### CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETINGTO CONSIDERAPPROVAL OF THE 2007 AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR ATTAINING THE FEDERAL 8-HOUR OZONE PM2.5 STANDARDS IN THE SOUTH COAST AIR BASIN AND COACHELLA VALLEY

The Air Resources Board (the Board or ARB) will conduct a public meeting at the time and place noted below to consider approval of the proposed 2007 Air Quality Management Planfor attaining the federal &hour ozone and PM2.5 (fine particulates) standards in the South CoastAir Basin, and the 8-hour ozone standard in the CoachellaValley nonattainment area.

DATE: September 27,2007

TIME: 9:00 a.m.
PLACE: South Coast Air Quality Management District Auditorium 21865 Copley Drive Diamond Bar, California 91765-41 82

This item will be considered at an one-day meeting of the Board, which will commence at 9:00 a.m., Thursday, September 27, 2007. At the same meeting, the Board will also consider approval of the ARB's ProposedState Strategy for California's 2007 State lmplementation Plan. Please consult the agenda for the meeting, which will be available at least 10 days before September 27, 2007.

For individuals with sensory disabilities,this document is available in Braille, large print, audiocassette or computer disk. Please contactARB's Disability Coordinatorat 916-323-4916 by voice or through the California Relay Services at 711,to place your requestfor disability services. If you are a person with limited Englishand would like to request interpreter services, please contact ARB's Bilingual Manager at 91 6-323-7053.



### BACKGROUND

The federal CleanAir Act (the Act) establishes planning requirements for those areas that routinely exceed the health-based NationalAmbient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). These nonattainmentareas must develop and implement a State lmplementation Plan (SIP) that demonstrates how they will attain the standards by specified dates. Federal law holds each state responsible for implementingthe provisions of the Act.

In July 1997, the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency (U.S. EPA) promulgated a new 8-hour NAAQSfor ozone., U.S. EPA classifiedthe South Coast Air.Basin as a "severe-17" nonattainment area with an attainment date of June 2021. Also inJuly1997, U.S. EPA promulgated a new standard for PM2.5. U.S. EPA subsequently designated the South Coast Air Basin as nonattainment for the PM2.5 standard, with an attainment date of April 201 0.
As specified in Health and Safety Code section 40460 et seq., the South Coast Air Quality Management District (District), in coordination with the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), developed an air quality management plan for attaining the 8-hour ozone and PM2.5 NAAQS.The District's plantook into accountthe proposed Statewide controls developed by ARB staff and discussed in ARB'SApril 26, 2007 report entitled Air Resources Board's Proposed State Strategyfor California's 2007 State Implementation Plan (State Strategy). The District Governing Board adopted the 2007 Air Quality ManagementPlan (AQMP)on June I, 2007. The AQMP includesstrategies for reducingemissions of the precursorsto ozone: nitrogen oxides (NOx)and reactive organic gases (ROG). The AQMP also includes strategies for reducing NOx, ROG, sulfur oxides (SOX),and directly emitted PM2.5, which contribute to ambient concentrationsof PM2.5.

The AQMP concludes it will not be possibleto attain the 8-hour ozone NAAQS by 2021, evert with new control measures being proposed by the District and the ARB. For this reason, the District is requesting that U.S. EPA reclassify its nonattainment status to "extreme." The reclassificationwould provide an additional three years (until 2024) to achieve the 8-hour ozone NAAQS, and allow for the development of additional controls that go beyond today's determinationof what is reasonably available.

The AQMP also includes an 8-hour ozone attainment demonstrationfor Coachella Valley. U.S. EPA classified Coachella Valley as a "serious" nonattainment area with an attainment date of June 2013. The Coachella Valley, the eastern portion of Riverside County, generates less than five percent of the ozone precursoremissior~s generated by the adjacent South Coast Air Basin. The AQMP demonstrates that the Coachella Valley is impacted by emissions from the South Coast, and concludesthat it is not possiblefor CoachellaValley to meet the new 8-hour standard by 201 3. The AQMP requestsa reclassificationto a "severe-I5" for the Coachella Valley, and demonstrates that this area will attain the ozone standard by the resulting2019 attainment deadline.

The AQMP's PM2.5 strategy requests an extension to 2015 as allowed by the Act. Originally, the reductions from new local measures proposed in the AQMP, together with State measures identified by ARB staff in the April 26, 2007 proposed State Strategy, fell short of the emissionstargets the District had establishedfor directly emitted PM2.5 and PM2.5 precursorgasses. At a June 22, 2007 meeting, the Board directedARB staff to work with the District and SCAG staffs to close the gap in needed emission reductions. The Board chose to delay action on the proposed State Strategy until it could bejointly consideredwith the AQMP.

Discussions took place betweenARB, SCAQMD, and SCAG staff after the June 22, 2007 meeting. The result was a consensus reachedarnong a delegation of board members from the three agencies on a set of additional control measures and 2reductionsto be proposedfor inclusioninthe PM2.5 strategy. The agreement proposes additional reductionsto be achieved by ARB, the District, the federal government, and local cities and counties through 2014. The District'sanalysis indicates that emission reductionsto be achieved under the agreement, the AQMP, and the proposed State Strategy will bring the South Coast Air Basin into attainment for the federal PM2.5 standard by 2015. The agreement also includes a commitment that the three agencieswork together to secure additional funding sources, and a commitment and process for encouragingthe development of the new technologies that will be needed to meet the 8-hour ozone standard in the South Coast by 2023.
The resulting strategy includes measuresthat would reduce emissions from a variety of sources includingtrucks, ships, locomotives, consumer products, off-road equipment, passenger cars, and industrialsources and fireplaces within the District. New regulationswould be required, as well as new sources of public and private funding dedicated to air pollutioncontrol.



### PROPOSED ACTION

ARB staff has reviewed the AQMP and concluded that, togetherwith implementationof the agreement and the proposed State Strategy, the federal &hour ozone standard will be attained in the South Coast Air Basin by 2024 and the PM2.5 standard will be attained by 201 5. Staff has also concluded that the &hour ozone standard will be attained in the Coachella Valley by 2019. ARB staff is recommendingthat the Board approve the AQMD and, as provided in sections 39602 and 40460(d) of the Health and Safety Code, submit to U.S. EPA as a SIP revisionthose portions of the AQMD that are necessaryto meet the requirements of the federal Clean Air Act. As a separate agenda item, the Board will also consider approval of the proposed State Strategy at the meeting.



### AVAILABILITY OF DOCLIMENTS

ARB staff will prepare a written Staff Report, which will be available by September 21, 2007. This notice, the AQMP, and the Staff Report are available on the ARB website at: 

## H, or from the Public InformationOffice, Air Resources Board, 1001 "I" Street, 

### 1' Floor, Visitors and EnvironmentalServices Center, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 322-2990, on September 20, 2007.



### SUBMITTAL OF COMMENTS

Interested members of the public may present comments relatingto this matter orally or in writing at the meeting, and inwriting or by email before the meeting. To allow for full consideration of comments received,the Board strongly encourages that all comments besubmitted to the Clerk of the Board by September 26, 2007, but the Board will accept written submissions physically submitted at the September 27, 2007 hearingorreceived by other means by no later than 12:00 noon, September 26,2007, and addressed to the following:

Postal mail: Clerk of the Board, Air Resources Board 1001 1 Street, Sacramento, California 9581

### 4

Electronic submittal: 

### http://www.arb.ca.qov/lispub/comm/bclist.php

Facsimile submittal: (91 

### 6) 322-3928

The Board requests, but does not require, that 30 copies of any written statement be submitted and that all written statements be filed at least 10days prior to the meeting so that ARB staff and Board Members have time to fully consider each comment. The board encourages members of the publicto bring to the attention of staff in advance of the meeting any suggestions for the proposal.

Please note that under the California Public RecordsAct (Government Code section 6250 et seq.), your written and oral comments, attachments, and associated contact information (e.g., your address, phone, email, etc.) become part of the public record and can be releasedto the public upon request. Additionally, this information may become available via Google, Yahoo, and any other search engines.
Further inquiries regardingthis matter should be directed to Ms. Sylvia Oey, Manager, Southern California Liaison Section. Ms. Oey can be reached by telephone at (916) 322-8279, or by email at soev@arb.ca.qov.

CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD

Is/ Tom Cackette Acting Executive Officer

Date: September 20, 2007
The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. Fora list ofsimple waysyou can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our Website at www.arb.ca.aov.