2007 Ozone Plan 

# Appendix G

Town Hall Meeting Suggestions2007 Ozone Plan 

### This page intentionally blank.San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

Appendix G: Town Hall Meeting Suggestions 2007 Ozone Plan 

### A ppendix G-1 

# Appendix G: Town Hall Meeting Suggestions

This Appendix contains verbal and written comments collected at the series of Town Hall meetings the District held from July 26-28, 2006. The meetings were held in Bakersfield, Delano, Fresno, Huron, Modesto, and Stockton, and approximately 300 people attended.

These comments are sorted by jurisdictional authority and by topic. They are numbered for reference only.

Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

District: Agricultural Sources

1 Agricultural burning, fireplace, and ISR rules were not derived to clean our air per se, but to regulate it. Even though the District has begun to regulate fireplace use, it still allows agricultural burning to continue (Rule 4103).

2 Encourage farmers to burn dry prunings and orchard debris during periods free of inversion layers. Let farmers decide how to dispose of orchard prunings, but they should be told when the best days to burn are. The District’s Governing Board adopted rule amendments to District Rule 4103 for Phase I and Phase II in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Future amendments are scheduled to further curtail ag burns, as required by state law. Please see S-AGR-1 in App. I for more details of District efforts to limit ag burning. In addition, the District’s Smoke Management Program (SMP) manages smoke pollution caused by open burning, including hazard reduction and prescribed burning, with meteorological conditions as the basis for allowing or not allowing burns to occur. Please see the District website for more details about the SMP.

3 Make the conversion of diesel irrigation pump engines to electric motors voluntary. Electric motors are inefficient and strain the electric grid. Public utility companies have indicated that grid capacity is able to handle increased demands from electric conversion to power ag pumps. Incentivizing use of electric motors is a viable option and participation is voluntary. Please see comment # 251.
4 Stop giving waivers and delays to agriculture. State law mandates that agriculture sources are now subject to District regulation.

District: Stationary and Area Sources

5 With the prevailing winds into the Valley through the mountain passes, the Bay Area needs more stringent ozone controls that apply to all areas (whereas the beach areas are not included currently). The BAAQMD governing board recently adopted the 2005 Ozone Strategy. Both the BAAQMD and the District are continually addressing ozone transport issues. More stringent state ozone standards will require further controls to be implemented by the BAAQMD.San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

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### A ppendix G-2 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

6 The District should consider the Positive Charge Clean Air Restoration Device, which is like an Ionic Breeze Air Purifier. It would generate wound electro magnetic field. The original test device (described in comment letter) should be 100 square acres. Each battery could purify millions of cubic feet of air. Comment noted. The commenter may submit this to the US EPA for further technical evaluation of its merits.

7 The plan should include short and long-term solutions. Comment noted. The District strategy is to expedite NOx reductions, since modeling shows that attainment of ozone standards is NOx driven, and this approach is beneficial, as well, to attainment of the PM2.5 standards.

8 Increase incentive funding by fining bad actors who are not using proven technology to decrease emissions. Put fines in regulations. Comment noted. Incentive funding must come from reliable sources in order to sustain programs effectively. 9 Need to revise all of its ERC banking Comment noted. 10 No more credits for polluting industries. Comment noted.

11 Reevaluate definition of stationary engines Stationary engines’ definition come from the federal CAA and is beyond the District’s authority.

District: Advanced Emissions Reductions Options (AERO) Programs

12 District has not designed current programs (incentive, Alt Com, etc) effectively, need to outline specific program will work 13 Voluntary and creative doesn’t work

14 AERO strategies are interesting and should be studied further.

15 AERO is not best approach. We need to do everything, not just what is cost-effective.

16 A ERO should be the last resort and there should be proof that no technology exists to achieve the reductions. Comments noted. Please see App. K for descriptions of AERO programs.

District: Behavioral Changes/Public Education

17 Need to focus on getting individuals to control their own emissions
18 Mega High School kids driving cars

19 Students should not be allowed to drive to high school

20 What can each one of us do to make the environment better, we can each do more, we can do our part
21 More people to ride bikes
22 Making personal changes/choices important

23 In marketing, what is the comfort zone, we are swayed by marketing
24 Daily tip in news and TV (This response addresses comments 17 – 42 some of which appear on the following page) Comments noted. Several programs are being proposed to encourage greater public participation in clean air efforts, and these are: Trip Reduction, Expanded Spare The Air Day, Green Contracting, Heat Island Mitigation, and Alternative Energy and Energy Conservation. Future episodic control strategies are also being studied, and these are being designed to be similar to the highly successful fireplace rule. The District invites further comments and suggestions to engage all residents to adopt behavioral changes beneficial to healthy air.San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

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### A ppendix G-3 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

25 Going to have to dig deep and ask people to sacrifice

26 Suggests a celebration of the air, improving air quality., Everybody’s responsibility, One thing lacking is education (in some issues).

27 Choices all of us make each day that can help improve the air. 28 More money for advertising on television 29 Incentives for biking to work. 30 Incentives to live in the town that you work.

31 The District should do more to inform voters about what to do to help clean the air.

32 Be educators-for both citizens and the governing board about the problems and solutions.

33 It is easy to blame business for pollution, but we are all part of the problem. The District needs to adopt more rules like the ISR rule. 34 Individualized transit marketing.

35 Sell, sell, sell! Sell, market “green” ideas. Kids need to know it’s cool to drive fuel-efficient cars and ride bikes to school and work. Set good examples!

36 Have an on-going public education program showing people the various small and large things they can do to reduce air pollution.

37 Also, have a ride-2-school day on your bike for middle and high schoolers, also for adults to ride to work. 38 Need to use simpler language

39 Try to give parts of the presentation in Spanish, Have Powerpoint in Spanish 40 Wondering how much outreach has been done

41 District need to focus on drivers for behavioral change, over time behavior becomes natural 42 Support education of sustainable energy

District: Composting Facilities
43 Regulate composting facilities.
44 Biosolids need to be regulated The District is currently developing a rule to cover composting.

District: Confined Animal Facilities

45 We need to do something about VOCs from

manure. Please refer to the District’s Rule 4570.

46 Dairies need to really pay the full costs of the pollution they are causing. 47 Dairy Rule...District needed to go further 48 Regarding dairies, science wasn’t there This 8-Hour Ozone Plan contains a control measure that expands the applicability of the current dairy rule. Please see App. I, Confined Animal Facilities (S-AGR-2).San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

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### A ppendix G-4 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

49 Why no offsets of dairy industry? Federal law does not require offsets for minor sources of fugitive emissions. State law prohibitsdistricts from requiring offsets until an ERCgeneration protocol is established. District staff is currently evaluating this issue.

50 Rule 4570 is the most stringent regulation for dairies in the country and it should be given time to work.

51 Regulate confined animal facilities! By-right system does not work to control/monitor VOC. Do it now. These are not small family dairies, and they are not local businesses. They are out-of-areas corporations that are shifting their costs to Valley residents’ health and safety, and not creating any benefit to Valley residents. Comments noted.

52 Rescind and revise the large confined animal facility rule State law prohibits the District from rescinding the CAF rule. As stated previously, the District is proposing expanding its applicability.

53 Strongly believe mega dairies should not exist in central Valley Although the District does not have zoning authority to prevent dairies from moving into the Valley, dairies in the Valley must comply with District rules.

54 Dairies are getting larger, No justification for large facilities, think twice about permitting large dairies The District cannot withhold a permit based on the size of a dairy.

55 Dairies are major problem, wants to limit the size, Dairies are dirty, smell, ugly in CA – in east coast dairies are cleaner in appearance

56 A ccepted huge out of town dairies which have been regulated out of other areas 57 Create limit of number of cows each dairy has

58 I suggest following the model of San Bernadino County, putting a cap on the amount of dairies allowed.

59 Find a way to prohibit mega dairies or disincentives for moves Dairy size is under the jurisdiction of land use agencies.

60 Often hear CAFOs bring employment, but only earned just over $8 per hour Comment noted. Please see the socioeconomic analysis done for the adoption of Rule 4570 in 6/15/06.

District: Fires and Hazard Reduction

61 Weeds, grasses, and brush along highways, hills, and other properties should be burned onauthorized good-burn days to minimize smokerelated problems. Please see Rule 4106. Also, Prescribed Burning & Hazard Reduction Burning (S-GOV-6) in App. I contains more explanation about this source category.

District: Flares

62 The flare rule needs to be tightened. To be as tough as South Coast and Bay Area.

63 On 7th Standard Road, flare is always on, gas burning is damaging our air Data from the Bay Area and South Coast AQMDs will be evaluated to analyze the effectiveness of Flare Minimization Plans.San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

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### A ppendix G-5 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

64 Need to do something about flares burning late at night, should charge them for flares Please see Flares (S-IND-21) in App. I.

District: Fugitive Windblown Dust

65 New rules for vacant lot weed control. Bare direct surface gets picked up on windy days.

66 Make voluntary any rule that would require farmers to disturb the soil. 67 Fun of dirt road should not be allowed...just say no 68 Dust on the canal banks and road in Fresno county 69 Shoulders need to be sealed, too much dust This is a PM-related issue. It will be addressed during the PM2.5 planning process in 2007.

District: Health Issues 70 Outdoor air pollution is bad for asthmatics.

71 Public Health Agency, but feels not doing a good j ob of protecting the public

72 Crisis occurring, huge health costs Studies like the Hall study increase understanding of the actual health costs of air pollution in the Valley. Future studies will further this knowledge. The health costs are higher for PM2.5 than for ozone, so the District will be able to do even more to decrease potential health costs with the 2008 PM2.5 Plan.
73 Valley Fever Possible links between Valley Fever and air pollution are not well understood.

74 Air District not agency of commerce but agency of health While the District’s highest priority is public health, the District also has a legal responsibility to consider the economic impact of its actions.

75 Now are hearing the interests of the community. Interest is health 76 Air Quality issue tied to health problems 77 Public is the one who pays the price
78 Cost of disease but what about cost of death Comments noted.

79 Need to do something soon, do it for the kids Comment noted. The control strategy proposed in the 2007 Ozone Plan will result in air quality improvements in the near future.

80 Need to include public health as part of analysis, rule making fails to calculate positive public health benefits and that cost impact The public health costs associated with individual rules may be relatively small and/or difficult to quantify, in contrast to the overall impacts as quantified by the Hall study. Future studies like the Hall study will further the District’s understanding of the possible health costs associated with air quality.

81 Standard is damaging the health of the Valley The intent of the District’s plans is to bring the Valley into standards set by EPA, which are based on public health studies and involve extensive peer review and public comment.

82 Doctor and air specialist on board The District has expressed previously that the current constitution of the Governing Board have been effective in tackling the District’s air quality issues, as evidenced by many regulations adopted, including the fireplace rule, the CAF rule, the ISR rule, the school bus rule, etc.San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

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### A ppendix G-6 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

83 In Jane Adams 3rd highest number of kids with asthma 84 Concerned about asthma, health, air quality 85 Embrace more public health 86 Subsidy to all polluters. From the public’s lungs. 87 Mandate health, SB 999

88 Our Valley has high health cost and crop loss numbers due to ozone levels.

89 Should establish health goals that everyone buys into that could be tracked to determine progress. One agency needs to be responsible to track respirator health improvement. Comments noted.

90 Protect the most vulnerable The federal standards are set to protect the sensitive groups.

91 Prioritize pollution sources by health impact Comment noted. In some cases, future studies may increase understanding of speciated health impacts.

92 We need to quantify health issues. Health issues are continually quantified by various agencies and groups, and the best available health studies are consider by EPA when the NAAQS are set.

93 A ny delay in attainment of the standards will have a high cost to public health. Comment noted. The District is committed to bringing the Valley into attainment as soon as is practicable.

94 We are all paying the costs NOW, so why are you scared to make polluters pay to prevent these air problems? Why do they get to wait to pay when our lives are affected today? Each day this board delays imposing emission controls means death, harm, and severe health problems for us and out children. The District is committed to balancing all of its responsibilities. The District must base its approach on the best available science and technologies to ensure the most effective improvements to the Valley’s air quality.

District: Incentives and ISR Programs

95 Command and control is not always the best answer, often incentive programs can provide greater reductions

96 When selling a home, the seller is required to disclose things like lead-based paint, asbestoses, and mold because of the hazards they pose. I think people buying homes in the Valley should have to sign some sort of document indicating that they understand they are buying a home in an area with poor air quality.

97 For what someone can spend on gas-powered lawn equipment, they can change their landscape so that mowing won’t be needed. Perhaps regulations can be passed to limit the amount of lawn a home can have. 98 The District needs to defend the ISR rule. (This response addresses comments 95 – 101 some of which appear on the following page)

Comments noted. The District is committed to its ISR rule.

Please see Indirect Source Review Enhancement (M-OTH-8) in App. I of this plan. Future control options are described, but the District is not making recommendations at this time, pending examination of legal limitations in state law.San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

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### A ppendix G-7 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

99 Charge more through ISR (indirect source review), Make smaller developer pay ISR 100 ISR fee discounts to businesses with air programs.

101 All new development should completely offset new sources of air pollution. Leapfrog and new town development should be discouraged because these create longer commutes to city centers. These should be assessed impact fees if they are built.

District: Monitoring

102 Expand scope of studies with more monitors in mountain communities

103 Additional monitoring stations in Kern County. The District’s monitor locations are selected to meet federal requirements, including requirements that the monitors be placed to measure representative concentrations as well as concentrations in air pollution hot spots. Please see Figure 1-3 in Chapter 1 of this Plan for a map of monitoring station locations to include mountain areas and Kern.

District: Oil and Gas Production
104 Stop evaporation ponds in oil field Please see Crude Oil Sumps (S-PET-13) in App. I of this plan.

District: Research 105 Actions need to be based on good sound science The District concurs.
106 Research studies Comment noted.
107 Remote sensing At this time, remote sensing does not appear to be the most cost effective option.

108 District has shown that science based approach is good

109 The science needs to be better developed to identify controls for dairies. The industry has made its facilities available to do research.
110 Be innovators-be the best at what we do. Comment noted.

District: Public Outreach 111 Need to use simpler language This plan was written with readability in mind.

112 Try to give parts of the presentation in Spanish, Have Powerpoint in Spanish The District provides English to Spanish translation in workshops for plans and governing board meetings, as often as possible.

113 Wondering how much outreach has been done The District is committed to effective public outreach. Please see Expanded Spare-The-Air Programs (M-OTH-9) in App. I of this plan and check the District website for public service updates and other outreach services.

114 Fresno fair and mass transit! Print coupons in the Bee for free bus passes to the Fair. Additional bee sales funds get donated to air district funding. Based on the current transit system in the San Joaquin Valley, this does not appear to be a cost effective measure at this time.San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

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### A ppendix G-8 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

115 SJVAPCD just doesn’t make it as an acronym. How about inventing one that fits the bill and people can identify your agency with your mission. Comment noted.

District: School Buses
116 Replace pre-1999 school buses ASAP Please refer to the District’s recently-adopted school bus rule.

117 Ask school districts to reduce bus trips by x%; maybe ask students to walk farther, use neighborhood elementary schools as pick up points. These issues are governed by individual school districts. There may be safety issues involved. Limiting bus trips may actual encourage increased car use, which would be detrimental to air quality.

District: Spare the Air Days

118 Free tickets on STA days Based on the current transit system in the San Joaquin Valley, this does not appear to be a cost effective measure at this time. The District encourages residents to utilize public transit. Many residents may find that they can save money using transit rather than using their cars.

119 Partnering with community organizations can help leverage precious public dollars to make a lasting impression on citizens. These programs, coupled with consistent Spare the Air messages and solutions can result in smart choices and improved air quality. The District concurs. The District’s partnership with the American Lung Association for the school flag program is one such successful program.

120 Regulate spray painting on windy days. It is not evident that spray painting on windy days results in more of an air quality impact than on non-windy days.

121 Stockton does not seem to honor Spare the Air (e.g. no free transit). Free transit should be available locally, not just for rail commuters.

122 The Bay Area Air District offers free public transportation on Spare the Air Days. What incentives does this District offer? The District does not offer free transit (neither buses nor rail) on STA days because based on the current transit system in the San Joaquin Valley, this does not appear to be a cost effective measure at this time. The District encourages residents to utilize public transit. Many residents may find that they can save money using transit rather than using their cars.

123 Incentives for transit and vanpool programs. Please see Employer-based Trip Reduction Programs (M-TRAN-2) in App. I of this plan. The District is committed to reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the district.

District: Stronger Rules

124 Plenty of rules out there that the District has declined to adopt (ex: NSR exempt Ag from offsets). Need to review the most stringent measures in other areas The District has analyzed rules from other air districts, including South Coast AQMD. The District has left “no stone unturned”, but the District must give priority to those rules that will achieve the most reductions earliest.San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

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### A ppendix G-9 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

125 Need to make sure we are getting the most reduction out of each rule, Urgency of problem merits strongest rule possible The District has exhaustively assessed all existing rules for opportunities for strengthening. The District must give priority to those rules that will achieve the most reductions earliest. The District’s rule adoption schedule must allow adequate time for the public process. The District must, in some cases, consider improved technologies that will be available in the near future (such as Tier 4 engines)

126 Holding off on extreme measure b/c they impact quality of life, but they are actually limiting quality of life

127 Make big-picture suggestion: should abandon concept of reasonable, cost-effective controls. The District has a legal responsibility to consider the socioeconomic impacts of its rules.

128 Feels that District not interested in ideas for small reductions.

129 The District should move with urgency and not worry to much about cost-effectiveness The District must give priority to those rules that will achieve the most reductions earliest. The District has a legal responsibility to consider the socioeconomic impacts of its rules. The District’s rule adoption schedule must allow adequate time for the public process.

130 Strengthen every existing rule to require the maximum achievable reductions at the earliest possible date.

131 Talks about improving rules such as flares rule, boiler rule, LCAF rules. The District has exhaustively assessed all existing rules for opportunities for strengthening.

District: Urban Forestry/Cool Cities Programs

132 Encourage District to look at smaller communities to see how to fund and support urban forestry

133 Investing in tree planting through incentives, volunteer efforts, and various local ordinances can provide some air pollution reductions. Many j urisdictions are supportive of this type of strategy. We know trees are good for air quality, and with data from a study out of UC Davis and the Tree Foundation, we can prove it. Further study may be needed to quantify the emissions reductions that may be associated with tree planting. The District’s control strategy must achieve quantifiable emissions reductions.

134 Want sidewalks and trees...can walk and clean the air The District emphasizes walkable communities in its “Air Quality Guidelines for General Plans,” and sidewalks are an element of ISR. Overall, the ultimate authority belongs to land use agencies.

State: Fuels

135 Would it be possible for the old diesel engines to use biodiesel?

136 Biofuel is an option to consider for diesel engines; vegetable oil and other non-petroleum based biofuel does not pollute. Berkeley currently uses it in its city vehicles. The District should encourage cities to use vegetable oil biofuel for diesel engines. Biodiesel’s merits lies with other concerns (such as PM and toxics) other than it’s NOx potential as an ozone precursor.

137 Support Natural Gas “Fuel neutrality” is now possible due to theSan Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

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### A ppendix G-10 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

138 Support E85 pacific (ethanol). advances made to have cleaner engine emissions in all fuel types. 139 Increase fuel standards

140 Increase fuel efficiency standards and emissions controls on passenger vehicles and heavy duty trucks State law vests the authority to the ARB with regards to fuel standards. The state has j urisdiction over mobile sources. However, the District plans to provide incentives to hasten the turnover of vehicles.

State: Mobile Sources

141 Consumer education on cars should be offered, like how greencars.com lists the best and worst cars for the environment. Comment noted. The District’s public education unit constantly reminds the general population about wiser choices to protect the environment.

142 Raised trucks should be banned. There is no practical reason to raise a truck, and it makes the mileage even worse. Although the District doesn’t regulate vehicles, perhaps something can be done about the businesses that raise trucks for people. Perhaps there can be a limit on how high a truck can be raised, like no more than 4 inches beyond factory height. Comment noted. As said, it is beyond District authority to regulate the operation of vehicles.

143 As an initial step, and to get more money for alternatives, ads, and mitigation, tax sources of pollution when they’re sold: taxes of leaf blowers, lawn mowers, even cars and sources of VOCs. The District does not have the authority to levy taxes at the point of sale.

144 Autos and diesels are the largest contributors of pollution, and diesel emissions are quite hazardous. The focus should be on these sources of pollution. The District concurs and plans to “step out of the Box” by using mechanisms, such as incentive funding and AERO (Advanced Emissions Reductions Options) options to reduce emissions from mobile sources.

145 Reinstate roadside vehicle checks. Comment noted. The state, through ARB, has plans to improve Smog check programs and institute other programs that will cut down mobile source emissions.

146 Container movement This is being addressed through ARB’s Goods Movement programs. It is also the subject of exploratory modeling studies to determine if geographic relocation to the west side is a viable option.

147 Idling trucks, enforcement of the rule The District concurs. The ARB has adopted idling restrictions. The District’s ongoing incentive programs cover electrification of truck stops.

148 Uninsured vehicles don’t participate in smog check, Need to help people keep vehicles but get smog check Please see the ARB’s proposed control measures, which includes Smog Check improvements. The District and ARB plan to improve their scrappage programs to get gross polluters off the road.

149 Have you analyzed the amount of air pollution reduction if the CAFÉ (mileage) standards were raised to 40 mpg? If not, will you? The federal sector has the authority to regulate CAFÉ (mileage) standards.San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

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### A ppendix G-11 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

State: Off-Road Engines

150 Fork lifts District incentive programs can target the reduction of emissions from forklifts, as with all other possibilities of reducing off-road emissions.

State: Pesticides

151 Need to go to Congress/DPR and use political leverage 152 Adopt rules for pesticides

153 Pesticide controls 154 Limit VOCs in the pesticides

155 Limit use of pesticides with VOC on high ozone days 156 State revision of pesticide regulations.

157 Pesticide use controls, such as utilizing tarps etc. to control pesticide drift.

158 Adopt stringent controls for smog forming chemicals in pesticides The District concurs with the importance of DPR’s having effective pesticide controls. The DPR regulates emissions from pesticides. The District concurs that the DPR needs to achieve emissions reductions from pesticides. The DPR regulates emissions from pesticides. The District concurs that the DPR needs to achieve emissions reductions from pesticides.

159 Pesticides - #4 precursor to Ozone Comment noted.

160 See that you fine people but pesticides and dairies are contaminating air more The District has rules regulating dairies, but pesticides are under the jurisdiction of DPR

State: Energy 161 Support education of sustainable energy 162 Energy is not clean

163 I think we should put solar panels in the schools so it saves energy. Then make the school buses hybrids. 164 Encourage energy efficiency.

165 How about setting up windmills around our cities to power electric cars? The District concurs that energy efficiency is an important part of air quality. Many education programs are in place at various agencies. Ultimately, general energy efficiency issues are not under District jurisdiction. Energy efficiency may not always be linked to direct emissions reductions in the San Joaquin Valley.

Please see Alternative Energy Production and Energy Conservation Programs (S-COM-12) in App. I of this plan for information on District efforts to address this issue.

State: Small Off-Road Engines (SORE) 166 Ban noisy dust blowers – PM, gas for smog 167 Ban use of gas powered lawn equipment

168 Leaf blowers are dust blowers. Don’t think ban would be a disaster 169 Leafblowers, can we find alternatives to gas?

170 Leaf blowers need to be replaced with vacuums with filters. The noise is a problem as well. Based on the District’s recent study, although leaf blowers can create highly localized impacts on air quality, leaf blowers do not greatly contribute to the region’s air quality. Cities have authority to ban lawn equipment for noise

reasons.

Please contact the District office for copies of this study.San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

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### A ppendix G-12 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

171 Is it possible to ban leaf blowers and other equipment (tractors?) on Spare the Air days? What is the District’s authority to ban equipment on Spare the Air days? Spare The Air is a voluntary program that does not involve the banning of equipment. The District encourages residents to refrain from using gas-powered lawn equipment on STA days.

172 The unexpectedly rapid expansion of residential development in the Valley means, among many other factors, we are losing prime farm land and seeing thousands of lawns and leaf blowers. Solutions: Stop some of this, mitigate some of this, limit lawns, and train gardeners to first rake leaves onto the lawn, then mow over them, picking them up as the mow – not the other way around. Please see Expanded Spare The Air Day Programs (M-OTH-9) in App. I of this plan for a summary of future District efforts to mitigate emissions from residential sources, especially during STA days.

173 Encourage people to replace gas-powered lawnmowers and leaf-blowers with either electric or manual models. The District has been operating lawn mower trade-ins for a few years now with great success.

174 Have city and county governments switch to electric lawn mowers, blowers, trimmers, etc. Provide incentives for gardening businesses to do the

same. Two proposals by the District could have a positive effect, air quality-wise, on how government agencies conduct business. These are: Green Contracting and Accelerated Fleet Turnover, which are in App. I of this plan.

State: Highways 175 Reduce highway speed limits 176 User fees on I-5 and highway 99.

177 Slow freeway speeds County, state and federal government agencies have jurisdiction over roads and highways. The District concurs with the suggestion to reduce emissions by driving at optimum speeds that maximize gas energy use.

Federal: Aircraft

178 The worst and most uncontrolled polluters currently operated with complete impunity are private/public airplanes. These machines not general pollution, but noise as well. When will they be required to install pollution reducing equipment and mufflers? Aircraft is not under the District’s jurisdiction. Pollution reducing equipment and fuels are already required.

179 How much NOx and VOC do the military flights from the National Guard Base add to our air? How about getting then to curtail their practice, to use flight simulators instead? Please refer to the emissions inventory in Appendix B, specifically the “Aircraft” category within mobile sources. These values include commercial, private, and military aircraft.

Federal: Trucks, etc.

180 Better regulation of trucks, trucks from across the border

181 The traffic on I-5 carries many trucks. The trucks need stronger smog controls.

182 Trucks not registered in California need to be under California regulations if they’re going to be driven in California. 183 EPA needs to be a bigger partner. Interstate trucking is federally regulated. TheDistrict concurs that trucks, both in-state and outof-state registered, must operate at the cleanest emissions possible. According to the ARB, out ofstate trucks, as a population, are cleaner than instate trucks. In addition, incentivization for acceleration of fleet turnover is a major component of this plan. In addition, ARB is c rrentl cond cting r lemaking to reg lateSan Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

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### A ppendix G-13 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

184 Could the District sue EPA to enforce federal regulations? currently conducting rulemaking to regulate private fleets of trucks. Please see Accelerated Fleet Turnover (M-TRAN-1) in App. I of this plan for future District efforts to reduce emissions from the trucks category.

185 Tell Federal General Services administration that Federal courthouse should be in Bakersfield City center Comment noted.

186 Support legislation to require 40 mpg cars. Comment noted.

Local Government: Drive-throughs

187 Close hamburger drive-through or make them pay a fee 188 Fast food restaurants drive-throughs

189 Abolish drive-thru services (stationary pollution, reward laziness, wastes gas, pollutes air)

190 Eliminate the drive-thru at fast food businesses, Starbucks, etc, in California, esp. the Valley.
191 Eliminate drive-thrus It is not clear that drive thrus result in more pollution, primarily because shutting off and then later restarting a car can generate higher emissions than just leaving the car running, depending on the amount of time involved. Further study may be needed. This is also a land use/zoning issue.

Local Government: Land Use Issues

192 Must look at city design and design for Valley floor

193 Nexus b/t Ag and urban planning essential 194 Need to get out from under ridiculous land policy 195 Charge business for every parking space

196 Air District s/t has role as lead agency in CEQA and has opportunity to make strong statements, can outline large environmental impacts, 197 Issue of “new towns” being proposed 198 More Urban sprawl = more NOX

199 Better planning to curb suburban sprawl and to create walkable communities. Current development patterns discourage walking.

200 Disking and tilling vacant lots and applying herbicides are detrimental. Planting native grasses that could be mowed would reduce emissions. 201 This means that land-use decisions are key.

202 Be liaisons-talk to business leaders and community leaders about land-use.

203 The District needs to encourage better development patterns.

204 Ask City & county government planning to require fewer parking places, forcing people to carpool, walk, or ride the bus.

205 Regulate cities to reduce sprawl, pursue infill, and get away from proliferation of single family dwellings. (This response addresses comments 192 – 212 some of which appear on the following page)

The state, through the ARB, has issued Land Use Guidelines. As mentioned in a previous response, the District endorses ways of reducing VMTs, as discussed in its “Air Quality Guidelines for General Plans.” To support efforts by many entities that address land use decisions, the District is a major sponsor of the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Process, a collaborative undertaking of the valley’s Council of Governments (COGs). In addition, the District provided technical assistance on air quality topics to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, which brought state agencies and local valley leadership together to make recommendations to the governor regarding changes that would improve the valley’s economy and quality-of-life of its residents.San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

Appendix G: Town Hall Meeting Suggestions 2007 Ozone Plan 

### A ppendix G-14 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

206 The city and county seem to let developers make new home subdivisions by paying for infrastructure before development. It is up to the government to direct infrastructure before, not after, development. This would eliminate traffic jams, i.e. reduce pollution.

207 The Valley has a huge sprawl problem, which increases smog and air pollution by having to travel more to get to schools, government offices, civic centers, shopping centers, etc. Many cities are continuing to encourage sprawl. The District needs to do a better effort to discourage sprawl for the expanding cities within the SJV.

208 Valley attracts distribution centers because it is centrally located, but this creates a lot of truck traffic. The air district should levy impact fees on distribution centers.

209 Need to emphasize, encourage, give incentive to build walkable sub-divisions/neighborhoods built around transit to reduce the need to drive.

210 With the influx of people and suburban sprawl, I can’t not believe that cars are the primarly culprit of poor air quality. I see unlimited growth, sprawl in all directions, “new towns” being created – Harlan Ranch, Millestown, Boswell east of Visalia. Where are the brakes?

211 We also have opposed poor planning, leading to sprawl. 212 Local community not doing anything

Local Governments: Transportation Issues

213 We must add more buses and perhaps jitneys on call to bring people to the best routes. 214 Synchronize traffic lights

215 Transportation projects included as RACM in the SIP should be eligible for ISR funds; since the RACM do not list emissions reductions targets, projects funded would indeed be surplus. Local transportation projects not included in the SIP, but beneficial to air pollution control, should equally be eligible for mitigation funds as long as they can meet the cost-effectiveness criteria. Projects include enhanced public transit, transit incentives, traffic flow improvements, bicycle/pedestrian facilities, and road paving.

216 Incentives might help people who want to open a home-based business, which would lower the amount of people with long commutes. (This response addresses comments 213 – 238 some of which appear on the following page)

The District supports the multi-varied efforts by local and state government agencies to reduceemissions from land use and transportationrelated sources. Local COGs and transportation planning agencies use a combination of strategies, subdivided as follows:TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENTRideshare Programs, Transit Usage, Fles Hours, Vanpools, Bicycling & Walking, Telecommuting, Mixed Land Uses; TRANSPORTATION CONTROL MEASURES- Rideshare Programs, Park-and-Ride Lots, Telecommunications, Alternate Work Schedules, Bicycle Facilities, Public Transit, Traffic Flow Improvements, Passenger Rail & S pport Acti ities andSan Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

Appendix G: Town Hall Meeting Suggestions 2007 Ozone Plan 

### A ppendix G-15 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

217 Partnerships with private businesses and other organizations could be helpful. Some funding allocated to incentives could help fund these partnerships. Examples might include: free transit rides on Spare the Air days, partnerships with school districts to include class visits or special assemblies, and partnerships with automobile repair facilities to promote engine maintenance in between required smog check testing.

218 Bicycling in Bakersfield is made difficult by freeways. Crossing them (99, 58, 178) is dangerous at the on/off ramps. As freeways are added (Kern River Parkway), it only discourages the use of alternative modes of transportation. What can be done to maintain the ability to cross these areas? 219 Encourage mass transportation

220 Look at Mexico City’s policies, such as one day a week you can’t drive and the government shutting down businesses when needed. 221 No drive days 222 Certain streets just for bicycles 223 Coordinate signals

224 Help expand bike lanes and paths. Educate bicyclists and drivers about sharing the road.

225 We should make more bike paths also, because many streets don’t and it’s dangerous.

226 Real need for improved public transit in Bakersfield, many different options that aren’t seen anywhere in the Valley. 227 Mass Transit needs to be promoted 228 Need to pursue Transportation / Kings Co Ag Vans
229 Transit

230 Charge business for every worker to come to work on the bus and give rebate if bus is used
231 Public Transit
232 More Mass transit

233 Expand public transit and BART in the San Joaquin Valley. 234 More public transit.

235 Create and subsidize a light rail system within cities and high-speed rail throughout the Valley. Make sure bus routes and schedules encourage people to use mass transit. Right now, I cannot use GET to get anywhere I want to go in a reasonable amount of time. 236 Increase public transit opportunities Passenger Rail & Support Activities; and TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT- Traffic Signal Synchronization, Traffic Engineering Improvements, Channelization, One-Way Streets, Turning & BusPocket bays, Bus Terminals, Removal of OnStreet Parking, Limit Arterial Access, Street & Highway Widening, Bicycle Facilities, and Pedestrian Malls.San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District April 30, 2007

Appendix G: Town Hall Meeting Suggestions 2007 Ozone Plan 

### A ppendix G-16 Ref. # Town Hall Comment District Response

237 Our board members are dedicated to support more and better public transportation to reduce driving. River Park to downtown is easy by bus, and no parking problems! Publicize this!

238 Adopt regional design standards for transportation projects and land use that support walkability and bikeability (cites Breathe California’s “Clean Air Agenda,” adopted 2002).

Inter-agency Cooperation

239 Industry will help to encourage state and federal to do their share

240 A gree that state and federal government need to do their share

241 Concurs with the District’s frustration over land-use and state and federal reductions. Comments noted.

242 Stop isolating constituents/pollutants The District has consistently spread the message that it takes all sectors to successfully bring healthy air to valley residents. 243 Need Balanced approach The District concurs.

244 Work hand-in-hand with water board and DPR, More cooperation Comment noted. The District concurs and recognizes that collaborative effort is an important part of solving environmental problems, which are often inter-related.

245 Feel should work with other districts to make message stronger The District collaborates with other air districts through several avenues, including participation in CAPCOA, STAPPA, ALAPCO and other organizations that were established for the very purpose of inter-agency collaboration.

246 Wants to know how we are working with neighboring District’s? Pollutant transport is analyzed by the ARB. The District and other air districts for control measures ideas. Air districts work together on technical and policy issues.

247 Also like partnership ideas. Partnerships will be crucial to achieving reductions from non-District sources to ensure that everyone does their part. 248 Partner with the other agencies that have authority.

249 Be advocates-at the State and Federal level. District staff and resources have been and will continue to be devoted to cooperation with other agencies.

250 Let the Congressman [Radanovich] know what he can do to help Partnerships will be crucial to obtaining funding and achieving reductions from non-District

sources.

251 Cites replacing diesel pumps as success, PGE runs a $27 million program to change out pumps. This is a fine example of private industry involvement in the solution of our valley’s air quality problem.