U.S.EPA signed an agreement to reduce pollution

At the California Emerging Clean Air Technology Forum today in Merced, Calif., federal, state and local agencies formally joined forces to develop and implement technologies needed for California to meet federal health-based air quality standards, to reduce public exposure to air toxics and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along with the California Air Resources Board, the South Coast and San Joaquin Valley Air Districts and the California Environmental Protection Agency, signed a memorandum of agreement to commit to developing and testing new sustainable technologies to accelerate progress in meeting current and future national air quality standards.

“Each agency's contribution to this effort is essential as we struggle to address still tighter particulate matter and ozone standards,” said Wayne Nastri, the U.S. EPA’s administrator for the Pacific Southwest region. “Through collaboration and a shared vision, we can reach our goal of cleaner air for all Californians, and clean air technologies that can be deployed anywhere.”

“We all have the same goal -- to improve air quality,” said Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District. “This forum affords us a great opportunity to come together to discuss individual efforts and viable technologies that will collectively help us achieve our goal.”

Despite having adopted stringent air quality controls, the South Coast and San Joaquin Valley Air Districts continue to have the most difficult PM2.5 and 8-hour ozone attainment tasks in the country. Dramatic controls for every motor vehicle on the road today as well as for all industrial and commercial operations in these areas would still not be sufficient to meet PM and ozone standards. Attaining the health-based air quality standards will require using technologies that produce near-zero emissions but have not yet been developed or commercialized.

Some of these clean air technologies were discussed at the forum today, and include: hydraulic and plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles and fuel-cells, solar-distributed energy and Selective Catalytic Reduction for locomotive and marine sources.