Millions in funds sought to clean Valley air

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Apr 15, 2007

A coalition of clean air activists and health officials soon will be traveling to Washington, D.C., to lobby for a plan that could leave everyone in the Central Valley breathing a little easier.

The goal is to secure more than $100 million in federal funding they believe is crucial to "executing Valley air cleanup plans."

"We are urging Congress to allocate the San Joaquin Valley its fair share of funds to address our serious air-quality problem," said Seyed Sadredlin, executive director for the Valley Air District.

Among those who will be meeting with and listening to the concerns of the delegation are California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, along with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson and Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman.

If successful, the money will fund four ambitious air-quality initiatives said to be critical to meeting health-based air quality standards in the San Joaquin Valley.

The district is already in the process of adopting the first U.S. "eight-hour ozone plan" that would achieve 85 percent of the emission reductions the Valley is striving for.

However, air district officials said additional funding is necessary to reduce emissions from those sources "outside of the regulatory authority of the government."

Funding also is needed to expedite fleet turnover and retrofit diesel engines operating in the Valley.

To really make a difference in Valley air quality, the coalition will propose the following to the lawmakers:

-Establishing an Air Quality Empowerment Zone, which would serve as an umbrella program for federal funding and tax incentives.

-Earmarking $100 million in funding from an EPA appropriations subcommittee.

-Full funding of the Diesel Emission Reduction Account at $200 million.

-Supporting the Air Quality Agricultural Task Force recommendation for $300 million in new funding for USDA Environmental Quality Improvement Program.

"We believe that our funding request, although ambitious, is well justified, given the Valley's severe air quality and economic challenges," Sadredin said.

"The Valley is united on this issue, and with this broad coalition working together, we feel confident that the Valley will be heard."