Tuesday, September 15, 2020
Member/Alternates Only Meeting
Virtual meeting via ZOOM
Minutes
Present: Deborah Barmack, Carole Beswick, Mike Burrows, Rachelle Bussell, Ken Coate, Michelle Decker, Kevin Dyerly, Otis Greer, T. Milford Harrison, Fran Inman, Lowell King, Bill Lemann, Dan Little, P.T. McEwen, John Mirau, Dan Murphy, Bansree Parikh, Steve PonTell, Catherine Pritchett, Brian Reider, Thomas Rice, Michael Rivera, Dan Roberts, Elizabeth Romero, Dan Schenkel, Kristine Scott, Paul Shimoff, Sol The, Pete Van Helden, Phil White, Kim Wilcox and Ray Wolfe.
Guests: Dan McGivney.
First Vice Chairman Lowell King presiding.
Announcements: Congratulations were expressed to Bill Lemann for receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Western San Bernardino County Bar Association.
Motion by M. Harrison/Second by K. Scott/Passed: Minutes from September 8, 2020.
A majority of the members present voted to extend the invitation of membership to Molina Healthcare of California. Ruth Argumedo, AVP Community Engagement would serve as their primary representative and Matt Levin, VP of Government Contracts would serve as their alternate.
A majority of the members present voted to endorse Measure J on the San Bernardino County Ballot.
A majority of the members present voted to oppose Measure K on the San Bernardino County Ballot.
Chair of the day T. Milford Harrison introduced Barbara Riordan, Board Member, California Air Resource Board (CARB).
CARB has passed a new rule requiring that all commercial trucks and vans sold in the state by 2045 must be zero-emission. This rule is an important step in moving the industry away from dirty, harmful diesel engines that currently power most of these vehicles and is the first rule of its kind in the United States. Mrs. Riordan discussed CARB’s responsibilities, how they develop rules, and what it means for Californians.
CARB is a Department within the cabinet-level California Environmental Protection Agency. The goals of CARB include attaining and maintaining healthy air quality; protecting the public from exposure to toxic air contaminants; and providing innovative approaches for complying with air pollution rules and regulations. CARB has also been instrumental in driving innovation throughout the global automotive industry. One of their responsibilities is to define vehicle emissions standards. California is the only state permitted to issue emissions standards under the federal Clean Air Act, subject to a waiver from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Other states may choose to follow CARB or the federal vehicle emission standards but may not set their own.
CARB has some 1,400 employees with offices in Sacramento and El Monte. They will move their El Monte facility to a state-of-the-art lab on property adjacent to the University of California, Riverside. It will be home to one of the largest and most advanced vehicle emissions testing and research facilities in the world. A portion of the construction costs will come from fines paid by Volkswagen for air quality violations related to the diesel car cheating case. Volkswagen is also required to install numerous electric charging stations in California. Another lawsuit with Daimer regarding emission cheating has recently been settled sending another message to others that cheating on emissions and air quality will not be tolerated.
CARB can be credited with a great many air quality improvements. Overall, cars today are 90% cleaner than they were in the 1970’s. Rule-making is responsible for many changes that include:
- Two-way and three-way catalytic converter slashed emissions of NOx (nitrogen oxide)
- On-Board Diagnostic system – better known as the “Check Engine” light (invented by CARB) that comes on when the OBD system detects the car’s pollution control system is not working correctly.
- Fuel standards
The Agency’s process of rule adoption is lengthy, and with input from a variety of people and groups. Initially, after a great amount of research, their staff of engineers and scientists make recommendations to the Board. The Board reviews and can make amendments. Public workshops are then held across the State where they get input from manufacturers, stakeholders, and the community. The input from workshops and stakeholders is considered and there is again an opportunity for amendments. The Board votes on the rule and then it is sent to a state legal office for final review.
Non-attainment areas, like ours and the San Juaquin basin, need further actions to improve air quality. Studies indicate that diesel trucks contribute to 70% of our smog and 80% of diesel particulate matter (soot). In June, they adopted the Advanced Clean Truck regulation that will require truck manufacturers to begin the transition from diesel to zero-emission trucks in 2024. By 2045, every new truck sold in California must be zero-emission. Amazon has already dedicated themselves to all electric vehicles and there is hope others will follow their lead. Rules such as these are truly forcing technology. Ideally the ruling should be nationwide, but a good number of states have signed MOU’s and many others are willing to go along with the California requirement.
The California Air Resources Board is investing $44.8 million in Cap and Trade funds in Inland Southern California to reduce emissions from goods movement trucks and equipment. The project, called Volvo LIGHTS, is a unique collaboration between the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Volvo Trucks and 14 other organizations to pioneer a range of vehicles, charging and workforce development innovations critical for the commercial success of battery electric trucks and equipment. The first pilot Volvo Electric truck will operate at TEC’s Volvo dealership in Fontana, California. The zero-emission truck will transport local parts between TEC’s two dealerships in Fontana and La Mirada, California and eventually move freight between the city’s two major ports and warehouses throughout the region with less noise and zero emissions. CARB encourages future warehouse planning and construction to include charging stations. More information can be found at https://www.lightsproject.com/about/
Trucks are the last large movable item that contributes to our degraded air quality. California will again lead the way and drive new technology with the new Advanced Clean Truck regulation.
A Q & A period followed.
Meeting adjourned at 9:03 a.m.