California ARB Awarding $200M to Reduce Diesel Emissions from Trucks, Locomotives, Harborcraft
25 June 2010
The California Air Resources Board awarded $200 million in Proposition 1B funds to cut harmful emissions from heavy-duty trucks and other sources in the state’s four busiest trade corridors to clean up air pollution and protect community health.
The Los Angeles/Inland Empire, Central Valley, Bay Area and San Diego/Border regions received the funds from the Proposition 1B, approved by voters in 2006. Previous Proposition 1B funds in 2008 provided $246 million to local agencies putting more than 5,000 cleaner trucks on the state’s roads.
The trade corridors to receive funding are:
- $110 million for Los Angeles/Inland Empire;
- $55.5 million for Central Valley; and,
- $31 million for the Bay Area and San Diego/Border regions.
The recommended distribution of the $200 million among the four trade corridors is based on program guidelines adopted in March. The money will be used to reduce emissions from heavy-duty diesel trucks, locomotives and rail yards, ship berths, cargo equipment and commercial harbor craft such as tugboats and crew and supply vessels.
The $200 million will be distributed to the following projects:
- $112 million for diesel truck upgrades;
- $81 million for ships at berth and cargo handling projects;
- $6 million for freight locomotive projects; and,
- $0.5 million for harbor craft projects.
Projects include truck grants which will help independent truck owners and others comply early with the statewide truck rule adopted in 2008. The newly funded projects are estimated to reduce emissions by more than 29,000 tons of NOx and more than 600 tons of particulate matter over the life of the project.
The $1-billion Proposition 1B: Goods Movement Emission Reduction Program is funded through the sale of voter-approved bonds in the financial market and is a partnership between the ARB and local agencies such as districts and seaports, to quickly reduce air pollution emissions and health risk from freight movement along California’s trade corridors. Local agencies apply to ARB for funding, and then those agencies offer financial incentives to owners of equipment used in freight movement to upgrade to cleaner technologies. Projects funded under this program must achieve early or extra emission reductions to complement ARB regulations.
They think they still have money because they still have checks in the checkbook.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 25 June 2010 at 07:00 AM
Where will the budget offset come from. California is running out of cash!
Posted by: HarveyD | 25 June 2010 at 09:12 AM
The article states that funding comes from voter-approved Proposition 1B tax revenue. California voters are clearly in favor of clean air through reduced air pollution emissions. I think CARB has made a logical choice of their polluters to fund for clean up.
Posted by: Sanity Chk | 25 June 2010 at 09:29 AM
I agree that "voter-approved Proposition 1B tax revenue" trumps most/all other considerations.
But I believe that was voter-approved in 2006.
I would expect the CARB to have heard that CA is now broke.
No, wait, I would expect nothing sane from CARB.
Never mind.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 25 June 2010 at 12:53 PM
Maybe Californians realize that a healthier California population will yield more work, profits, and taxes than making more billion-dollar-a-year compensated medical insurance CEO's.
Posted by: kelly | 25 June 2010 at 04:35 PM
CARB is empire building, nothing more.
They are desperate to justify their continued existence. Now that modern Gasoline ICE engines from all manufacturers, are almost completely clean, there is less and less for them to do. Now 25% of the auto fleet is already Zero Pollution cars and growing rapidly as older cars are scrapped, and replaced with newer, now totally clean models, the proportion is growing rapidly. And the age of EVs and EREVS is just dawning.
Tough Diesel regulations for Trucks and Rail locomotives, and Marine shipping, Farm and off road construction vehicles are passed and in place too, and early models are showing up from the manufacturers with many more to follow, their job is essentially completed.
The have even passed cleanup and emissions requirements for the small engines of suburban lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and hedge trimmers. What is left to justify their Paychecks? Nothing at all.
Who needs the luxury of a special and R-E-D-U-N-D-A-N-T state EPA? And what there is can be done by the Federal EPA, so who needs CARB?
Lets waste some Money!
Posted by: Stan Peterson | 26 June 2010 at 09:48 AM
"help independent truck owners and others comply early with the statewide truck rule adopted in 2008"
I like the idea of helping people comply with these laws. If the proposition was funded with bonds paid for with gas taxes and registration fees, then it is self funding.
Posted by: SJC | 29 June 2010 at 11:35 PM
Stan: There is more than empire building going on at CARB - they are cleaning up the air and reducing carbon and other emissions from transportation and industrial sectors. You can carry on putting their efforts down but if you think long term, they are dealing with an urgent problem that the Feds have been far too delinquent on.
I'm glad someone is stepping up to the plate.
Posted by: Sanity Chk | 02 July 2010 at 08:32 PM