Succumbing to the pressure of having to attain an impossible air quality standard with very little assistance from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) or Federal EPA, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District unveiled a long list of far reaching control measures to reduce PM2.5.  Those measures up for discussion include:

 

• Replace all almond harvesters in Valley with latest low-emitting harvester technologies
• Install PM control technology on larger under-fired charbroilers installed within last 10-15 years (360 out of 1,800)
• Enhance CMPs for ag operations to reduce directly emitted PM
• Replace 23,628 older high emitting residential wood-burning devices with cleaner devices
• Electrify 1,053 ag pump engines in areas impacting peak PM2.5 sites where access to electricity is available
• Lower NOx limit for container glass plants
• Lower NOx emissions from various boiler, steam generator, process heaters > 5 MMBtu/hr
• Lower NOx emissions from various boiler, steam generator, process heaters 2 to 5 MMBtu/hr
• Install ultra-low NOx flare technology and require additional flare minimization practices
• Lower NOx emissions from various non-agricultural engine categories
• Replace 74,912 heavy heavy-duty trucks with upcoming 0.02 g/bhp-hr ultra-low NOx trucks that are 90% cleaner than 2010 trucks recently required by ARB’s Truck and Bus Regulation
• Replace 110,000 medium heavy-duty trucks with upcoming 0.02 g/bhphr ultra-low NOx trucks that are 90% cleaner than 2010 trucks recently required by ARB’s Truck and Bus Regulation
• Replace 102,936 light heavy-duty trucks with upcoming 0.02 g/bhp-hr ultra-low NOx trucks that are 90% cleaner than 2010 trucks recently required by ARB’s Truck and Bus Regulation
• Install 2,622 natural gas fueling stations for deployment of 0.02 g/bhp-hr ultra-low NOx heavy duty trucks
• Replace 320,000 passenger vehicles with zero-emission vehicles
• Replace 76 locomotives with new Tier 4 locomotives

 

The price tag for all of these measures, which the District says need to be done by 2019?  More than $51 billion!  The District staff laid this out today to the Governing Board stating their back is up against the wall, but realizes the above listed measures are too costly and impractical to achieve without incentive monies.  Unfortunately, the District will face federal sanctions unless they can get into attainment of the PM2.5 standard by 2019.  CCGGA President/CEO Roger Isom testified before the Governing Board on the issue stating that the almond harvesting and CMP modifications have not yet been proven to reduce PM2.5 emissions and further research is needed.  Isom also expressed concerns with rising electricity prices that may dissuade farmers from switching from diesel to electric, and encouraged the District to help on that particular issue.  Later in the same meeting, the District brought up but did not adopt such “draconian measures” as “no farm days”, “no construction days” and “no drive days” where Interstate 5 and Highway 99 would be shut down.  Again, the District was trying to state the seriousness of the issue while placing boundaries on what can and cannot be done.  The District will have to adopt their PM2.5 plan demonstrating attainment by August of this year.