September 1990 - AQMD established an Ethnic Community Advisory
Council to advise on the impact of air quality in ethnic communities.
May 1, 2009 - the Governing Board restructured the group into the
Environmental Justice Advisory
Group (EJAG), with a focus on air quality and environmental justice
through the reduction and prevention of air pollution.
October 1997 - AQMD
adopted 4 guiding principles
and 10 initiatives to ensure
environmental justice for all.
1999 -
the Governing Board developed a follow-up plan with an additional set of
initiatives which became the Children's Air Quality Agenda.
Workplans have been adopted to continually update and enhance
Environmental Justice Programs.
Some of the key initiatives that have been implemented under the program to date include:
-
Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study (MATES) II, the nation’s most comprehensive study of toxic air pollution.
MATES III, a follow up study, is underway to assess current levels of cancer-causing toxic air pollutants.
- A series of
Clean Fleet rules geared to reducing diesel exhaust from transit buses, trash trucks, street sweepers, airport taxis, school buses and other fleets.
- The nation’s first strategy for reducing
Cumulative Impacts, or combined sources, of air pollution in the region.
- Funding lower-emitting technologies under the
Carl Moyer
Program, the
Zero Emission Vehicle Incentive Program, and the
Lower Emission School
Bus Program. A percentage of these funds have been designated
for use in low-income and/or minority communities.
- Development of a Guidance Document for
Addressing Air Quality Issues in General Plan and Local Planning for cities to use when updating their general plans.
- Preparation of a
guidance
document on Air Quality Issues in School Site Selection which provides
suggested policies that school districts can use to prevent or reduce
potential air pollution impacts and protect the health of their students
and staff.
- Adoption of an
Air Toxics Control Plan examining the overall direction
of the AQMD's air toxics control program over the course of the next
decade.
