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San Joaquin Valley Unified air pollution
Board kills air cleanup plan
800-281-7003

Board kills air cleanup plan February 22, 2002 Posted: 05:25:04 AM PST By MELANIE TURNER BEE STAFF WRITER In yet another attempt to keep a step ahead of looming federal sanctions, the valley air district board on Thursday asked to withdraw its plan for cleaning up airborne dust and dirt. The move would prevent a freeze on transportation projects and give the district a fighting chance at avoiding costly sanctions on businesses, said officials with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. But the tactic had critics, with a business leader and environmental activist urging the board to slow down and study other possibilities before acting. "Here we are with our state and federal government agencies, that continually don't do their jobs, deciding these issues once again on the fly," said Chris Reardon, executive director of the Manufacturers Council of the Central Valley. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency intends to reject the plan anyway, air district officials said. The question for the board was whether to rework the flawed plan or to focus on a new plan due in December. The object is to reduce airborne dust and dirt. Such particles can get caught in people's lungs, creating or aggravating respiratory problems. The particles are considered more life-threatening than ozone pollution, said Dave Jones, the air district's planning manager. Said district spokeswoman Josette Merced Bello: "The particles can be associated with lung disease, cardiac disease and increased risk of cancer." The district board voted 10-0 to request withdrawal of its 1997 plan. Valley air district board member Nick Blom, a Stanislaus County supervisor, was absent. Whether the plan can be withdrawn is up to the EPA. The valley's dust and dirt count is so high now that the air district has been judged to be in "serious nonattainment" of the federal standard. The particle count exceeded the health standard on too many days last year, resulting in the district missing a December deadline. For that reason, the district was ordered to submit a new cleanup plan. So, if a new plan must be developed anyway, air district officials say it would be an unnecessary burden to try to fix the plan that went to the EPA in 1997. "We are as actively and as seriously engaged as we can be in developing a plan by the end of this year," said David Crow, the air district's executive director. "We don't need any distractions." District officials learned earlier this month that the EPA intends to disapprove the 1997 plan as early as August, triggering a freeze on new transportation projects. After Earthjustice sued the EPA for not acting sooner on the 1997 plan, a judged ordered the EPA to propose some action by March 1. In Stanislaus County, the plan's rejection could mean a freeze on all projects in the region's 25-year plan for transportation improvements, said Tom Jordan, senior air quality planner. Or it could mean the region's transportation planning agency could no longer add projects to the plan, he said. By taking the 1997 plan out of the EPA's hands, the valley air district would avoid the transportation freeze. To the dismay of businesses, though, such action would bring sanctions as soon as October 2003. But, air district officials said, it would be easier to stop the sanctions if the 1997 plan is withdrawn. The sanctions -- extra expenses for new or expanding businesses, and withholding of federal highway money -- would be avoided with the submittal of a new plan later this year. A disadvantage is that the revision must satisfy the EPA -- it will not be sufficient just to submit a plan -- to avert the sanctions. Reardon and Modesto activist Steve Burke asked for a 30-day delay in board action. They said that the air district is once again rushing to beat a sanctions clock and not giving people enough time to understand if the board's action is what is best for the valley. Reardon added that the manufacturers organization has not taken a position because members have too many questions. A motion on the delay failed on a 7-3 vote. Some sanctions already are in effect on new and expanding valley businesses, while the air district seeks approval of a dust rule. The rule -- one part of the overall airborne particles plan -- is expected to be approved next month, Jones said. Bee staff writer Melanie Turner can be reached at 578-2366 or mturner@modbee.com.