(a) For purposes of this section, the following provisions shall apply:
(1) “Disadvantaged community” means a community identified as disadvantaged pursuant to Section 39711.
(2) “Sensitive receptors” includes the same locations as specified in subdivision (a) of Section 42705.5.
(b) On or before October 1, 2018, the state board shall prepare, in consultation with the Scientific Review Panel on Toxic Air Contaminants, the districts, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, environmental justice organizations, affected industry, and other interested stakeholders, a statewide strategy to reduce emissions of toxic air contaminants and criteria air pollutants in communities affected by a high cumulative exposure burden. The state board shall update the strategy at least once every five years. In preparing the strategy, the state board shall conduct at least one public workshop in each of the northern, central, and southern parts of the state. The strategy shall include criteria for the development of community emission reduction programs. The criteria presented in the state strategy shall include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(1) An assessment and identification of communities with high cumulative exposure burdens for toxic air contaminants and criteria air pollutants. The assessment shall prioritize disadvantaged communities and sensitive receptor locations based on one or more of the following: best available modeling information, existing air quality monitoring information, existing public health data based on consultation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and the monitoring results obtained pursuant to Section 42705.5.
(2) A methodology for assessing and identifying the contributing sources or categories of sources, including, but not limited to, stationary and mobile sources, and an estimate of their relative contribution to elevated exposure to air pollution in impacted communities identified pursuant to paragraph (1).
(3) An assessment of whether a district should update and implement the risk reduction audit and emissions reduction plan developed pursuant to Section 44391 for any facility to achieve emission reductions commensurate with its relative contribution, if the facility’s emissions either cause or significantly contribute to a material impact on a sensitive receptor location or disadvantaged community, based on any data available for assessment pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) or other relevant data.
(4) An assessment of the existing and available measures for reducing emissions from the contributing sources or categories of sources identified pursuant to paragraph (2), including, but not limited to, best available control technology, as defined in Section 40405, best available retrofit control technology, as defined in Section 40406, and best available control technology for toxic air contaminants, as defined in Section 39666.
(c) (1) Based on the assessment and identification pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b), the state board shall select, concurrent with the strategy, locations around the state for preparation of community emissions reduction programs. The state board shall select additional locations annually thereafter, as appropriate.
(2) Within one year of the state board’s selection, the district encompassing any location selected pursuant to this subdivision shall adopt, in consultation with the state board, individuals, community-based organizations, affected sources, and local governmental bodies in the affected community, a community emissions reduction program to achieve emissions reductions for the location selected using cost-effective measures identified pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b).
(3) The community emissions reduction programs shall be consistent with the state strategy and include emissions reduction targets, specific reduction measures, a schedule for the implementation of measures, and an enforcement plan.
(4) The community emissions reduction programs shall be submitted to the state board for review and approval within 60 days of the receipt of the program. Programs that are rejected shall be resubmitted within 30 days. To the extent that a program, in whole or in part, is not approvable, the state board shall initiate a public process to discuss options for achievement of an approvable program. Concurrent with the public process to achieve an approvable program, the state board shall develop and implement the applicable mobile source elements in the draft program to commence achievement of emission reductions.
(5) The programs shall result in emissions reductions in the community, based on monitoring or other data.
(6) In implementing the program, the district and the state board shall be responsible for measures consistent with their respective authorities.
(7) A district encompassing a location selected pursuant to this subdivision shall prepare an annual report summarizing the results and actions taken to further reduce emissions pursuant to the community emissions reduction program.
(8) Compliance with the community emissions reduction program prepared pursuant to this section, including its implementation, shall be enforceable by the district and state board, as applicable.
(d) The state board shall provide grants to community-based organizations for technical assistance and to support community participation in the implementation of this section and Section 42705.5.
(Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 136, Sec. 8. (AB 617) Effective January 1, 2018.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018