| Dec. 5, 2008 The
Southland’s air pollution agency today announced the adoption of the SoCal
Climate Solutions Exchange – a voluntary program to help combat global
warming by producing high-quality greenhouse gas emission reductions.
The adopted Rules 2700 – General, and Rule 2701 – SoCal Climate Solutions
Exchange, set up the administrative structure for the initiative by
providing a mechanism to recognize and quantify reductions. Rule 2701
enables private parties to generate certified greenhouse gas emission
reductions. Proposed Rule 2702 – Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program, is
expected to come before the Board for approval early next year. Proposed
Rule 2702 would establish an air quality investment program where the AQMD
could collect funds from parties that need certified emission reductions,
pool those funds and use them to reduce greenhouse gases.
“This new initiative will give businesses an opportunity to invest in
high-quality carbon reductions,” said William A. Burke, Ed.D., Governing
Board Chairman of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD).
“This program could also help jumpstart the kind of projects the state is
looking for in terms of greenhouse gas reductions.”
These rules will be an option for companies to mitigate emissions from new
projects under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Companies or
individuals also could use these reductions to voluntarily offset their
“carbon footprint.”
The agency will certify carbon emission reductions and register and track
any exchanges. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are the focus but
the program will likely result in simultaneous reductions of smog-forming
pollutants.
The program is also expected to boost the local economy by creating more
green jobs, added Chairman Burke who first proposed the initiative in
January.
Reductions must meet strict criteria and businesses will be required to
follow specific protocols and represent emission reductions that are in
addition to any regulatory requirements. Those wishing to participate will
be required to submit a plan registration with specific information on the
project.
Initial protocols currently approved for the program include forest
management and urban tree planting. Other protocols are under development.
Additional protocols will have CARB concurrence and be added through future
rule amendments.
Once certified greenhouse gas emission reductions are issued, they will be
listed on the AQMD’s website. The website will also include the type of
reduction and location.
Fossil-fuel burning and other emissions including methane are now widely
recognized by the scientific community as culprits behind a rapid rise in
carbon dioxide levels in the Earth’s atmosphere.
AQMD’s program is being closely coordinated with the state’s implementation
of AB32, California’s global warming emissions reduction program, which is
expected to be adopted this month.
In other action today, the AQMD Board:
• Adopted Rule 1147 – NOx Reductions from Miscellaneous
Sources – to reduce nitrogen
oxide emissions from a variety of combustion sources,
including ovens, dryers, and
furnaces by requiring facilities to upgrade or replace
equipment at the end of its useful
life with the cleanest low-NOx technology available.
Rule 1147 requires equipment to
meet more stringent NOx emission limits based on
equipment age and type. Units older
than 25 years must meet the emission limit first,
followed by units older than 15 years
over the next 10 years. The rule is expected to reduce
3.8 tons per day of NOx emissions
by 2023.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major
portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
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