Board to Consider Smog Rule Revisions : Pollution: The changes would offer employers more flexibility on ride-share requirements, officials say. Ridership goals would be stepped up by two years.

As supervisors convene today to consider streamlining the county’s strict air-quality rules, those who track ozone say smog levels have decreased dramatically in the past five years.

The number of days that Ventura County cities exceeded state standards for air pollution last year dipped to about half of what was reported in 1988, the Air Pollution Control District says.

In addition, the number of days that ozone levels exceeded less-stringent federal EPA standards dropped from 55 in 1988 to just 10 last year. And while 21 health advisories were issued in Ventura County in 1988, only one was necessary in 1992.

Supervisors Susan K. Lacey, Maggie Kildee and Vicky Howard on Monday indicated support for the revisions to Rule 210, mandated under state and federal laws to help cut ozone levels in Ventura County air.

District officials say the rule revisions will allow employers more flexibility in achieving ride-reduction standards and save them money. But they are quick to add that the revisions would not add extra smog to Ventura County skies. In fact, they say, ridership goals would be stepped up by two years.

“We’re not loosening the restrictions, we’re moving some of the compliance dates forward,” said district Rule Development Manager Keith Duval. “It’s really administrative relaxations that most of the changes are looking at.”

Under the proposal, businesses could choose to certify themselves as in compliance--facing hefty fines if they are not--or to join with other firms to generate an average ridership that meets ride-sharing standards when combined.

“It allows companies to possibly use their resources more effectively,” Duval said. “If company A is having a very hard time getting their employees to ride-share, it might be more cost-effective to divert company A’s money to the other company to enhance the other company’s program.

“The rule revisions will help us to meet or improve our air quality,” he added. “It’ll promote more people getting out of their cars, ride-sharing and taking alternate forms of transportation.”

The revision includes a provision that would force companies employing 100 or more people to reach 1.5 passengers per car by 1997 rather than 1999, Duval said.

Smog forecasters are reluctant to credit ride-sharing and other air-pollution laws for the five-year dip. Other factors, such as unseasonable weather, also contribute to the decrease in instances of unhealthful air quality, they said.

“Things are looking better,” smog forecaster Kent Field said. “But this time of year we get a little nervous because we don’t know what the smog season has in store for us.

“The past few years we haven’t had those high-pressure systems off the coast. Last year we had all the ingredients there, but it never really formed,” Field said.

“Maybe we are seeing an improvement because of all these regulations and compliances, but what percentage, if at all, I don’t know,” he said.

Smog season typically runs from May through October, during which the three components in the ozone equation--sunlight, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides--reach maximum potential for unhealthy conditions. High-pressure weather systems from off the coast mix with relatively still air to create an ideal recipe for smog, Field said.

“Essentially, it’s like a lid in our area,” he said. “With the terrain we have in the west county we are prone for it. And with the summer afternoon sunlight, these combinations will tend to produce high concentrations of ozone.”

Portions of the east county typically receive the highest levels of ozone and other pollutants, Field said.

Because it is situated in the Santa Susana Pass--bridged between two valleys--Simi Valley perennially chokes on more smog than other areas in Ventura County. Ozone levels there exceeded the 0.10 parts per million state standard--tougher than the federal level of 0.12 parts per million--more than 350 days between 1988 and 1992.

“They kind of get a double dose,” Field said of Simi Valley residents. “They get L. A. air and they get Ventura air, plus what they produce themselves. So they have more incidents of higher ozone.”

In comparison, Ventura reported fewer than 45 days that ozone levels exceeded state standards over the same period.

These are not merely numbers in a thick, unread report. Field said he receives 20 or more queries each week from residents interested in knowing the daily ozone content in the air.

“I get calls from schools from Ojai to Simi to ask if the kids should be outside, three or four times a day,” he said. “In the next two months, that might escalate to five or 10 a day, especially if ozone concentrations are high.

“It starts getting real busy,” he said.

District enforcement manager Al Danzig said the number of daily automobile trips already has dwindled under Rule 210, which was imposed by the EPA several years ago and upheld by the U. S. Supreme Court earlier this year. Average ridership in the past two years has increased from 1.20 passengers per car to 1.27, still shy of the 1997 goal, Danzig said.

“It’s incrementing up to a reasonable number in a reasonable amount of time,” he said. “You can’t change people’s lifestyles in a year. People are in love with their cars.”

Two chemists and extra equipment would be added to the smog-watching program if $141,000 in grant money supplied by the EPA is accepted by supervisors today, said Douglas Tubbs, monitoring services manager for the county. Tubbs said the two new positions would not cost the county any additional money.

Some business representatives plan to speak up today at the public hearing in favor of lightening the paperwork load.

“I agree with streamlining the system,” said Paul Tebbel of Patagonia Inc., which employs 225 people at its main office in Ventura. “The analysis takes a long time, especially during the preliminary report, which takes hundreds of hours.

“I’ve seen people here understand how important ride-sharing is and taking alternative ways to get to work,” Tebbel said. But “I would certainly like to see the amount of paperwork reduced. It’s a pain in the butt.”

Ventura County Smog Chart shows the decrease in the number of days between 1988 and 1992 that Ventura County air exceeded the state air quality standard of .10 parts per million for smog. Source: Vulture Co. Air Pollution Control District, Los Angeles Times