9-500.04. Air quality control; definitions
A. The governing body of a city or town in area A or area B as defined in section 49-541 shall:
1. If the city has a population exceeding fifty thousand persons according to the 1995 special census, adjust the work hours of at least eighty-five per cent of municipal employees each year beginning October 1 and ending April 1 in order to reduce the level of carbon monoxide, ozone and particulate matter concentrations caused by vehicular travel.
2. In area A, in consultation with the designated metropolitan planning organization, synchronize traffic control signals on all existing and new roadways, within and across jurisdictional boundaries, that have average daily trips exceeding fifteen thousand motor vehicles per day.
3. In area A, beginning on January 1, 2008, develop and implement plans to stabilize targeted unpaved roads, alleys and unpaved shoulders on targeted arterials. The plans shall address the performance goals, the criteria for targeting the roads, alleys and shoulders, a schedule for implementation, funding options and reporting requirements. Priority shall be given to the following:
(a) Unpaved roads with more than one hundred average daily trips.
(b) Unpaved shoulders on arterial roads and other road segments where vehicle use on unpaved shoulders is evident or anticipated due to projected traffic volume.
4. In area A, acquire or utilize vacuum systems or other dust removal technology to reduce the particulates attributable to conventional crack sealing operations as existing equipment is retired.
5. In area A, in order to reduce particulate matter in ambient air:
(a) Beginning March 31, 2008, on any high pollution advisory day forecast by the department of environmental quality prohibit employees or contractors of that city or town from operating leaf blowers except while in vacuum mode and prohibit those employees or contractors from blowing landscape debris into public roadways at any time.
(b) No later than March 31, 2008, adopt, implement and enforce an ordinance that bans the blowing of landscape debris into public roadways at any time by any person.
6. In area A, no later than March 31, 2008, adopt or amend codes or ordinances and, no later than October 1, 2008, commence enforcement of those codes or ordinances as necessary to require that parking, maneuvering, ingress and egress areas at developments other than residential buildings with four or fewer units are maintained with one or more of the following dustproof paving methods:
(a) Asphaltic concrete.
(b) Cement concrete.
(c) Penetration treatment of bituminous material and seal coat of bituminous binder and a mineral aggregate.
(d) A stabilization method approved by the city or town.
7. In area A, no later than March 31, 2008, adopt or amend codes or ordinances and, no later than October 1, 2009, commence enforcement of those codes or ordinances as necessary to require that parking, maneuvering, ingress and egress areas that are three thousand square feet or more in size at residential buildings with four or fewer units are maintained with a paving or stabilization method authorized by the city or town by code, ordinance or permit.
8. In area A, no later than March 31, 2008, adopt or amend codes or ordinances as necessary to restrict vehicle parking and use on unpaved or unstabilized vacant lots.
9. In area A, no later than March 31, 2008, require that new or renewed contracts for street sweeping on city streets must be conducted with street sweepers that meet the south coast air quality management district rule 1186 street sweeper certification specifications for pick up efficiency and PM-10 emissions in effect on January 1, 2007.
10. In area B, synchronize traffic control signals on all roadways that have average daily trips exceeding fifteen thousand motor vehicles per day.
B. The governing body of a city or town in area B as defined in section 49-541 may make and enforce ordinances to reduce or encourage the reduction of the commuter use of motor vehicles by employees of the city or town and employees whose place of employment is within the city or town.
C. Except as provided in subsection F of this section, the governing body of a city or town in area A as defined in section 49-541 in a county with a population of more than one million two hundred thousand persons according to the most recent United States decennial census shall develop and implement a vehicle fleet plan for the purpose of encouraging and progressively increasing the use of alternative fuels and clean burning fuels in city or town owned vehicles. The plan shall include a timetable for increasing the use of alternative fuels and clean burning fuels in fleet vehicles either through purchase or conversion.
D. The timetable shall reflect the following schedule and percentage of vehicles that operate on alternative fuels and clean burning fuels:
1. At least eighteen per cent of the total fleet by December 31, 1995.
2. At least twenty-five per cent of the total fleet by December 31, 1996.
3. At least fifty per cent of the total fleet by December 31, 1998.
4. At least seventy-five per cent of the total fleet by December 31, 2000 and each year thereafter.
E. The requirements of subsections C and D of this section may be waived on receipt of evidence acceptable to the city or town council that the city or town is unable to acquire or be provided equipment or refueling facilities necessary to operate vehicles using alternative fuels or clean burning fuels at a projected cost that is reasonably expected to result in net costs of no greater than ten per cent more than the net costs associated with the continued use of conventional gasoline or diesel fuels measured over the expected useful life of the equipment or facilities supplied. Applications for waivers shall be filed with the department of environmental quality pursuant to section 49-412. An entity that receives a waiver pursuant to this section shall retrofit fleet heavy duty diesel vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of eight thousand five hundred pounds or more, that were manufactured in or before model year 1993 and that are the subject of the waiver with a technology that is effective at reducing particulate matter emissions at least twenty five per cent or more and that has been approved by the United States environmental protection agency pursuant to the urban bus engine retrofit/rebuild program. The entity shall comply with the implementation schedule pursuant to section 49-555.
F. The plan prescribed by subsection C of this section shall include provisions for the use of alternative fuels and clean burning fuels in the bus fleet operated by that city or town or a regional public transportation authority, except that all newly purchased buses shall use alternative fuel or clean burning fuel. The bus fleet shall comply with the timetable prescribed by subsection D of this section, except that the requirements of subsections C and D of this section may be waived on receipt of certification supported by evidence acceptable to the department of environmental quality that the city or town is unable to acquire or be provided equipment or refueling facilities necessary to operate vehicles using alternative fuels or clean burning fuels at a projected cost that is reasonably expected to result in net costs of no greater than twenty per cent more than the net costs associated with the continued use of conventional gasoline or diesel fuels measured over the expected useful life of the equipment or facilities supplied.
G. If the requirements of subsections C, D and F of this section are met by the use of clean burning fuel, vehicle equivalents under those requirements shall be calculated as follows:
1. One vehicle equivalent for every four hundred fifty gallons of neat biodiesel or two thousand two hundred fifty gallons of a diesel fuel substitute prescribed in section 1-215, paragraph 7, subdivision (b).
2. One vehicle equivalent for every five hundred thirty gallons of the fuel prescribed in section 1-215, paragraph 7, subdivision (d).
H. Subsection A, paragraphs 5 through 8 of this section do not apply to any site that has a permit issued by a control officer as defined in section 49-471 for the control of fugitive dust from dust generating operations.
I. For the purposes of this section, " alternative fuel" and " clean burning fuel" have the same meanings prescribed in section 1-215.
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