay Service.

SUMMARY

ARB staff will update the Board on the progress made toward developing regulations to reduce climate change emissions from motor vehicles. Staff will discuss ongoing improvements in vehicle technology that could provide significant reductions in climate change emissions without unduly inhibiting performance or other desirable attributes. The ARB staff evaluation of vehicle technology will be a key component in the eventual development of climate change emission standards. Staff will also outline its assessment of various ways in which the emission standards can be expressed, and their implications.

Flexibility will be provided for auto manufacturers subject to the standards. Staff is currently considering flexibility provisions including banking and trading, credit for early action, and allowing alternative compliance strategies that do not reduce the effectiveness of the climate change regulations.

In order to provide a more complete understanding of the emission benefits of the regulations to be proposed in September 2004, staff is evaluating the potential impact of changes in consumer behavior brought about by the regulations. It is likely that regulated vehicles will be priced higher than they would be without regulation, and it is also likely that regulated vehicles will be less expensive to operate. Consumers may respond to higher prices by purchasing fewer new vehicles (referred to as the fleet turnover effect), and may respond to lower operating costs by driving more (referred to as the rebound effect). ARB staff will update the Board on our efforts to evaluate the impact of the potential fleet turnover and rebound effects on emissions.

AVAILABILITY OF SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS AND CONTACT PERSON

Documents related to staff efforts thus far are available at http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/cc.htm. Further inquiries regarding this matter should be directed to Eileen Tutt, at (916) 445-8897, P.O. Box 2815, Sacramento, California, 95812.

SUBMITTAL OF COMMENTS

The public may present comments relating to this matter orally or in writing at the meeting, and in writing or by e-mail before the meeting. To be considered by the Board, written submissions must be received no later than 12:00 noon,
November 19, 2003, and addressed to the following:

Clerk of the Board
Air Resources Board
1001 I Street, 23rd Floor
Sacramento, California 95814

To be considered by the ARB, e-mail submissions must be addressed to clmtchg@listserv.arb.ca.gov and received at the ARB no later than 12:00 noon, November 19, 2003.

To be considered by the ARB, facsimile submissions must be sent to Clerk of the Board at (916) 322-3928 and received at the ARB no later than 12:00 noon, November 19, 2003.

The Board requests but does not require 30 copies of any written submission. Also, the ARB requests that written and e-mail statements be filed at least 10 days prior to the meeting so that ARB staff and Board Members have time to fully consider each comment. The ARB encourages members of the public to bring any suggestions or comments to the attention of staff in advance of the meeting.

CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD



/s/
Catherine Witherspoon
Executive Officer

Date:

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 costs see our Web -site at www.arb.ca.gov.

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