Last week, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District provided an update on their efforts to implement their PM2.5 State Implementation Plan to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for the 24-hour standard of 12 ug/m3 for PM2.5. In public testimony, Association President/CEO Roger A. Isom urged the Board to reinvigorate the Governing Board’s Study Agency. Isom reminded the board that the Air District achieved the one-hour ozone standard, the PM10 standard and the 65 ug/m3 PM2.5 standard, based on the results and guidance from all the research that was conducted under the Central California Ozone Study (CCOS) and the California Regional Particulate Matter Air Quality Study (CRPMAQS), both of which were overseen by the Governing Board’s Study Agency. Isom urged science be the driving factor as the District looks to add new or stricter Conservation Management Practices (CMPs) for farming operations, and to low dust harvesters for tree nut operations. This will become especially important as the District begin looking at the next standard set forth by Federal EPA, which is the 9 ug/m3 PM2.5 standard. Governing Board Chairman Vito Chiesa (Stanislaus County Supervisor and walnut grower) wrapped up comments by agreeing with Isom and stating that meeting the new 9 ug/m3 PM2.5 standard is “going to be very difficult and we’re going to need lots of help like FARMER funding”. The Association will continue to stay at the forefront of this issue as it does on all regulatory items facing the agricultural industry.
