Posted on 01/07/2005 7:34:51 PM PST by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Southern California clean air regulators adopted a plan Friday to reduce emissions at about 300 power plants, factories and refineries by 20 percent over five years.
The plan, which takes effect beginning 2007, amends a program started 10 years ago by the South Coast Air Quality Management District and seeks to reduce smog-causing emissions by a total of 7.7 tons per day over the five-year period.
"We believe the changes meet state law requirements and maintain the integrity of the program, while continuing to move closer to the region's air quality goals," Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the AQMD, said in a statement.
The district, which covers Orange County and parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, has the worst air quality in the nation.
The emissions reduction program that started in 1994 allows major polluters in the region to buy credits for a certain amount of air pollution they release. It was intended to provide a financial incentive to cut emissions, since it costs more money to pollute the air.
The district's new proposals would reduce emissions by making fewer credits available, forcing plants and refineries to implement pollution control measures, said AQMD spokesman Sam Atwood.
Julie Masters, senior project attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said she was pleased with the decision that would help bring emissions up to state and federal standards.
"We're very happy that the district did not give in to industry pressure, but we would have liked to see them go a little further," she said.
The new regulations, however, would be a financial burden for industries, said Peter Hidalgo, spokesman the Southern California Gas Co.
"We clearly accept the need to help emissions reduction in the region and achieve clean air, but the challenge is the cost to reach the new levels," he said. "We want to find less costly ways to reach the same amount of emissions reductions."
fyi
Why? The air in LA is getting better.
wow. 7.7 tons a day out of the air.
It doesn't look like there is that much stuff in the air.
Smog can get pretty nasty in the right atmospheric conditions and certain locations .. Mexico City comes to mind.
That's what I thought too.
It's GReenism. ;-) lol
Here are the stats through 2001. This level of effort is not cost justified. http://www.ocalmanac.com/Environment/ev01.htm
I can see the writing in the wall, More jobs going out of the country and definately out of california.
Someone just legislated themself a fortune.
CORRECTIMUNDO.
I worked for a company that sent 400 manufacturing jobs to Texas because of the AQMD and its irrational policies. People that had worked at the plant for over 20 years got the ax. Just plain nuts.
Ditto here. I lost my job because of the same reason. it was too $ to operate in california. I got a better job now though :)
Glad to hear you landed on your feet. I am one of the few who is unwilling to give up on California. Its a tough fight, but I seem to be able to convince a few people every month. You get some interesting conversations until you share a few facts - like what happens to jobs when the enviro costs go too high. I voted for Reagan for governor in my first election and hope that we can turn the place around yet.
Me too. I get to talking with the liberals and they whine and cry. I ask them what the problem is, they blame bush for the local economy. Then i strike, telling them the facts that local jobs have nothing to do with Bush and they sit there dazed like a nuclear bomb hit them. Then they go, Your right. I managed to convice a couple people to vote for Bush in 04 :) Some will never admit that they voted for him though.
"The emissions reduction program that started in 1994 allows major polluters in the region to buy credits for a certain amount of air pollution they release. It was intended to provide a financial incentive to cut emissions, since it costs more money to pollute the air. "
Can anyone say Kyoto? Same type of thing.
If the morons would just reduce the red tape to build new more efficent, cleaner burning plants the old plants would get shut down due to attrition. Can't do that, none of the lawyers in government would get rich that way.
The dirty little secret of enviro regs is the best available current technology ploy. We could do better than now, if the regs didn't push you to the edge of the technology. Parts per thousand is cheaper than parts per million which is cheaper than part per billion. Require new plants to improve things, not to set the state of the art. Then conditions will improve. You wouldn't learn to run marathons by starting at 26 miles. You work your way up to it.
We don't call it KOMMIEFORNIA for no reason. Here is a perfect example.
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