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San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District  

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San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District  

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Public heath agency whose main goal is to improve the quality of life for all valley residents.

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General PowerPoint on San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Issues

The San Joaquin Valley Air District is a public health agency whose mission is to improve the health and quality of life for all Valley residents through efficient, effective and entrepreneurial air quality management strategies. Our Core Values have been designed to ensure that our mission is accomplished through commonsense, feasible measures that are based on sound science.

Healthful air that meets or exceeds air quality standards for all Valley residents. The District is a leader in air-pollution control. Valley residents take pride in our collective efforts to continuously improve air quality.
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Protection of Public Health - The District shall continue to strive to protect the health of Valley residents through efforts to meet health-based state and federal ambient air-quality standards, based on science and prioritized where possible using health-risk reduction strategies.

Active and Effective Air Pollution Control Efforts while Seeking to Improve the Valley's Economic Prosperity and Grow Opportunities for All Valley Residents - District staff shall work diligently to adopt and fully implement cost-effective air pollution-control measures, provide meaningful incentives for reducing emissions, and develop creative alternatives for achieving emissions reductions.

Outstanding Customer Service - District staff shall work to provide excellent customer service for stakeholders in activities including: rule and plan development; permitting and emissions inventory functions; compliance activities; financial and grant-funding transactions; and responses to public complaints and inquiries.

Ingenuity and innovation - The District values innovation and ingenuity in meeting the challenges we face. Examples of this spirit of innovation include developing programs that provide new incentives for emissions reductions, and providing alternate compliance strategies that supplement traditional regulatory efforts and generate more emissions reductions than could otherwise be reasonably obtained.

Accountability to the public - The District serves, and is ultimately accountable to, the people of the Valley for the wise and appropriate use of public resources, and for accomplishing the District's mission with integrity and honesty.

Open and transparent public processes - The District shall continue to provide meaningful opportunities for public input and be responsive to all public inquiries.

Recognition of the uniqueness of the San Joaquin Valley - The Valley's meteorology, topography and economy differ significantly from those in other jurisdictions. Although it is valuable to review and evaluate efforts of other agencies, we must consistently look for solutions that fully consider the Valley's unique needs.

Continuous improvement -The District works to continually improve its internal operations and processes, and strives to streamline District operations through optimally utilizing information technology and human resources.

Effective and efficient use of public funds - The District shall continually strive to efficiently use all resources and to minimize costs associated with District functions.

Respect for the Opinions and Interest of All Valley Residents - The District shall respect the interests and opinions of all Valley residents and fully consider these opinions, seeking collaboration with federal, state, and local agencies, agriculture, businesses, community groups and residents in carrying out the District's mission.

Robust Public Outreach and Education on Valley Air Quality Progress and Continuing Air Quality Efforts - As we move forward in achieving our mission, the District shall continue its ongoing efforts to educate the public about air quality, and the significant clean air investments and air quality progress that have been made in the Valley.
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The District takes great pride in its STAR work culture which promotes excellent customer service, positive staff morale, outstanding attitude, and exceptionally high level of productivity and innovation.
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Federal and state laws require emission control measures in areas where air pollution exceeds standards. The San Joaquin Valley is one of these areas. With a variety of state and federal agencies implementing air pollution reduction programs, it can be difficult to understand the mission and jurisdiction of each organization.

The federal government, primarily through the Environmental Protection Agency, sets standards, oversees state and local actions, and implements programs for toxic air pollutants, heavy-duty trucks, locomotives, ships, aircraft, off-road diesel equipment, and some types of industrial equipment.

State government, through the Air Resources Board and Bureau of Automotive Repair, sets more stringent state standards, oversees local actions, and implements programs for motor vehicle emissions, fuels, and smog checks.

Local air pollution control districts, such as the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (Valley Air District), develop plans and implement control measures in their areas. These controls primarily affect stationary sources such as factories and plants. Local air districts also conduct public education and outreach efforts such as the Valley Air District's Healthy Air Living , Wood Burning, and Smoking Vehicle voluntary programs.

Local cities and counties are responsible for implementing air friendly community planning that promotes pedestrian traffic, commute alternatives and cleaner transit fleets.

While their jurisdiction and specific programs may vary, all of these organizations share a common goal: to work cooperatively in establishing comprehensive air quality control programs to benefit all California residents.
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The revenue to fund the District's annual operating budget comes from the following three sources: Permit fees paid annually by applicable businesses operating within the District.

Motor vehicle registration fees generated by a $19 surcharge fee for every vehicle registered within the District. A part of these fees are used for the internal operations of the District and a portion is distributed to qualified applicants for programs intended to reduce vehicle emissions.

The District receives federal and state grants annually from the California Air Resources Board and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

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Air pollution within the District comes from a variety of sources. These include industrial facilities, vehicles and consumer products. The pie chart below illustrates the sources of ozone components and their levels.

Emissions of reactive organic gases and oxides of nitrogen
Estimated by California Air Resources Board

After billions of dollars of investment by Valley businesses, pioneering air quality regulations and consistent effort by Valley residents, the Valley air basin has made historic improvements in air quality.

Despite natural challenges such as the geography, topography and meteorology of the air basin, which create a low capacity for air pollution, the Valley has worked its way up from nonattainment to attainment of critical health standards. Air quality in the Los Angeles area is only marginally worse than the Valley's although about 10 times more pollution is emitted in that region. The Bay Area's air quality is much better than the Valley's, even though about six times more pollution is released there.

Yet the Valley has reduced emissions at the same rate or better than other areas in California and set unparalleled achievement milestones in the process.

In the 1990s, the Valley became the first air basin classified as "serious nonattainment" to come into attainment of health standards for coarse particulate matter (PM10).

In 2013, for the first time in recorded history, the Valley had zero violations of the hourly ozone standard established under the federal Clean Air Act, down from 281 violations in 1996 and seven violations in 2012. This remarkable achievement makes the Valley the first air basin in the country to improve from a designation of "extreme" nonattainment to attainment of an air pollutant.

Emission reductions are required by federal and state mandates such as the Federal Clean Air Act amendments and the California Clean Air Act. Though effective air pollution control programs are still needed, past efforts have brought about a significant improvement in air quality (see below).

Since 2003, the number of "good" air quality index (AQI) days in each county has steadily improved, while the number of "unhealthy" days has decreased. After 2008, "good" days always outpaced "unhealthy" days, despite stagnant drought conditions and severe wildfires in the past decade. In 2019, the number of "good" county days reach the highest point in recorded air quality history, while the number of "unhealthy" days is the lowest ever.

During the 2019-2020 winter season (November through February), the Valley continued to demonstrate significantly improved air quality. Despite experiencing one of the driest winter seasons on record, the Valley continued to progress towards attaining the federal PM2.5 standards. These continued improvements in air quality would not have been possible without the emissions reductions achieved under the District's control strategy as well as the commitment from the Valley's residents and businesses to reduce emissions in their daily activities.

Criteria Pollutants

federal standards

Ozone, 8-hr standard

PM2.5

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General PowerPoint on San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Issues The San Joaquin Valley Air District is a public health agency whose mission is to improve the health and quality of life for all Valley residents through efficient, effective and entrepreneurial air quality management strategies.

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Union of Concerned Scientists:  Climate Change in San Joaquin Valley

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Union of Concerned Scientists:  Climate Change in San Joaquin Valley

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This organization help the people living in the San Joaquin Valley learn about climate change and how it is affecting their communities. This also tells them how they can prepare for it.

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For all buildings and transportation to sustain and support all residents health -genesis D

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Reducing single use plastics and promoting better composting and recyclability -genesis D

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Waste and single-use plastic during the coronavirus crisis

Here at CAW, we remain committed to reducing single-use plastics and packaging, promoting better composting and recyclability, and improving our municipal waste systems. But the pandemic is changing many routine parts of our lives. You may have questions about how to keep reusable items safe from virus contamination, or you may have noticed changes at grocery stores, coffee shops, and food deliveries when it comes to reusable items.

What you can do: First, we urge you to take whatever personal actions are necessary to stay safe and sanitary, even if it results in a temporary increase in waste. Second, be gentle with yourself and your family as we all learn to navigate new concerns about what we eat, drink and bring into our homes. Third, pay attention to changing guidelines about disinfecting frequently touched surfaces.

What we know: There is much conflicting information about how long coronavirus lives on surfaces, including plastic, stainless steel, cardboard, and fabric, but it's clear that soap and water, as well as disinfectants, are important components of any safety plan for reused and frequently touched items. Single use disposables such as takeout containers, food packaging, and single use grocery bags should be treated with just as much caution as reusable items when it comes to washing and disinfecting them. As scientists learn more about coronavirus transmission and lifespan, we will learn more about how we can reduce waste while protecting ourselves.

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Waste and single-use plastic during the coronavirus crisis Here at CAW, we remain committed to reducing single-use plastics and packaging, promoting better composting and recyclability, and improving our municipal waste systems. But the pandemic is changing many routine parts of our lives.

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Using science to try and solve the earth's urgent problems. -genesis D

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DANNAR Partners with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District

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DANNAR Partners with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District

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They want to stop the Air pollution as much as they can.

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DANNAR Partners with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to Deploy Zero-Emission Off-Road Equipment at the Port of Stockton

MUNCIE, INDIANA - DANNAR, a leader in zero-emission off-road technologies, is partnering with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to deploy the first Mobile Power Stations (MPS) in California at the Port of Stockton. The MPS is a robust off-road battery-electric mobile platform that offers multi-function capabilities that can efficiently replace multiple pieces of single-purpose, conventional diesel off-road equipment. Funded in-part by the California Air Resources Board through California Climate Investments, the project will help accelerate the commercial deployment of zero-emission off-road technologies, as well as significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, criteria pollutants, and diesel emissions to benefit adjacent and surrounding disadvantaged communities.

Ports, airports, warehouses, and logistic centers throughout California today rely primarily on diesel technologies to move, load, and unload higher tonnage loads. To improve air quality impacts and accelerate the commercial deployment of zero-emission off-road technologies, the Port of Stockton will demonstrate two battery-electric 30,000-pound capacity forklifts with additional cargo handling attachments, including a multi-purpose cargo truck bed and scissor-lift.

To support the battery-electric off-road equipment, ChargePoint, the world's largest network of electric vehicle charging stations, will install two DC fast-chargers at the Port of Stockton. Bosch, a leading global supplier of technology and services, will install telematics on the vehicles to collect data and provide analysis for the Project.

"We are proud to partner with the Port of Stockton, Bosch, ChargePoint and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District on such a pivotal project," said Gary Dannar, CEO of DANNAR. He added, "The Mobile Power Station will better serve the Port's needs, reduce costs, reduce emissions, and provide significant localized air quality benefits, as well as help California achieve its strong environmental policies and goals. We thank CARB for this key investment."

The zero-emission off-road equipment project is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment - particularly in disadvantaged communities. The cap-and-trade program also creates a financial incentive for industries to invest in clean technologies and develop innovative ways to reduce pollution. California Climate Investments projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero-emission vehicles, environmental restoration, more sustainable agriculture, recycling and much more. At least 35 percent of these investments are made in disadvantaged and low-income communities. For more information, visit California Climate Investments.

Supporting Quotes:

San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District: "The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is excited to support the deployment of zero-emission off-road equipment in our effort to reduce mobile source emissions, which remain the largest source of pollution in the Valley."

California Air Resources Board Mobile Source Control Division Branch Chief Maritess Sicat: "This project is a great example of how the Cap-and-Trade program is fighting climate change while improving local air quality and delivering benefits to disadvantaged communities."

Port of Stockton: "The Port of Stockton is excited to participate with our partners to demonstrate zero-emission off-road equipment to provide environmental and economic benefits to our community," Richard Aschieris, Director of the Port of Stockton.

ChargePoint: "For more than a decade, ChargePoint has remained focused on supporting the mass adoption of electrified transportation. Our collaboration with DANNAR and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is evidence of that ongoing commitment," said Anne Smart, Vice President of Public Policy for ChargePoint. "We are eager to partner with progressive companies and government agencies to deploy charging infrastructure that will power the next generation of electric mobility. We commend the Port of Stockton for its leadership in zero-emission off-road equipment and helping bring together partners to make it happen."

Bosch: "Connectivity services provide a wealth of opportunities for improving our quality of life. Bosch is proud to provide connectivity-based services together with the Port of San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, DANNAR and ChargePoint as part of a comprehensive plan to help the Port achieve its emissions objectives," Ron Ritz, Regional President Powertrain Solutions North America.

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MUNCIE, INDIANA - DANNAR, a leader in zero-emission off-road technologies, is partnering with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to deploy the first Mobile Power Stations (MPS) in California at the Port of Stockton. The MPS is a robust off-road battery-electric mobile platform that offers multi-function capabilities that can efficiently replace multiple pieces of single-purpose, conventional diesel off-road equipment.

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Greenlining is an organization that helps people live a better life in their communities.

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Our neighborhoods have been shaped and carved out by exclusionary and racist public policies, policies that segregated African Americans and other communities of color into less desirable neighborhoods and then starved those neighborhoods of public dollars, services and resources. Walk around any "inner-city" neighborhood, the ghetto, , and you're walking around a community that has been constructed by deliberate public policy choices. The Central Valley city of Stockton has definitely felt these impacts.

Against this backdrop of structural disinvestment and neglect, communities are pushing back and building solutions from the ground up. We've been lucky to be able to work with community-based organizations and the local government in Stockton over the , working collaboratively to build a more sustainable future in South Stockton. These partners, including Fathers & Families of San Joaquin , Catholic Charities Diocese of Stockton , Public Health Advocates , , Little Manila Rising , Rising Sun Center for Opportunity , Edible School Yard Program , Insight Garden Program , GRID Alternatives , the City of Stockton and the San Joaquin Regional Transportation District, have pushed through real tensions and an underresourced ecosystem to fight for quality-of-life in their community.

This is just the beginning.
These investments are built upon a collaborative foundation of over four years of partnership between community-based organizations and local government. It was the community that first came forward to "greenline the hood" and demand investment in their neighborhoods, and it is the community that has spent years engaging residents, developing a Sustainable Neighborhood Plan , and turning a community vision into tangible projects. Mayor Tubbs and City of Stockton staff provided critical support to advance and elevate this collective work.

Moving forward, the TCC grant will be governed collaboratively by the community-based partners, eight resident representatives and the City of Stockton. This represents a real shift from traditional, top-down community development, and gives ownership over the changes taking place in their own neighborhoods to community members who know best.

And the work doesn't stop here. These collective partnerships have seeded the Rise Stockton coalition, an independent coalition focused on building the capacity and power of community-based organizations to fight for environmental justice. We're stronger working together, and we know that we need to build our collective capacity to support frontline communities, turn community vision into reality, and advocate for structural change.

Community-Based Transformation Is the Future

We feel very lucky to have been able to support solutions like these to build community transformation. Joining with the California Environmental Justice Alliance , Greenlining sponsored the legislation that created TCC in order to embed equity into state programs. We also helped to catalyze the TCC process in Stockton, providing education and outreach, convening partners, holding the container for the early planning work, and offering policy and technical assistance. Over these past four years, we have witnessed the ingenuity and fierce determination of our Stockton partners, and the deep relationships that we've built there have committed us to seeing their success through.

Looking ahead, we will continue to work for community transformation both in place and systemically. We will continue to support our Stockton partners in forwarding community vision for environmental justice. Based on our experiences in Stockton and with subsequent legislation called , introduced by Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino), we are working with a cross-sector team to develop , a capacity building program for frontline community leaders (which just recently opened applications!). We are conducting an equity analysis of the TCC program to elevate and scale best practices for community-based collaboration. And we will continue working to develop policies, programs and funding that center community-led transformation in pursuit of a Greenlined Economy .

We know that to achieve our vision for equitable community self-determination and to remake our neighborhoods in our own image, we must pursue both structural change and on-the-ground impacts at the same time. We must change the rules of the game while delivering tangible, immediate benefits directly to our most impacted communities -- putting racial equity first, centering resident leadership and building community power.
Emi Wang is Greenlining's Senior Environmental Equity Program Manager. Follow her on Twitter

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Stockton Rising to Achieve Community-Based Transformation

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Our neighborhoods have been shaped and carved out by exclusionary and racist public policies, policies that segregated African Americans and other communities of color into less desirable neighborhoods and then starved those neighborhoods of public dollars, services and resources.

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This organizations is creating a climate change plan will promote statewide water conservation, also restore Restore the Delta ecosystem, including its fisheries and wildlife etc.

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This organization highly influences the youth from the Bay area and San Joaquin county, to provide efficient resources and ideas to fight the battle of climate change. They've been able to provide services to 52,700 Northern California residences.

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Climate Careers - Rising Sun Center for Opportunity

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implementation of neighborhood-level transformative plans that include multiple projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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Left: A GRID Alternatives crew installing solar panels on the Bridges at Florence affordable senior living apartments in the Transform Fresno project area. Photo credit: Fresno Housing Authority; Middle: Children in front of the Watts Towers. Photo credit: Orr, Los Angeles Times; Right: UCLA graduate student researcher Elena Hernandez (left) receives a tour of the Huerta del Valle Community Garden, led by an Ontario community leader, Beatriz Castro. Photo credit: UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation.

A RESOURCE PAGE DEDICATED TO EVALUATION OF TRANSFORMATIVE CLIMATE COMMUNITIES PROGRAM INVESTMENTS

The UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI) launched this page to centralize resources related to its tracking of progress and outcomes from California's Transformative Climate Communities Program (TCC) in five sites (Fresno, Ontario, Northeast San Fernando Valley, Stockton, and Watts). TCC represents some of the world's most comprehensive investments in local climate action. Lessons learned from TCC could have potentially broad implications for addressing the climate crisis.

Authorized by Assembly Bill 2722 in 2016, TCC funds the development and implementation of neighborhood-level transformative plans that include multiple projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to fighting climate change, the program empowers disadvantaged communities impacted by poverty and pollution to support projects to achieve their local economic, environmental, and health goals.

The California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) serves as the lead administrator of TCC. SGC awarded the first round of TCC grants for sites in the City of Fresno ($66.5 million), the City of Ontario ($33.25 million), and the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles ($33.25 million); the second round for the City of Sacramento ($23 million) and the Northeast San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles ($23 million); the third round for the City of Oakland ($28 million), the City of Riverside ($9 million), and the City of Stockton ($11 million). LCI serves as the lead evaluator in all three Round 1 sites, in one Round 2 site (Northeast San Fernando Valley), and in one Round 3 site (Stockton).

TCC includes mechanisms for accountability, including oversight from community members and third-party evaluation from academic researchers.

Researchers at the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and the UC Berkeley (UCB) Center for Resource Efficient Communities comprise the evaluation team for Round 1 of TCC grants. UCLA researchers will also take on a fourth TCC site for evaluation - Northeast Valley Los Angeles - during Round 2 of TCC implementation.

As part of this, the UCLA-UCB evaluation team worked with the Round 1 communities of Fresno, Ontario, and Watts to create the:
Transformative Climate Communities Evaluation PlanPublished in late 2018, this evaluation plan provides a research roadmap that is now used to track and assess local progress and results over a five-year period of TCC investments in the three communities.

TCC is part of the suite of California Climate Investments funded by the state's cap-and-trade program. It unifies many of the California Climate Investments project types into a single, place-based initiative. Specifically, TCC funds the following project types:

Construction of affordable housing near transit;

Installation of rooftop solar and energy efficiency improvements for homes;

Purchase of electric vehicles, including buses, that can run on clean energy instead of fossil fuels;

Expansion of bus service coverage or frequency;

Improvement and expansion of bike lanes and sidewalks;

Planting of trees along bike and pedestrian routes and near buildings; and

Implementation of waste diversion programs, such as the collection and reuse of food waste and neighborhood-scale composting.

To maximize the benefits of these types of projects, TCC community grantees also must develop and implement the following transformative plans:

A community engagement plan to ensure TCC investments reflect the vision and goals of community members;

A workforce development plan to bring economic opportunities to disadvantaged and low-income communities; and

A displacement avoidance plan to minimize the risk of gentrification and displacement of residents and businesses following neighborhood improvements.

Starting in 2020, UCLA is releasing an annual report for each of the first three TCC sites, for a total of five sets of annual reports. Over time, these reports will highlight implementation progress, changing community conditions, lessons learned that can inform future action, and ultimately results that can be attributed to TCC investments.

The first set of annual reports include several components: background information, profiles of the transformative plans and projects, testimonies from real people involved, and a wealth of baseline data on community conditions that could change as a result of five years of TCC implementation. This includes data related to demographic, economic, energy, environmental, health, housing, and transportation conditions.

LCI provides the following repository for open access to all code developed by LCI for the purpose of TCC evaluation:
TCC Evaluation GitHub Repository
This repository can be used by researchers to replicate our findings (for verification) or methods (for use in other evaluations).

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Tracking Groundbreaking Climate Action - UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

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Left: A GRID Alternatives crew installing solar panels on the Bridges at Florence affordable senior living apartments in the Transform Fresno project area. Photo credit: Fresno Housing Authority; Middle: Children in front of the Watts Towers.

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Climate Action Plan Advisory Committee

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The City established a Climate Action Plan Advisory Committee with representatives from environmental, nonprofit, labor, business, and developer interests. This committee helps ensure all aspects of the community are considered before adopting a Climate Action Plan.

August 2, 2018 meeting

For information on the next meeting date and time, please Contact Us.

David Stagnaro, AICP
345 N. El Dorado Street
Stockton, CA 95202
Email: David.Stagnaro@stocktonca.gov

Notice of Preparation (NOP) and Notice of Completion (NOC) of a subsequent Environmental Impact Report for the Climate Action Plan / Related actions and other General Plan Amendments.

Resource Information Provided to the CAPAC
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Seattle Climate Action Plan
This City of Stockton web page last reviewed on --- 9/10/2018

Copyrighted © City of Stockton. All rights reserved.
General Contact Information: 425 N. El Dorado St * Stockton, CA * 95202
Contact Us Site Credits City Web Site Policy Report a Website Problem

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Climate Action Plan Advisory Committee - City of Stockton, CA

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The City established a Climate Action Plan Advisory Committee with representatives from environmental, nonprofit, labor, business, and developer interests. This committee helps ensure all aspects of the community are considered before adopting a Climate Action Plan. August 2, 2018 meeting For information on the next meeting date and time, please Contact Us.

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climate change and clean air ( January 2021 report ) 

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climate change and clean air ( January 2021 report ) 

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They want to focus specifically on air pollution that may relate to the incidence and severity of childhood asthma in the Stockton AB 617 area.  They also want to seek to learn the relationship between outside and indoor air pollution, and the relationship to childhood asthma.

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Climate Change Stockton:

Margo Praus Sierra Club representative

Air Quality monitoring and emissions reductions are coming to Stockton!

The first AB 617 Community Air Protection Program March 4, 2020 at the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium, North Hall 525 N Center St, Stockton, CA 95202; Food at Five (5:00) Meeting starts at 5:30-7:30. AGENDA

An Application to be a member of the Community Steering Committee are still being accepted (March 2020)

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has affirmed the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's recommendation of Southwest Stockton as one of four new California communities to benefit from additional resources provided by the AB 617 Community Air Protection Program.
The AB617 program, now in its second year of implementation, is designed to improve quality of life for the state's most disadvantaged communities through community-led efforts to identify and address local air pollution concerns. AB 617 builds on the Valley Air District's and CARB's longstanding efforts developing and implementing regulatory and incentive-based clean air strategies.
The application to be a member of the Community Steering Committee is DUE January 30, 2020 and current map of the project area can be found at:
http://community.valleyair.org/media/1574/ab617-stockton-steering-committee-app-fill.pdf.

Please consider getting involved our air quality needs YOU!

Interested community members can sign up to receive information at www.valleyair.org/stockton or contact the District directly at AB617@valleyair.org. For more general information on AB617, visit: www.valleyair.org/community or call the District at 559-230-6000.

Air quality issues are prevalent due to the ge ography of the San Joaquin region, which is located within the federally designated San Joaquin Valley Air Basin. The basin is defined by the mountain and foothill ranges to the east and west, the San Joaquin County line to the north, and the Tehachapi and Sierra Nevada Mountains to the south. According to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, our geography creates a giant bowl, which is an ideal condition for air pollution creation and retention. SJC COG 2018 Vehicle Conformity Report

Federal air quality regulations require Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to monitor four air pollutants:

Ozone;

Particulate matter under 2.5 microns in diameter (PM 2.5);

Particulate matter under 10 microns in diameter (PM-10); and

Carbon Monoxide (CO).

The San Joaquin Valley is currently designated as nonattainment with respect to Federal air quality standards for ozone and PM 2.5; and has a maintenance plan for PM-10, as well as a maintenance plan for CO for the urbanized/metropolitan areas of Kern, Fresno, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin Counties. As San Joaquin County's transportation planning agency, SJCOG is responsible for demonstrating that transportation plans and programs satisfy the requirements of the Clean Air Act.

Additionally, Senate Bill 375 (SB 375) was enacted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles and light trucks through integrated transportation, land use, housing, and environmental planning. Under the law, SJCOG is tasked with developing a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), a required element of the RTP that provides a plan for meeting greenhouse gas reduction targets set forth by the California Air Resources Board.
Information about filing an air pollution complaint

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Climate Change Stockton: Margo Praus Sierra Club representative October 2020 Update Stockton Takes a Big Step Towards Setting Targets UC Davis White Paper 2019Anti-Idle Campaign Background InformationSJC Coalition Stockton News Video June 2019 Clean Air is regulated by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District:Sierra Club member Neb Lieba: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Citizen Advisory Committee Environmental interest representative January 2021 Report October 2020 Report November 2019 Report - important news for San Joaquin County Air Quality monitoring and emi

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Trying to stop companies from digging up oil and gases that can be harmful to people with breathing problems

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In 2018, community leaders in Arvin pressured city officials to pass an unprecedented, health- protective oil and gas ordinance, and used the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in litigation to protect residents from four new oil and gas wells. Twenty miles southeast of Bakersfield, Arvin lies directly over an oil field in Kern County, where the oil and gas industry exerts immense political power. More than 80,000 wells exist in Kern County. In Arvin, a dozen oil and gas wells are already operating next to homes and schools. Due in part to local oil and gas drilling, Arvin residents are exposed to ozone and particulate matter at concentrations higher than 94 to 98 percent of the rest of the state. Many residents suffer from severe asthma, allergies, cancer, and other illnesses.

In 2014, the Committee for a Better Arvin (CBA) and the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment (CRPE) decided to take action to protect Arvin families from further oil and gas pollution. Over the course of four years, CBA members collected more than 2,600 petitions and spoke to city officials to advocate for modernizing the city's oil and gas ordinance. Finally, they convinced the Arvin City Council to pass a new oil and gas ordinance on July 17, 2018, that creates a 300-foot setback between wells and residences, provides additional monitoring and reporting requirements, and significantly increases permitting fees. [72]

Unfortunately, during the same time, the city also approved Petro-Lud Inc.'s application to drill four oil and gas wells in the middle of a residential neighborhood without any review under CEQA. Represented by CRPE and Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger, CBA filed a lawsuit challenging the city's approval with the Kern County Superior Court.

Despite dozens of community members' testimonies on the severe health impacts that can result from these oil and gas wells-and despite the finding in Arvin's newest oil and gas ordinance that all oil and gas operations can significantly impact the city's air, water, and soil, and are "incompatible with residential uses"-the city of Arvin approved Petro-Lud's project by finding it "exempt" from CEQA under the "small structures" exemption. This exemption, however, is reserved for the construction of single-family homes, small shops, and similar projects that do not typically cause significant environmental harm.

Fortunately, the Court decided the case in favor of CBA, concluding that CEQA's small structures exemption could not be stretched to include Petro-Lud's oil and gas project, reasoning that "[oil] and gas exploration and production are intensive industrial operations with a reasonably possible potential for significant adverse environmental effects." The Court's decision sends a clear message to local governments and to the oil industry that environmental impacts caused by oil and gas projects cannot be masked by improper reliance on a CEQA exemption.

Just as the new oil and gas ordinance is a remarkable demonstration of a community-driven, health protective land use policy, the litigation underscores that CEQA is one of the few and most critical tools EJ communities have to protect polluted families from harmful projects. It also underscores how much EJ communities have to work in order to succeed: Just when they think that they are making progress, they often find that they must begin fighting the next battle. As Estela Escoto, president of Committee for a Better Arvin, says: "Para nosotros, el haber detenido la construcción de los cuatro pozos es un gran logro para CBA, y vamos a seguir adelante luchando por nuestra comunidad." ("For us, having stopped the construction of the four wells is a big victory for CBA, and we will continue fighting for our community.")

"For us, having stopped the construction of the four wells is a big victory for CBA, and we will continue fighting for our community."
Endnotes are numbered as in the full report:
72
Arvin, California, City Council Ordinance § 451 Text Amendment § 2017-04, An Oil and Gas Ordinance for the Regulation of Petroleum Facilities and Operations, 9 and 55; http://www.arvin.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Ordinance-No.-451-Text-Amendment-No.-2017-04-An-Oiland-Gas-Ordinance-for-Regulation-of-Petroleum-Facilitiesand-Operations.pdf.

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CASE STUDY: Committee for a Better Arvin - Oil and Gas Ordinance

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In 2018, community leaders in Arvin pressured city officials to pass an unprecedented, health- protective oil and gas ordinance, and used the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in litigation to protect residents from four new oil and gas wells.

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California Environmental Justice Alliance 

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California Environmental Justice Alliance 

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Work towards implementing local statewide policies that help communities that ate most impacted by environmental hazards. Main website for the "California Green Zones" article below.

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Defensive Wins, a Disastrous Budget, and a Need for Community-Centered Environmental Justice Solutions

2023 was, in many ways, a disappointing year for environmental justice communities across California. Bold bills like SB 556 (Gonzalez) - which aimed to shift the burden of proof to polluters, holding fossil fuel companies legally accountable for health issues like cancer or high-risk pregnancy suffered by ... Read More

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- California Environmental Justice Alliance

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2023 was, in many ways, a disappointing year for environmental justice communities across California. Bold bills like SB 556 (Gonzalez) - which aimed to shift the burden of proof to polluters, holding fossil fuel companies legally accountable for health issues like cancer or high-risk pregnancy suffered by ... Read More

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Journey to Zero by Neste

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How Neste and the City of Oakland created a pioneering circular economy

How Neste is helping sustainabale aviation fuel take off in California

How renewable diesel is helping keep California's medium and heavy duty road vehicles moving with less emissions.

Neste, the world's leading producer of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel made from waste and residue materials, is investing to help businesses and cities in California achieve their climate goals.

In response to the growing calls for climate action, governments, businesses, and cities are making bold promises to create a healthier and more sustainable future. California, for example, is taking action with legislation to encourage the use of electric trucks. This is good news. Any action to reduce society's reliance on fossil fuels is a step in the right direction.

However, reducing carbon emissions from some segments of the transportation sector will be challenging. Medium and heavy road transportation, which includes big rigs, cement mixers, emergency response vehicles, tractors, and many other large vehicles, is recognized as hard to electrify. Similarly, the aviation industry will continue to rely on liquid fuels in the decades ahead.

"This is where advanced biofuels come in," said Jeremy Baines, President of Neste US. "For the past decade, Neste's renewable diesel has enabled California businesses and cities to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. Our fuel has played a major role in the success of the state's low carbon fuel standard, replacing more than 1.6 billion gallons of fossil diesel."

Neste's renewable, low carbon fuels will continue to play a big role in the Golden State, enabling California's forward-thinking businesses and cities to achieve a carbon neutral future.
From Trash to Treasure: Fueling a City's Fleet Through a Circular Economy
Neste's entire renewables business model is centered around the idea of a circular economy.

"All of our renewable products are made by recycling -- or rather upcycling -- one industry's waste into another industry's treasure," said Baines. "Our advanced biofuels are the perfect example of this: using waste and residue materials from our food system to power our transportation system."

Now, Neste is bringing this circular economy model to customers in California and beyond.

In 2019, Neste, in collaboration with Western States Oil, began working with the City of Oakland, California, to collect used cooking oil from 110 restaurants within the city limits. In turn, Neste converts this locally sourced waste into renewable diesel to power the City's municipal fleets, ranging from garbage and recycling trucks to emergency response vehicles and to street cleaners.

Read more about our pioneering circular economy.

Neste's acquisition of Mahoney Environmental and recent entry into the used cooking oil collection market in Washington state means we are even better positioned to help customers create a circular economy. For example, the amount of used cooking oil generated from Oregon, California and Washington combined is around 377 million pounds per year - enough to make more than 38 million gallons of renewbale diesel and SAF. The renewable fuel can then be brought back into the U.S. West Coast to power vehicles. The end result - a virtuous, circular cycle.

There are so many possibilities. Imagine, for example, a world where the flights out of San Francisco, California, to Chicago, Illinois, or Dallas, Texas, are powered by the used cooking oil collected from Chicago's O'Hare and Dallas/Fort Worth airports. Or, a world where sports fans could come and go from Climate Pledge Arena on buses that run on renewable diesel made fromt he stadiums own waste.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel is Taking Off at SFO
Neste is delivering a continuous supply of sustainable aviation fuel to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) via existing pipeline infrastructure, a major milestone for the company. The SAF is blended into the jet fuel pool, and will be used by major airlines including American Airlines, JetBlue and Alaska Air.

This achievement has been called a "climate quantum leap" by SFO. It is a major step forward since the airport signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Neste and a group of eight airlines and fuel producers to expand the use of SAF in 2018.

"Air travel allows us to connect with each other, appreciate the natural wonders of the world, and experience the richness of diverse cultures. These are the things we want to preserve by fighting climate change," said Chris Cooper, Vice President, North America, Renewable Aviation. "That's why we are committed to growing the market for sustainable aviation fuel in North America, so future generations can enjoy the many benefits of air travel."

Neste has also entered into a strategic partnership with Signature Flight Services and NetJets to accelerate the use of sustainable aviation fuel in the business and private aviation sector. Now, passengers will be able to board a NetJet's aircraft at SFO running on sustainable aviation fuel. This is an important achievement, as the U.S. private aviation sector is the largest in the world and the number of private or chartered flights is expected to keep growing. In fact, the industry currently consumes more than 1.8 billion gallons of fossil jet fuel each year.
More Renewable Diesel to Move California Toward a Cleaner Future
More than 4 billion gallons of fossil diesel are still burned in California each year - primarly in vehicles that are hard to electrify like big rigs, farm equipment, emergency response vehicles, and construction vehicles. Regrettably, our planet and communities exposed to emissions from burning fossil diesel can't wait ten or twenty years for zero emission solutions for these vehicles. This is where renewable diesel fuel comes in. It is a "today solution" that is already keeping thousands of medium and heavy duty vehicles running with significantly less emissions.

Neste is making it easier for California businesses and cities to kick the oil habit and switch to Neste MY Renewable Diesel™. We are continuing to work with our trusted, local distributors to boost availability, and we have more than doubled the size of our renewable diesel fueling network. In many cases, Neste refurbished and upgraded existing fueling stations to offer renewable diesel--something that could be done because renewable diesel is compatible with existing fueling infrastructure. Our ambition is to create a "green fueling network" across the U.S. West Coast, making it even easier for fleet managers to make the switch to renewable diesel.

"COVID-19 has shone a light on the important role trucking plays in preserving our quality of life. Trucks deliver packages to our doors, supply hospitals, and restock grocery stores," said Carrie Song, Vice President, North America, Renewable Road Transport. "It is essential that we keep these vehicles moving with much less greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Renewable diesel can do just that, powering the state's economic recovery while also helping fleet operators to quickly and affordably achieve their climate change targets."

Recently, we also helped the Twin Rivers Unified School District transform 75 diesel-powered school buses from fossil fuel to fossil free overnight. In California, more than 25,000 school buses bring millions of students to school each day. About 65% of these vehicles run on fossil diesel - contributing to climate change and potentially exposing children to toxic emissions. Simply switching the state's entire fleet of diesel-powered school buses to run on renewable diesel fuel could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 600 million pounds per year - the same climate benefits as building nearly 60 wind farms, planting 4.5 million trees, or keeping more than 26.5 million gallons of oil in the ground per year.
A bright future ahead for California, powered by renewable fuels.
Fifteen years ago, Neste was an oil company faced with the hatching "Black Swan" of climate change. Taking small steps at first, Neste has turned into a "Green Swan," becoming a global leader in renewable products and the third most sustainable company in the world.

Today, Neste's renewable products are making a real, lasting impact. Last year, the company's renewable products prevented more than 9.6 million tons of CO2 equivalent from entering the atmosphere. Approximately one-third of those greenhouse gas reduction savings came from North America, primarily because many businesses and cities in California chose to kick the oil habit and make the switch to advanced biofuels.

Neste's goal is to get that number up to 20 million tons by 2030. California will play a critical role in achieving this. The state is full of forward-thinking cities and businesses that have chosen to make fighting climate change and air pollution a priority.

Whether it's related to sustainability or simply supporting California communities, Neste's commitment to help the state continues even through the pandemic. Neste's hope is that post COVID-19, businesses, cities and residents in California will choose to keep working with us and our many partners to create a green recovery and build back better.

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Making it easier for California to fight climate change

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How Neste and the City of Oakland created a pioneering circular economy How Neste is helping sustainabale aviation fuel take off in California How renewable diesel is helping keep California's medium and heavy duty road vehicles moving with less emissions.

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They help solve the global climate problems that go on locally.

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Read Climate Resolve's Updated Mission and ApproachClimate Resolve remains dedicated to issues of racial, social and environmental equity. The Team has published an updated statement on our equity approach.Read the StatementDeputy Director Bryn Lindblad on Healthier Streets During COVID-19​In an op-ed for Urbanize LA, Climate Resolve Deputy Director Bryn Lindblad discusses Los Angeles street life [...]

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The NPS is in charge of protecting natural and cultural resources.-Neida

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The National Park Service (NPS) is dedicated to the protection of natural and cultural resources at over four hundred park units across the United States. Within these parks, the NPS must also manage the largest number of constructed assets of any civilian agency in the federal government, including a range of structures, maintained landscapes, trails, and utility systems.

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Sustainable Operations and Climate Change (U.S. National Park Service)

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The National Park Service (NPS) is dedicated to the protection of natural and cultural resources at over four hundred park units across the United States.

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This organization is international made by an activist and his University friends. The goal of this organization is to keep global carbon dioxide concentration under 350 parts per million. They are also trying to stop oil and gas development move to 100% renewable energy.

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36 Organizations Helping Solve the Climate Crisis - Food Tank

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These 36 organizations can connect you to the climate movement no matter where you live or what your skills are.

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The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

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''We see climate change everywhere — in stronger storms, drier droughts and more acidic oceans. We also see solutions everywhere — in the way we make electricity, fertilize crops or move cargo.''

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Letter from the International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation (ICSA) to the Members of the ICAO Council on CORSIA Offset Program Eligibility for the First Round of Emissions Unit Program Applications

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Letter from the International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation (ICSA) to the Members of the ICAO Council on CORSIA Offset Program Eligibility for the First Round of Emissions Unit Program Applications

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Climate Change and Water Partner Organizations

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Climate Change and Water Partner Organizations

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They are a Environmental Protection Agency that helps with the water and climate.

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The Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) is a national leader in high school climate science education. ACE is dedicated to educating America's high school students about the science behind climate change and inspiring them to take action while having fun.

This site aims to build a shared knowledge base for managing natural and built systems in the face of climate change. It also intends to build an innovative community of practice. CAKE builds an interactive online platform, creates a directory of practitioners to share knowledge, and identifies and explains climate data tools and information.

The Georgetown Climate Center seeks to advance effective climate, energy, and transportation policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help communities adapt to climate change. The Center works with government officials, academics, and an array of stakeholders to strengthen state and federal climate partnerships.

This site provides information and resources tailored to helping native people gain a better understanding of climate change and its impacts on their communities. The site offers training, education materials, and a variety of other resources.

The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) is an independent scientific research organization focused on wastewater and stormwater issues. Subscribers include wastewater treatment plants, stormwater utilities, and regulatory agencies, industry, equipment companies, engineers and environmental consultants also lend their support and expertise.

The Water Research Foundation is a leader in water research and dedicated to advancing the science of water by sponsoring cutting-edge research and promoting collaboration. The Foundation's research provides industry insights and practical solutions to complex challenges facing the water community.

The Water Utility Climate Alliance is dedicated to collaborating on climate change issues affecting drinking water utilities. By enhancing climate change research and developing adaptation strategies, water utilities will be positioned to respond to climate change and protect our water supplies.

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Climate Change and Water Partner Organizations | US EPA

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The Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) is a national leader in high school climate science education. ACE is dedicated to educating America's high school students about the science behind climate change and inspiring them to take action while having fun.

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Dairy Farms "Fuel a Cleaner San Joaquin Valley: Sustaining Jobs, Fighting Climate Change, and Improving Air Quality"

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There's a new wave of renewable fuel, and it's coming from California's family dairy farms. As the state works toward ambitious climate and clean energy goals, renewable natural gas (RNG) is the leading alternative to diesel in heavy-duty trucks-significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality. Until recently, most of the RNG consumed by California vehicles came from out-of-state sources, mainly from landfills. However, California's dairy farmers are partnering with the state and private investors to build valuable infrastructure and provide a new fuel source that benefits the local environment, the state's economy, and the climate.

A First for California, With More to Come

As a growing number of the state's family-owned dairy farms install digesters that capture methane, millions of metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions are being reduced. Additionally, the biogas is being collected, cleaned and conditioned, and then injected into the state's natural gas pipeline. In 2019, Calgren, a biogas company based in Pixley, became the first project in California to inject dairy biogas into the natural gas system. Calgren currently collects biogas from ten neighboring dairy farms, with more to be added. The project represents only the first surge of dairy biomethane that is expected to come online in the next three to four years.

As a growing number of the state's family-owned dairy farms install digesters that capture methane, millions of metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions are being reduced.

Similar developments are under way throughout the San Joaquin Valley, where neighboring dairies will soon be sending biomethane to centralized injection hubs. There are currently 34 digesters operating on California dairy farms, with another 95 in various stages of development. Most of the developing projects are designed to inject biomethane into natural gas pipelines, making a significant contribution to California's robust supply of RNG that is being used to replace the use of diesel. This year, the state has allocated another $34 million for dairy methane reduction grants-expected to fund about twelve more digesters, in addition to other projects.

Improving Air Quality at the Local Level

This new, clean fuel source will make a tremendous difference in the San Joaquin Valley, where dairy farms play an important role in the economy. About 180,000 California jobs are attributed to the dairy industry-on dairy farms, in processing facilities, and throughout the supply chain. More than half of those jobs are located in the San Joaquin Valley. Not only are dairy digesters helping farmers meet the state's climate goals; they are also helping improve air quality for local dairy families, employees, and communities.

With dairy biogas projects funded to date, an estimated 60 million diesel gallon equivalents (DGE) of fuel will be produced each year. That's enough fuel to support more than 6,200 RNG trucks. By using this new fuel source, oxides of nitrogen (NOx), a component of smog, will be reduced by an estimated 650 to 1,320 tons each year, depending on the age of diesel trucks being replaced. This cleaner burning fuel will primarily be used in the San Joaquin Valley, greatly reducing the amount of air pollution caused by transportation in an area with some of the worst air quality in the nation. The use of RNG throughout the Valley will increase as more projects come online and more fueling stations are built. SoCalGas, the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, recently opened a new fueling station in Bakersfield that only dispenses RNG-the largest fueling station to do so in the country. Likewise, Trillium, a leading provider of alternative fuels, has also announced the opening of two new RNG truck fueling stations in Kern County, along essential transportation and goods movement corridors.

This cleaner burning fuel will primarily be used in the San Joaquin Valley, greatly reducing air pollution caused by transportation in an area with some of the worst air quality in the nation.

California's Dairy Farms Lead the Way

The capture of methane and use of renewable natural gas is a win-win for farmers and the state. California dairy farmers are working toward a world-leading goal to reduce dairy manure methane emissions by 40% below 2013 levels by 2030. Through the implementation of digesters and other dairy methane reduction projects funded to date, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) estimates 2.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gases will be reduced each year. That's approximately 25% of the 2013 California inventory for dairy and livestock manure methane emissions-a reduction that takes dairy farms more than halfway to reaching the 2030 target. With continued investment by the state, dairy farmers, and private companies, this goal will be achieved, reducing climate impacts, while generating even more clean-burning RNG.

This success demonstrates great collaboration between dairy farmers, state officials, researchers, and the private sector. The state has provided more than $500 million in grant funding to date, which is being matched by even more funding from dairy farm families and private financers. The methane reduction goal is one of several ways in which California dairy farms are leading the world in the development of planet-smart farming practices. This includes efforts to boost soil health and water conversation, improve water quality protection, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The state's more than 1,200 family dairy farms continue to improve environmental performance.

California dairy farmers are working toward a world-leading goal to reduce dairy manure methane emissions by 40% below 2013 levels by 2030.

Join us for California Dairy Sustainability Summit 2020

California's dairy community looks forward to once again welcoming state, regional, and local officials, researchers, technology providers, dairy processors and customers, and other key stakeholders from across the globe to the second annual California Dairy Sustainability Summit, taking place March 25-26, 2020 in Sacramento. A key topic throughout the event will be dairy's role in fueling a clean energy future. Key speakers include Kate Gordon, Senior Policy Advisor to Governor Newsom on Climate, and Lenny Mendonca, Director of the Governor's Office of Business. Join hundreds of California dairy farmers and their collaborative partners, as they discuss advancing clean transportation and other world-leading environmental initiatives.
Dairy farmers are helping the San Joaquin Valley and the state power a cleaner, more sustainable future. Join them at the California Dairy Sustainability Summit, March 25-26, 2020.

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Dairy Farms Fuel a Cleaner San Joaquin Valley | ACT News

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There's a new wave of renewable fuel, and it's coming from California's family dairy farms. As the state works toward ambitious climate and clean energy goals, renewable natural gas (RNG) is the leading alternative to diesel in heavy-duty trucks-significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality.

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"California program overestimates climate benefits of forest offsets -study". Forest environments.

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California's forest carbon offset program has generated tens of millions of credits that have questionable value in fighting climate change, a nonprofit group of scientists said this week.

CarbonPlan, a group that researches the integrity of programs designed to offset carbon emissions, said that 29% of the forest carbon offsets it analyzed in California's cap and trade program overestimated the amount of carbon emissions they were offsetting, totaling 30 million tonnes, worth about $410 million.

"Rather than improve forest management to store additional carbon, ecological and statistical flaws in California's offsets program create incentives to generate credits that do not reflect real climate benefits," said the analysis.

Carbon offset plans encourage polluters to cut their emissions or purchase credits from companies or projects that reduce carbon, by setting a gradually reduced cap on pollution. California's cap and trade program, for example, allows oil companies and other emitters to purchase offset credits from a forest owner who agrees to reduce or delay a timber harvest.

The CarbonPlan study said the carbon offset plan did not always consider the variability of tree species in storing carbon, leading to flaws in the accounting.

The California Air Resource Board, the agency that implements the state's program, said that the methodologies used in the forest protocol it approved were developed through a public process. Carbon credits issued to projects in the program "represent real, quantifiable, permanent, verifiable, enforceable, and additional reductions," it said.

Scientists are likely to scrutinize carbon offsets programs more as President Joe Biden pushes his plan to put the country on a path to fully decarbonize the economy by 2050. The California forest carbon offset program, worth more than $2 billion, is the biggest such program in existence.

The CarbonPlan study was released on the web to spark public comment and early versions were shared in February with journalists at ProPublica. It has also been submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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California program overestimates climate benefits of forest offsets -study

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California's forest carbon offset program has generated tens of millions of credits that have questionable value in fighting climate change, a nonprofit group of scientists said this week.

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Plants trees in neighborhoods, communities, cities, and forests globally to address the issues of air and water quality, deforestation, poverty, hunger, and most importantly climate change.

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Help us plant 100 million trees and remove millions of pounds of carbon dioxide from our air. Learn how to Plant Your Change.

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They Help Fight Climate change in America Nation Wide Orders coming from 46th president Joe Biden.

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Climate isn't the only thing changing.

What comes next in the nation's struggle to combat global warming will probably transform how Americans drive, where they get their power and other bits of day-to-day life, both quietly and obviously, experts say. So far the greening of America has been subtle, driven by market forces, technology and voluntary actions.

The Biden administration is about to change that.

In a flurry of executive actions in his first eight days in office, the president is trying to steer the U.S. economy from one fueled by fossils to one that no longer puts additional heat-trapping gases into the air by 2050.

The United States is rejoining the international Paris climate accord and is also joining many other nations in setting an ambitious goal that once seemed unattainable: net-zero carbon emissions by midcentury. That means lots of changes designed to fight increasingly costly climate disasters such as wildfires, floods, droughts, storms and heat waves.

Think of the journey to a carbon-less economy as a road trip from Washington, D.C., to California that started about 15 years ago. "We've made it through Ohio and up to the Indiana border. But the road has been pretty smooth so far. It gets rougher ahead," said climate scientist Zeke Hausfather, climate and energy director at the Breakthrough Institute.

"The Biden administration is both stepping on the gas and working to upgrade our vehicle," Hausfather said.

The end results of some of Biden's new efforts may still not be noticeable, such as your power eventually coming from ever-cheaper wind and solar energy instead of coal and natural gas that now provides 59% of American power. But when it comes to going from here to there, that you'll notice.

General Motors announced Thursday that as of 2035 it hopes to go all-electric for its light-duty vehicles, no longer selling gas cars. Experts expect most new cars sold in 2030 to be electric. The Biden administration promised 550,000 charging stations to help with the transition to electric cars.

"You will no longer be going to a gas station, but you will need to charge your vehicle whether at home or on the road," said Kate Larsen, director of international climate policy research at the Rhodium Group. "It may be a whole new way of thinking about transportation for the average person."

But it will still be your car, which is why most of the big climate action over the next 10 years won't be too noticeable, said Princeton University ecologist Stephen Pacala.

"The single biggest difference is that because wind and solar is distributed you will see a lot more of it on the landscape," said Pacala, who leads a decarbonizing America study by the National Academy of Sciences that comes out next week.

Other recent detailed scientific studies show that because of dropping wind, solar and battery prices, Biden's net-zero carbon goal can be accomplished far cheaper than feared in the past and with health benefits "many, many times″ outweighing the costs, said Pacala, who was part of one study at Princeton. Those studies agree on what needs to be done for decarbonization, and what Biden has come out with "is doing the things that everyone now is concluding that we should do," Pacala said.

These are the type of shifts that don't cost much - about $1 day per person - and won't require people to abandon their current cars and furnaces, but replace them with cleaner electric vehicles and heat pumps when it comes time for a new one, said Margaret Torn, a senior science at the Department's of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, who co-authored a peer-reviewed study Wednesday.

Part of the problem, said study co-author Ryan Jones, co-founder of Evolved Energy Research, is that for years people have wrongly portrayed the battle against climate change as a "personal morality problem" where individuals have to sacrifice by driving and flying less, turning down the heat and eating less meat.

"Actually, climate change is an industry economy issue where most of the big solutions are happening under the hood or upstream of people's homes," Jones said. "It's a big change in how we produce energy and consume energy. It's not a change in people's day-to-day lives or it doesn't need to be."

One Biden interim goal - "a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035" - may not be doable that quickly, but can be done by 2050, said study co-author Jim Williams of the University of San Francisco.

Biden's executive orders featured plans for an all-electric federal fleet of vehicles, conserving 30% of the country's land and waters, doubling the nation's offshore wind energy and funding to help communities become more resilient to climate disasters. Republicans and fossil fuel interests objected, calling the actions job-killers.

"Using the incredible leverage of federal government purchases in green electricity, zero-emission cars and new infrastructure will rapidly increase demand for home-grown climate-friendly technologies," said Rosina Bierbaum, a University of Michigan environmental policy professor.

The next big thing for the administration is to come up with a Paris climate accord goal - called Nationally Determined Contribution - for how much the United States hopes to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It has to be ambitious for the president to reach his ultimate goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, but it also has to be doable.

His administration promises to reveal the goal, required by the climate agreement but nonbinding, before its Earth Day climate summit, April 22.

That new number "is actually the centrally important activity of the next year," said University of Maryland environment professor Nate Hultman, who worked on the Obama administration's Paris goal.

Getting to net zero carbon emissions midcentury means about a 43% cut from 2005 levels - the baseline the U.S. government uses - by 2030, said the Rhodium Group's Larsen. The U.S. can realistically reach a 40% cut by 2030, which is about one-third reduction from what 2020 U.S. carbon emissions would have been without a pandemic, said Williams, the San Francisco professor.

All this work on power and vehicles, that's easy compared with decarbonizing agriculture with high methane emissions from livestock and high-heat industrial processes such as steel-making, Breakthrough's Hausfather said.

"There's no silver bullet for agriculture," Hausfather said. "There's no solar panels for cows so to speak, apart from meat alternatives, but even there you have challenges around consumer acceptance."

___

Read stories on climate issues by The Associated Press at https://apnews.com/hub/climate

___

Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Fighting climate change in America means changes to America

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Climate isn't the only thing changing. What comes next in the nation's struggle to combat global warming will probably transform how Americans drive, where they get their power and other bits of day-to-day life, both quietly and obviously, experts say...

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"California program overestimates climate benefits of forest offsets -study". Forest environments.

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California's forest carbon offset program has generated tens of millions of credits that have questionable value in fighting climate change, a nonprofit group of scientists said this week.

CarbonPlan, a group that researches the integrity of programs designed to offset carbon emissions, said that 29% of the forest carbon offsets it analyzed in California's cap and trade program overestimated the amount of carbon emissions they were offsetting, totaling 30 million tonnes, worth about $410 million.

"Rather than improve forest management to store additional carbon, ecological and statistical flaws in California's offsets program create incentives to generate credits that do not reflect real climate benefits," said the analysis.

Carbon offset plans encourage polluters to cut their emissions or purchase credits from companies or projects that reduce carbon, by setting a gradually reduced cap on pollution. California's cap and trade program, for example, allows oil companies and other emitters to purchase offset credits from a forest owner who agrees to reduce or delay a timber harvest.

The CarbonPlan study said the carbon offset plan did not always consider the variability of tree species in storing carbon, leading to flaws in the accounting.

The California Air Resource Board, the agency that implements the state's program, said that the methodologies used in the forest protocol it approved were developed through a public process. Carbon credits issued to projects in the program "represent real, quantifiable, permanent, verifiable, enforceable, and additional reductions," it said.

Scientists are likely to scrutinize carbon offsets programs more as President Joe Biden pushes his plan to put the country on a path to fully decarbonize the economy by 2050. The California forest carbon offset program, worth more than $2 billion, is the biggest such program in existence.

The CarbonPlan study was released on the web to spark public comment and early versions were shared in February with journalists at ProPublica. It has also been submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

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California program overestimates climate benefits of forest offsets -study

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California's forest carbon offset program has generated tens of millions of credits that have questionable value in fighting climate change, a nonprofit group of scientists said this week.