The Association hosted a meeting with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD) and the agricultural industry for a kickoff meeting on issues dealing with the development of the new Moderate State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the new Federal EPA 9 ug/m3 standard. Attending the meeting were the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association, Western Tree Nut Association, California Farm Bureau Federation, Fresno County Farm Bureau, Nisei Farmers League, Western United Dairymen and the California Fresh Fruit Association. The meeting focused on the emissions inventory development and modeling that will be necessary to demonstrate attainment for the new plan and how that information will be used to develop control measures to reduce PM2.5 emissions. In the meeting CARB identified the following agricultural sources being considered for review:
- Soil NOx and Ammonia from application of nitrogen to managed lands
- Farming Operations, Dairy Cattle Waste and Dust Emissions
- Silage NOx from dairy cattle operations
- Dust from harvesting, tilling and land preparation (emphasis on nut harvesting)
- Fugitive dust from unpaved farm roads
- Agricultural equipment including tractors and harvesters
- Agricultural burning (now banned)
- Fugitive windblown dust
- Ag irrigation pump engines
- VOC emissions from citrus packing house (?)
These topics and other will be discussed over the next several months as CARB and the SJVAPCD work to put their PM2.5 SIP together. All the research and modeling will have to be done in the next two years, as these plans will be due to Federal EPA in the 4th quarter of 2027. CARB has identified seven areas in the state that will be non-attainment for the 9 ug/m3 PM2.5 standard including the San Joaquin Valley, Feather River AQMD (Yuba and Sutter Counties), the South Coast AQMD, Bay Area AQMD, San Diego County, Imperial County, Mendocino County, and the Portola area of Plumas County.