California Air Resources Board

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California Air Resources Board (CARB) is the "clean air agency" of the state of California in the United States. Established originally as the Air Resources Board in 1967, it is known for setting extremely stringent standards for air quality.

Its stated goals are to:

  • Attain and maintain healthy air quality.
  • Conduct research into the causes of and solutions to air pollution.
  • Systematically attack the serious problem caused by motor vehicles, which are the major causes of air pollution in the State.

The governing board is made up of eleven members appointed by the state's governor, and the chairman is the only full-time member.

Half of the appointees are experts in professional and science fields such as medicine, chemistry, physics, meteorology, engineering, business, and law. Others represent the pollution control agencies of regional districts within California - Los Angeles region, San Francisco Bay area, San Diego, and the San Joaquin Valley, and one for other districts.

California AB 1493, the successor bill to AB 1058, was enacted on July 22, 2002 by Governor Gray Davis and mandates that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) develop and implement greenhouse gas limits for vehicles beginning in model year 2009. Subsequently, as directed by AB 1493, the CARB on September 24, 2004 approved regulations limiting the amount of greenhouse gas that may be released from new passenger cars, SUVs and pickup trucks sold in California in model year 2009. The automotive industry has sued in court, stating that this is simply a way to impose gas mileage standards on automobiles--a field already preempted by federal rules. The case is working its way through the court system. The CARB staff optimistic analysis concludes that the new rules will result in savings for vehicle buyers by lowering expenses that will more than offset the increased initial costs of new vehicles. Critics claim that these will only work if serious reductions are made in automobile and truck sizes, resulting in much smaller freedom of choice for California consumers.

States with similar limits are: New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine and New Jersey.

In September 2006, the California legislature passed AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 [1] with the goal of reducing man-made California carbon dioxide emissions (<0.3% of all carbon dioxide emissions)[citation needed] back to 1990 emission levels by 2020. The legislation grants the Air Resource Board extraordinary powers to set policies, draw up regulations, lead the enforcement effort, levy fines and fees to finance it and punish violators. The technical and regulatory requirements will require far reaching physical and social engineering. Whether this sweeping regulation can pass muster in the courts is uncertain; but it has the potential to significantly change the prosperity and lifestyle of all Californians.

Contents

[edit] CARB's Organizational Structure

Carb has nine major divisions:[2]

  • Administrative Services Division
  • Enforcement Division
  • Mobile Source Control Division
  • Mobile Source Operations Division
  • Monitoring and Laboratory Division
  • Office of Information Services
  • Planning and Technical Support Division
  • Research Division
  • Stationary Source Division

[edit] Planning and Technical Support Division

The Planning and Technical Support Division assesses the extent of California's air quality problems and the progress being made to abate them, coordinates statewide development of clean air plans and maintains databases pertinent to air quality and emissions. The Division's technical support work provides a basis for clean air plans and CARB's regulatory programs. This support includes management and interpretation of emission inventories, air quality data, meteorological data and of air quality modeling.[3]

The Planning and Technical Support Division has five branches:

  • Emission Inventory Branch
  • Modeling & Meteorology Branch
  • Air Quality Data Branch
  • Air Quality & Transportation Planning Branch
  • Mobile Source Analysis Branch

[edit] Atmospheric Modeling & Support Section

The Atmospheric Modeling & Support Section is one of three sections within the Modeling & Meteorology Branch. The other two sections are the Regional Air Quality Modeling Section and the Meteorology Section.[3]

The air quality and atmospheric pollution dispersion models routinely used by this Section include a number of the models recommended by the U.S. EPA.[4] The Section also uses models which were either developed by CARB or whose development was funded by CARB, such as:

  • CALPUFF — Originally developed by the Sigma Research Company (SRC) under contract to CARB. Currently maintained by the TRC Solution Company under contract to the U.S. EPA.
  • CALGRID — Developed by CARB and currently maintained by CARB.[5]
  • SARMAP — Developed by CARB and currently maintained by CARB.[6]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Text of AB 32
  2. ^ CARB's Divisions
  3. ^ a b CARB's Planning and Technical Support Division
  4. ^ Compilation of atmospheric dispersion models
  5. ^ CALGRID Model
  6. ^ CARB's SARMAP Model

[edit] External links

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