A critical ozone standard was violated on only one day during the 2003 summer smog season, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). The national 1-hour ozone standard of 12 parts per hundred million (pphm) was exceeded at the Livermore monitoring station; the 21 other stations recorded no excesses. Therefore the Bay Area meets the criteria for attainment of the standard, because each of the Bay Area's 22 monitoring stations had fewer than 4 excesses for the past three consecutive years.
The new national 8-hour ozone standard of 8 pphm was exceeded seven times during the 2003 season. To demonstrate compliance with the standard, the average of the fourth highest value for each of the past three consecutive years at each monitoring station must not exceed the standard. At present, the San Martin monitoring station in Santa Clara Valley exceeds this value.
The more stringent state 1-hour ozone standard of 9 pphm was exceeded on 19 days.
The improvement in Bay Area air quality through the years is the result of BAAQMD's efforts to reduce stationary source emissions, the state's measures to reduce vehicle emissions, and voluntary programs such as the Spare the Air program.
In 2003, Spare the Air alerts were issued on 10 days when the ozone level was expected to exceed standards. 8.3 percent of Bay Area residents, up from 7.7 percent in 2002, responded by driving less, avoiding consumer products that pollute, and postponing use of gas-powered lawn mowers.
Spare the Air Employers, now numbering 2,225, notified over one million employees about Spare the Air alerts and educated them on air quality issues.
The Clean Air Consortium now includes 20 cities that have pledged to reschedule use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment, postpone painting, and refuel vehicles at the end of the day on Spare the Air days.
Adelia Sabiston
Six months after the June 2003 Summit, the first phase of Transportation 2030 will come to a close in December as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) considers recommendations on the structure of the new Regional Transportation Plan to be adopted in January 2005. During the intervening six months, MTC staff and commissioners have held numerous public meetings, focus groups and strategy sessions with representatives of transit districts, transportation agencies, local elected officials, interest groups and the general public.
Key December MTC meetings include the Planning and Operations Committee meeting on December 12 and the full Commission meeting on December 17. The Commission will consider goals, financial allocations and the potential for utilizing new funding such as Regional Measure 2 (see article in this issue).
In Spring 2004, the second phase of Transportation 2030 will also involve the nine Bay Area county congestion management agencies as they discuss countywide transportation planning, which will be integrated into the regional plan. Each county has already submitted a list of potential projects to be evaluated using the new performance measures (see August/September 2003 issue).