ARB approves District’s Agricultural Burning Recommendations.
On May 27, 2010, the Air Resources Board concurred with the
District Governing Board’s Determinations, from the approved Staff Report and Recommendations on Agricultural Burning document. ARB’s concurrence is subject to the District’s re-evaluation of the determinations within two years. The District’s determinations established additional open burning prohibitions and postponed burning only in cases where economically feasible alternatives were not available, as specified by the California Health and Safety Code. The limited remaining burning is tightly regulated under the District’s Smoke Management System.
Click here for more information.
EPA Approves Valley Air District’s Proposed New Source Review Rule Changes.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency has approved changes to the District’s
Rule 2201, known as “New and Modified Stationary Source Review (NSR).” The changes, which took effect June 10, 2010, are designed to meet federal requirements for “extreme” ozone nonattainment areas and will require some San Joaquin Valley businesses to obtain federal “Title V” operating permits. The District will be contacting affected businesses in the coming months to inform them of rule applicability and application deadlines. Operations subject to these federal permitting requirements are already regulated under District permitting and registration programs, so the impacts on individual Valley businesses will generally be minimal.
Click here for more information.
District Board Adopts Regional Energy Efficiency Strategy
The Valley Air District Governing Board has approved the
District's Regional Energy Efficiency Strategy (REES). The REES implements
a District Fast-Track measure (Energy Conservation) and is a long-range strategy
to encourage energy efficiency in multiple sectors throughout the Valley. Through
education and outreach, program development, and grant opportunities, the REES
will help the Valley to realize emissions reductions through reduced energy consumption.
The report is available
here,
and the presentation to the board is available
here.
California Supreme Court Affirms District's Development Rule
The court refused to grant the state building association's
petition to review a case won by the Valley Air District over a landmark regulation
controlling development-related emissions.
Read the full story.
District Provides CEQA/GHG Training to Land-use Agencies
Workshops are being offered August 17th, 18th, and 20th, on the District’s comprehensive regional policy and guidance on addressing and mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emission impacts caused by industrial, commercial, and residential development in the San Joaquin Valley. This set of guidance documents is designed to assist local permitting agencies and businesses by answering several questions related to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and how to address GHG impacts under existing CEQA law using GHG Best Performance Standards (BPS). For more information on this training opportunity,
click here, and to see the latest BPS developments,
click here.
Air Quality Activists Examine the District's Budget and Spending
The Valley Air District accomplishes more with fewer people and at a lower
cost than other air districts in the state, according to a recent study
that compared California’s air quality management agencies. For a complete
summary of the report funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and
conducted by the Sierra Nevada Air Quality Group
click here.
EPA redesignates the San Joaquin Valley to Attainment for the federal PM10 standard and approves the PM10 Maintenance Plan
The US Environmental Protection Agency redesignated the San Joaquin Valley to attainment of the PM10 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) and approved the 2007 PM10 Maintenance Plan.
This historic achievement represents years of hard work by individuals, industry, Valley communities and the Air District.
Read the EPA's news release
Read the EPA's Final Approval of the SJV's PM10 Maintenance Plan and Request for Redesignation
Governing Board Meeting
The next San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District's Governing Board Meeting is
scheduled for Thursday September 16, 2010
beginning at 9:00 a.m. To view support materials for this meeting please
click here. (i.e.
agenda, support documents, or to view the webcast while the meeting is in progress.)
