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The Southland’s air quality agency adopted a measure today to reduce
toxic emissions from stationary diesel-fueled engines, including stricter
requirements for equipment near schools.
“Today’s action reflects a new initiative to further protect the health
of school children by requiring stricter air pollution controls on
facilities and equipment located near schools,” said Barry Wallerstein,
executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
AQMD’s Governing Board today adopted Rule 1470, which will reduce
emissions during normal engine maintenance and testing, as well as during
unpredictable, inevitable emergencies. This rule will reduce a total of 0.2
tons per day of particulate matter, as well as reduce oxides of nitrogen,
hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions from stationary diesel-fueled
engines.
The rule includes more stringent provisions for engines located on or
within 100 meters of schools. Last month, AQMD’s Board adopted a regulation
to further reduce emissions from oil and gas wells with additional
inspection and maintenance requirements for facilities near so-called
“sensitive receptors” such as schools, daycare centers and hospitals. In
addition, one of AQMD’s Cumulative Impact Reduction strategies proposes
stricter emission standards for new businesses near schools.
The AQMD has $250,000 in state funding available to assist schools in
retrofitting their own existing emergency diesel engines with particulate
filters.
There are approximately 7,800 stationary diesel-fueled engines operating
in the South Coast Air Basin. About 97 percent of the engines are used as
emergency standby engines with several hundred of the engines located near
schools.
Stationary diesel-fueled engines are used as either primary engines or
emergency power engines. Primary engines are used on a regular basis to
power equipment ranging from compressors to rock crushers to agricultural
irrigation equipment. Standby engines are largely used to provide emergency
power for systems critical to human life (e.g., hospital medical support
systems). Mandatory, unpredictable emergency use will not be affected by
the new measure.
Beginning January 1, 2006, all stationary engines will be required to use
cleaner fuels, such as cleaner diesel or alternative fuels; limit hours of
operation; and implement recordkeeping and reporting measures. Some engines
will be required to phase in the use of particulate filters over a four-year
period, beginning in 2006.
Diesel particulate has the potential to cause cancer in humans and can
aggravate chronic respiratory problems such as asthma. The AQMD’s Multiple
Air Toxics Exposure Study (MATES II), completed in 2000, showed that
approximately 70 percent of the cancer risk from air toxics in the South
Coast Air Basin is due to diesel particulate.
One uncontrolled, 350-horsepower diesel-fueled stationary engine
operating 100 hours can produce 40 pounds of particulate emissions per
year. The addition of a particulate filter can cut 39 pounds of those toxic
emissions per year.
In other action today, the Board:
- Amended Rule 403 - Fugitive Dust; Rule 1186 - PM10 Emission Reduction
from Paved and Unpaved Roads and Livestock Operations; and Rule 403.1 -
Supplemental Fugitive Dust Control Requirements for Coachella Valley
Sources. The amendments will reduce 1.7 tons per day of fugitive dust
PM10 emissions from construction, road and agricultural sources;
- Received the annual audit for the RECLAIM program; and
- Approved an addendum to the March 2000 Air Toxic Control Plan (ATCP)
which provides an update on the mobile and stationary source strategies in
the original ATCP; revises projections based on accomplishments; and
provides new inventory based on the 2003 Air Quality Management Plan.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major
portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
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