RIVERSIDE, CA – The board of directors of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which regulates air pollution for large parts of the counties of Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino, on Friday passed a regulatory process aimed at reducing emissions that affect communities in the immediate vicinity Close proximity to large areas impact warehouses.
Rule 2305, the Warehouse Indirect Source Rule, focuses on warehouses 100,000 square feet or more that aim to reduce their nitrogen oxide emissions using a points-based system that rewards operators for their pollution controls.
“Approximately half of the air pollutants that contribute to smog come from the goods moving industry, with the largest source being heavy trucks driving to warehouses across southern California,” said Wayne Nastri, executive officer of AQMD on the south coast. “After many years of development, today's adoption of the storage rule is an important step in reducing air pollution and protecting the millions of people who are directly affected by this type of pollution.”
The goal is to reduce warehouse pollution by 10 to 15%, he said.
The Inland Empire has become a warehouse spanning most of western Riverside County and southeastern San Bernardino County.
According to SCAQMD, emissions associated with storage operations, particularly the comings and goings of tractor units, cause “almost as many NOx emissions as any refinery, power plant and other stationary source in the South Coast Basin”.
The rule was passed with 9-4 votes after a one-day hearing.
Riverside County Supervisor Manuel Perez, who sits on the board and voted for the rule, praised the new policy as one that “purifies the air our families, neighbors, and communities breathe and improves our public health for everyone in Southern California while they are.” looking ahead to address the air quality impact and our continued growth. “
Perez joined a majority of county regulators in October 2017 to approve a whopping 230-acre warehouse near Cherry Valley. The San Gorgonio Crossing Project has been vehemently opposed by local residents and environmental activists because of its size and impact on the surrounding area.
However, Perez said he was behind the mammoth camp because of its job creation potential.
Supervisor Kevin Jeffries was the only opponent of the project and expressed concern about what might happen to the “very beautiful area” it was planned to be in.
Debate over the project led the board to later adopt its “Good Neighbor Policy,” which, like the new Rule 2305 approved by the SCAQMD board, set specific goals that developers should meet before they can break new ground .
With the Warehouse Indirect Source Rule, a “menu-based point system” is being introduced that offers incentives for the use of natural gas, zero-emission trucks, zero-emission handling equipment, solar panels and zero-emission electric charging infrastructure.
The rule also provides the option for operators to pay government-imposed abatement fees, similar to the fees for carbon credits imposed on electricity suppliers, refineries, gasoline shippers, and other fees collected as revenue under AB 32.
According to the regulators, the revenue from the abatement fees will be packaged in incentive plans for the purchase of clean trucks and other environmentally friendly equipment.
—City Intelligence Service