[Source: South Coast Air Quality Management District] Today (Dec. 2, 2022), the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) Governing Board approved the 2022 Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP or Plan) that lays a path for improving air quality and meeting federal air pollution standards by 2037 for the South Coast Air Basin and Coachella Valley. The 2022 AQMP is the most ambitious regional plan to date and the first to rely on zero-emissions technology across all business, industry, and residential sectors where currently available.
“With this plan, we are focusing on the public health needs for our region and taking the most dynamic approach to cut air pollution as quickly as we can.” said Ben J. Benoit, Chair of South Coast AQMD’s Governing Board. “Our plan is ambitious, and we are committed to working with our partners at the state and the federal level to collectively take on our shared responsibility.”
The 2022 AQMP will:
- Reduce almost 70% of smog forming emissions by 2037 beyond existing regulations.
- Provide substantial health benefits including 1,500 avoided premature deaths and almost 9,000 avoided asthma-related hospitalizations each year, saving the region $19 billion in health costs.
- Provide even higher benefits for environmental justice communities.
- Require zero-emission technologies across all sectors including water and space heating in homes and businesses, on-road vehicles like cars and trucks, off-road vehicles like locomotives and construction equipment, and industrial sources like power plants and factories.
- Lay out specific actions needed from the federal government to reduce emissions from ships, trains, aircraft, and other sources primarily under federal regulatory authority.
The 2022 AQMP also focuses on communities disproportionately impacted by air pollution with a dedicated chapter on environmental justice. South Coast AQMD will develop residential incentive programs that can assist EJ communities with that transition to zero-emission.
This Plan will require collaboration across state and local agencies as well as the federal government. Federal sources of emissions, which include ships, locomotives, heavy-duty trucks, and planes, will make up more than one-third of pollution in the region in 2037. On their own, federal sources would cause our region to exceed federal air quality standards, even if all other emission sources were eliminated. The Plan was developed after a three-year process with numerous public meetings, workshops and working group meetings to receive feedback from the public and stakeholders on the Plan. The 2022 AQMP will need to be approved by the California Air Resources Board then, submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its final review and approval. The 2022 AQMP can be found at www.aqmd.gov/home/air-quality/clean-air-plans/air-quality-mgt-plan.
South Coast AQMD is the regulatory agency responsible for improving air quality for large areas of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including the Coachella Valley. For news, air quality alerts, event updates and more, please visit us at www.aqmd.gov, download our award-winning app, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Source: South Coast Air Quality Management District
December 2, 2022
