For a recent article I wrote about environmental justice in Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley, I had an email exchange with the staff at the Environmental Protection Agency’s District 9 office. The EPA catches heats from all sides, so I thought it would only be fair to have the EPA explain what it is doing on EJ issues . . . in its own words.
1) Can you share some success stories you have had in the San Joaquin Valley area? How are you making a difference in the region, considering the stubborn odds due to the region's geography?
EPA’s role under the Clean Air Act of reviewing and approving locally-issued rules and implementation plans to attain health- based air quality standards is the most important tool EPA has to improve air quality in the Valley. In our strategic plan for the San Joaquin Valley, we commit to, in partnership with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD), reduce PM 2.5 annual concentrations by 7% per year through regulatory action, accelerate the development of cleaner transportation and achieve a total reduction of 34% from 2009 levels to reach attainment of PM 2.5 (fine particle matter) standards by the end of 2014. CARB predicts that on average 640 PM-related premature deaths will be avoided per year in San Joaquin Valley if the annual PM 2.5 standard is attained.
It is true that the Valley geography is one factor that makes air quality challenges even more complex—topography and climate also play a role. These factors, combined with the presence of two major transportation corridors connecting northern and southern California, contribute to the region’s difficulty in meeting federal health-based standards for particulate matter and ozone. The Valley’s extreme non-attainment designation for ozone reflects the significance of these challenges, and on- and non-road mobile sources make up a majority of those emissions. The District’s 2007 Ozone Plan contains a “black box” that represents necessary reductions in emissions for which a control measure or technology has not yet been identified. For the past three years, the Region has partnered with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (District) to fund their highly successful Technology Advancement Program (TAP). The purpose of the District’s grant program is to demonstrate early stage game-changer technologies that will bring significant air emission reductions throughout the Valley. Since 2010, the District has funded 19 projects with over $6 million in funding (over one third or $2.1 million of which has been provided by the EPA Region 9), while leveraging an additional $30 million, for technologies that reduce greenhouse gas, particulate matter, and smog forming pollutants.
This effort grew out of EPA’s Clean Air Technology Initiative, a partnership of local, state and federal agencies working with the private sector to help bring to market new clean air and energy technologies. As technologies are initially tested and proven via the TAP, they will then be brought to other regions. The funded biogas and electric truck projects, for example, are now being used in the South Coast and other regions with poor air quality. There’s a brief summary of some of the TAP projects at the end of this note.
2) What are you doing other than community awareness grants and have any of these been given locally? I don't see any given here in Fresno or the local areas.
In addition to using our regulatory authorities and partnering with the District to advance technologies, we support community organizations in dealing with environmental and public health issues. Direct grants to community-based organizations are one way we do that. Since 1994, nationally, EPA has awarded nearly $23M to 1253 grant recipients who have educated and empowered their communities to better understand and address environmental challenges. In Region 9 we realized there was a great need for such resources in communities across the Valley. We made an effort to reach out to potential applicants two years ago and since then have seen an impressive array of community based groups in the Valley make use of the funds. Children’s health grants are also meant to be used to address local issues. See the attached summary for a recap of recent awards to communities in the Valley. Project areas include Kettleman City and Avenal; Fresno County; Fresno; Kern County; Arvin; and Visalia.
In addition to direct grants, we also provide technical assistance. For example, in recognition of the high asthma rates in the Valley, we’re currently partnering with The California Endowment on a project called “Asthma Impact Model for Fresno (AIM4Fresno): Building the Foundation for Health Impact Investing”. EPA staff are providing training for this project on indoor air pollution and asthma triggers. The purpose of this project, conducted by the Central California Asthma Collaborative” (CCAC) and Clinica Sierra Vista, is to demonstrate that the return on investment multiplier from comprehensive asthma management which includes educational home visits by community health workers, will justify investment in “health impact bonds” to pay for these home visits.
3) How are you working with other government agencies at the Fed, State or local level? What are you doing to assist local officials? How are you partnering with businesses or community groups to raise awareness of EJ Issues?
EPA Region 9 regularly communicates with and provides financial and technical assistance to a variety of state agencies, local non-profit and public health-oriented groups to address a variety of air related issues in the San Joaquin Valley. For instance, in recognition of the importance of accelerating progress to attain health-based standards for ozone and PM 2.5 for the Valley, EPA’s Regional Administrator, Jared Blumenfeld, has engaged in ongoing dialogue with the San Joaquin Valley Air District, environmental justice and community based organizations and agricultural interests about the PM 2.5 air quality plan so that early input from EPA has a better chance of affecting the outcome, which is progress toward attainment of air quality standards. EPA also works closely with state and local agency partners in developing our annual inspections plans as part of our regulatory work. Coordinating with other state and local agencies helps us avoid duplication of inspection activities.
Further, EPA has brought together a number of agency and academic representatives in piloting the use of screening tools to identify overly burdened communities in the San Joaquin Valley via a small research grant to the academic team of Manuel Pastor, UCLA; Rachel Morello-Frosch, UC Berkeley; and James Sadd, Occidental College.
EPA is also the lead federal agency for the multi-agency team that is partnering with the City of Fresno under a White House initiative called Strong Cities, Strong Communities. EPA and other federal agencies working with Fresno have provided intensive technical assistance and capacity building that have enabled Fresno to more ably utilize almost $60M in existing federal funds. Additionally, we’ve supported the City in developing a smart growth alternative to their general plan update and are now working with the City to figure out how to implement it. We have provided a technical assistance contract to support the convening of a mayoral task force, composed of experts from throughout the state, to identify tools and strategies for Fresno to finance the public infrastructure and services necessary to support the infill development. Infill development is the major goal if the City’s new General Plan. When implemented, the new General Plan is projected to result in the following:
o 19% reduction in GHG emissions from transportation and buildings
o 31% reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT): Equivalent of taking 40,000 cars off of Fresno roads for a year; reduces gasoline use by 14.4 million gallons in 2035.
o 32% reduction in public health cost: Saves $13.8 million in health care costs due to reduced air-pollution related illnesses in 2035.
o 11% reduction in building energy use (natural gas and electricity): Enough to power over 9,000 homes
4) Where does action need to be taken? What really needs to be done to tackle the air pollution problem here, which affects poor people and minorities adversely??
The majority of emissions that lead to ozone and PM 2.5 nonattainment in the Valley come from mobile sources and the largest contributor is heavy duty trucks. Please see our response to question 1.
We’re also working to reduce emissions with CARB and the SJVAPCD via comprehensive plans for attaining the 2006 24-hour PM 2.5 standard and the .075 ppm (parts per million) 8-hour ozone standard as early as possible. And, we’re acting on at least 10 San Joaquin Valley rules that will help obtain air emission reductions, including those regarding CAA section 185 nonattainment area fees, fumigants, and petroleum production and distribution.
5) How would you respond to criticisms that the EPA is not taking EJ challenges seriously in the San Joaquin Valley? Based on what I have seen, programs seem heavily tilted to Los Angeles. Correct me if I'm wrong?
EJ issues are often complex and reflect multiple types of impacts as described in more detail in our strategic plan (http://www.epa.gov/region9/strategicplan/sanjoaquin.html). In response to these environmental impacts, the Region identified the Valley as a priority in its strategic plan two years ago. It’s one of four geographic priority areas (other areas are the Navajo Nation, the island nation of Guam and the Los Angeles area along the I-710 corridor). The scope of the challenges calls for a comprehensive approach in keeping with three principles: environmental justice, partnerships and enforcement. In terms of EJ, what that means is we will take EJ into account when we make regulatory decisions that impact the Valley. For example, there are multiple factors we consider when developing our annual inspection plans and the potential for EJ concerns is one of those factors.
6) And how are you raising awareness in the area? The online resources seem impressive . . . but many of these folks don't necessarily have access to the internet. What are you doing to engage these poorer neighborhoods.
As much as possible, EPA attempts to interact with community members and representatives in-person. For example, representatives of our Toxic Release Inventory program recently met with community members, many of whom are limited English speakers, to share information about how to use the TRI. Additionally, EPA also regularly participates in informal EJ and enforcement task forces focused on issues in Kern and Fresno Counties. The Kern Environmental and Enforcement Reporting Network (KEEN) is led by Californians for Pesticide Reform and the Fresno Environmental Reporting Network is led by Fresno Metro Ministry. Our role on the task forces, on which other state and local agencies also participate and which are, in part, funded by EPA grants, is to resolve environmental issues that are raised by community participants.
More information:
EPA’s Clean Air Technology Initiative http://epa.gov/region09/cleantech/index.html or Trina Martynowicz 415.972.3474
SJV District’s TAP http://www.valleyair.org/Grant_Programs/TAP/tap_idx.htm
Oberon Fuels’ DME http://www.oberonfuels.com/2013/06/07/oberon-fuels-brings-production-units-online-launching-the-first-north-american-fuel-grade-dme-facilities/
TransPower http://www.transpowerusa.com/wordpress/new-transpower-electric-tractor-project-funded-by-valley-air-district/
EPA’s SJV page: http://www2.epa.gov/sanjoaquinvalley
TAP Project Summary
The District’s TAP funds technologies that can grossly scale and reduce emissions from the Valley’s top emission sources, which mostly include heavy-duty trucks, agriculture equipment and converting biomethane to fuels and electricity. These projects initially test or demonstrate a given technology, and have ranged from an electric autonomous pesticide spray vehicle for agriculture (eliminating tailpipe emissions and human exposure to pesticides), to a plug-in hybrid electric wheel loader construction equipment at a dairy (providing major fuel savings and emission reductions), to an ultra-low NOx emission anaerobic digester at a dairy that will convert biomethane to natural gas, which will fuel local county trucks. Often very little public funding is dedicated to the initial testing of technologies, which historically have been funded by the private sector. Funding for this annual program is generated through an innovative process: adding an additional tax to DMV license registrations. The District’s TAP is the only such program in the U.S. that generates grant funds through an innovative means to fund early stage, game-changer technologies to improve the air quality of the Valley and therefore the health of SJV residents.
A recently funded project under the TAP include demonstrating a zero-emissions battery electric truck, manufactured by TransPower, that will move cargo around an IKEA distribution facility in Lebec, or southern San Joaquin Valley. From funding by EPA Region 9 and the District, the electric yard tractor would replace diesel trucks currently used to move trailers around the facility, which will be powered from solar, essentially eliminating air pollution from both the truck’s tailpipe and generated electricity.
Another TAP project includes demonstrating Safeway trucks powered by clean-burning fuel from biogas. EPA Region 9, Volvo Trucks, Safeway, Oberon Fuels and the District have provided funding and partnered to test heavy-duty trucks fueled by dimethyl ether (DME), a renewable fuel. The Safeway trucks with Volvo engines will transport food throughout the San Joaquin Valley that will run on fuel made from rotten Safeway produce converted to biogas. DME, produced by Oberon Fuels, offers a clean alternative to diesel fuel for trucking operations and may provide a 95% reduction of CO2 while emitting no particulate matter.
[Image credit: Leon Kaye]
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