SFPUC 2001 Alameda Watershed Management Plan

III. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AND IMPACTSF. AIR QUALITYWith respect to carbon monoxide, the EPA recently announced its decision to approve aredesignation request for the Bay Area to “attainment” for the national carbon monoxidestandard and to approve a Carbon Monoxide Maintenance Plan, which is the new carbonmonoxide SIP for the Bay Area. The Bay Area is “attainment” or “unclassified” with respect tothe other criteria pollutants (CARB, 1998). “Unclassified” is defined by the Clean Air ActAmendments as any area that cannot be classified, on the basis of available information, asmeeting or not meeting the national primary or secondary ambient air quality standard for thepollutant.StateCalifornia has adopted ambient standards, the State Ambient Air Quality Standards, that aremore stringent than the federal standards for the criteria air pollutants (see Table III.F-1). In1988, the state legislature passed the California Clean Air Act (CCAA), which is patterned afterthe federal Clean Air Act in that areas are required to be designated as “attainment” or“nonattainment” but for the state standards rather than the national standards. The Bay Area is a“nonattainment” area for ozone and respirable particulate matter with respect to their respectivestate standards (CARB, 1998). The Bay Area is designated as an “attainment” area for carbonmonoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and lead, and “unclassified” with respect to hydrogensulfide.Under the CCAA, areas designated as “nonattainment” for the state standards were required todevelop air quality plans in addition to those required under federal laws. In 1991, an air qualityplan, the Bay Area ‘91 Clean Air Plan, was developed to address the Bay Area’s (then)designation of “nonattainment” for the state ozone and carbon monoxide standards. 1 The goal ofthe ‘91 Clean Air Plan was to improve air quality in the 1990s through tighter industry controls,cleaner cars and trucks, cleaner fuels, and increased commuter alternatives. The ‘91 Clean AirPlan has been updated on a triennial basis. The most recent update is the ‘97 Clean Air Plan,which contains additional control strategies (BAAQMD, 1997a).1.3 AIR QUALITY REGULATORY AGENCIESThe California Air Resources Board (CARB), California’s air quality management agency,regulates mobile emissions sources such as construction equipment, trucks, and automobiles; andoversees the activities of regional/county air districts. CARB is responsible for establishingemissions standards for on-road motor vehicles sold in California.The BAAQMD is the regional agency empowered to regulate air pollutant emissions fromstationary sources in the Bay Area. BAAQMD regulates air quality through its permit authorityover most types of stationary emission sources and through its planning and review activities.Stationary sources, such as mining operations, are regulated through a permitting process inwhich applicants must secure an Authority to Construct and Permit to Operate from the1 Subsequent to the issuance of the ‘91 Clean Air Plan, the Bay Area did achieve attainment status for carbonmonoxide.NOP 96.223E: Alameda Watershed Management Plan III.F-4 ESA / 930385January 2001