County Issue : Clean Air Plan

Ventura County’s new plan to reduce air pollution has come under fire from both environmentalists for being too soft and from building and business interests as being too tough. Does the 1991 Air Quality Management Plan go far enough or too far in meeting state and federal health standards for clean air?

* Ralph C. Schumacher

President, Ventura County Economic Development Assn.

I’m all for clean air, but we have to be careful that business stays in business. I think it is on the verge of the breaking point, where business can’t afford any more regulations. We’re all for cleaning up the air, but there has to be a process where it happens over many years, and I don’t think business should have to bear the brunt. You know that 51% of pollution in the air comes from automobiles. I think they should work on that portion by developing cars that don’t pollute the air. There was a survey that said one out of seven California businesses, if the proper opportunity came along, would move out of California. One reason, I’m sure, is having to comply with all the environmental laws and regulations in place. I think we hope we’re environmentally sound, but we also have to stay in business in order to create jobs.

* Neil Moyer

President, Ventura County Environmental Coalition

It absolutely doesn’t go far enough. It fails the basic tests of the California Clean Air Act. The plan does not at any time in the future forecast attainment of the health standard and furthermore, in the interim, does not achieve the 5%-per-year reduction in emissions required. The shortcomings raise serious questions as to whether or not the Air Pollution Control District was sincere in its support of the California Clean Air Act legislation when it was originally being developed by the Legislature. This bodes ratherly poorly for the Air Quality Management Plan fulfilling the federal Clean Air Act requirements, which are very similar to the California air requirements. It means we’re not only going to be in violation of state law but in violation of the clean air amendments of 1990 almost from the beginning. This could probably turn out to be a convenient excuse for sanctions--state and federal aid to counties could be cut back.

* Elaine L. Freeman

Vice president/planning director, LSR Limited Partnership

The requirements set down by the California Air Resources Board and the Environmental Protection Agency really put the burden on the Air Quality Management District to produce a plan acceptable to those other agencies. So it would seem to me if the building industry and environmental interests have a problem with it, the Air Quality Management District must be doing the right thing! So many new rules came out of the Clean Air Act at the federal level and state level that have to be complied with, and it’s difficult to find the best method to do that. Business and industry have been hit pretty hard by the economy in general, so any mandates put a further burden on industry. I’ve worked on the plan since 1976-77, and it has progressively gotten more restrictive. At the same time, technology has gotten better, so the air quality is actually better in Ventura County than it was when the program started out, even though the population has grown considerably. So there has been progress made and we need to remember that.

* William C. Mount

Manager of planning and evaluation, Air Pollution Control District

The 1991 Ventura County Air Quality Management Plan meets the mandates of the California Clean Air Act in that it proposed to adopt all feasible control measures to improve air quality in the county. Although the plan does not project attainment of the state and federal standards at this time, the plan significantly reduces emissions from current levels and will continue to improve air quality through the end of this century. Air quality planning is an ongoing process, and rather than put on controls which are not technically feasible at this time, the district is committed to updating the plan and proposing new controls as they become available. There are no quick fixes to the air quality problem. Many of the controls are going to be rather expensive, and the district feels we are proposing to do everything that is feasible, at this point in time, which is what the act requires. It’s going to take a coordinated effort among the cities, industry and air district and the public to support air pollution programs and to buy into the process of cleaning up the air.

* Stan Greene

President, Citizens to Preserve the Ojai

The plan itself, as I understand it, says we will not meet the federal standards for clean air. Under those conditions, I would have to say the plan doesn’t go far enough. My ultimate test is whether or not the people and their health are going to be protected within the foreseeable future and that a plan has got to be able to make that projection. It is my opinion that Ventura should have an arrangement like the South Coast air quality basin that separates the air pollution control function from the county government. They are some kind of special district down there. This would make the job the technical one that it is and take the political pressures out of the process. We fully understand that business has some problems, and nobody is taking an anti-business stand. All we’re asking is that the environment not be impacted by any operations to the detriment of the health of the people who live here. The truth is we all live here. The business people, the economic interests, their families and children are all affected by this, so we should all have the same interests.