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Community Air Protection Program

In 2017, Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill 617 (C. Garcia, Chapter 136, Statutes of 2017) to develop a new community focused program to more effectively reduce exposure to air pollution and preserve public health.  This bill directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and all local air districts, including the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (Sac Metro Air District or District), to take measures to protect communities disproportionally impacted by air pollution. With input from communities and air districts throughout California, CARB is developing a statewide community-focused strategy to implement AB 617.

There are five central components to the new AB 617 mandate:

  • Community-level air monitoring
  • A state strategy and community specific emission reduction plans
  • Accelerated review of retrofit pollution control technologies on industrial facilities subject to Cap and Trade
  • Enhanced emission reporting requirements
  • Increased penalty provisions for polluters

Additionally, CARB may direct additional grant funding to communities determined to have the highest air pollution burden.

​Sac Metro Air District’s Implementation


For its part, the Sac Metro Air District has launched a new program to broaden our existing air quality efforts, plan for and improve awareness and community-level engagement on actions to reduce air pollution exposure and improve health in our communities.

The District is engaging the public and conducting analyses to identify communities within Sacramento County for potential consideration for new air monitoring and emission reduction actions in the new CARB AB 617 program. The District’s preliminary recommendations are due to CARB by April 30, 2018, and final identification by July 31, 2018. CARB will make its final selection of first-year priority communities by October 1, 2018, followed by an annual review of community selections.

The Sac Metro Air District AB 617 effort is underway, and District staff are working closely with CARB, local stakeholder groups, regional legislators and members of the community to discuss strategy and implementation of the new state mandate. Below are links to specific discussions of upcoming District efforts related to this program.

 

​Upcoming Meetings and Workshops


Sac Metro Air District’s Board of Directors received an informational update from staff on the monitoring aspect of the Community Air Protection Program at its March 22, 2018 meeting. The presentation from that meeting is available to download.

Community input and engagement is vital to the success of the program. The District expects to hold community meetings in late April and May to discuss the community identification for the community monitoring and/or community emission reduction program. Check back here for dates and locations.

You can also provide your feedback and ask questions about Community Air Monitoring by emailing CommunityAirProtectionMonitoring@airquality.org. Comments submitted before May 31, 2018 will be considered as a part of the District’s final community recommendations to CARB.
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