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Current Plans
View current air quality management plans developed by the Air District.
2017 Clean Air Plan: Spare the Air, Cool the Climate
The new 2017 Bay Area Clean Air Plan, adopted on April 19, 2017, is a call to action to “Spare the Air and Cool the Climate (YouTube streaming video).”
The 2017 Plan provides a regional strategy to protect public health and protect the climate. To protect public health, the plan describes how the Air District will continue our progress toward attaining all state and federal air quality standards and eliminating health risk disparities from exposure to air pollution among Bay Area communities. To protect the climate, the plan defines a vision for transitioning the region to a post-carbon economy needed to achieve ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2030 and 2050, and provides a regional climate protection strategy that will put the Bay Area on a pathway to achieve those GHG reduction targets.
The 2017 Plan includes a wide range of control measures designed to decrease emissions of the air pollutants that are most harmful to Bay Area residents, such as particulate matter, ozone, and toxic air contaminants; to reduce emissions of methane and other “super-GHGs” that are potent climate pollutants in the near-term; and to decrease emissions of carbon dioxide by reducing fossil fuel combustion.
Highlights of the 2017 Plan:
- Limit Fossil Fuel Combustion: Develop a region-wide strategy to increase fossil fuel combustion efficiency at industrial facilities, beginning with the three largest sources of industrial emissions: oil refineries, power plants, and cement plants.
- Stop Methane Leaks: Reduce methane emissions from landfills, and oil and natural gas production, storage and distribution.
- Reduce Exposure to Toxics: Reduce emissions of toxic air contaminants by adopting more stringent limits and methods for evaluating toxic risks at existing and new facilities.
- Put a Price on Driving: Implement pricing measures to reduce travel demand.
- Advance Electric Vehicles: Accelerate the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.
- Promote Clean Fuels: Promote the use of clean fuels and low or zero carbon technologies in trucks and heavy-duty vehicles.
- Accelerate Low Carbon Buildings: Expand the production of low-carbon, renewable energy by promoting on-site technologies such as rooftop solar and ground-source heat pumps.
- Support More Energy Choices: Support community choice energy programs throughout the Bay Area.
- Make Buildings More Efficient: Promote energy efficiency in both new and existing buildings.
- Make Space and Water Heating Cleaner: Promote the switch from natural gas to electricity for space and water heating in Bay Area buildings.
2017 Plan documents:
Documents listed below were adopted by the Air District Board on April 19, 2017.
- Executive Summary
- 2017 Clean Air Plan, Volume 1
- 2017 Clean Air Plan, Volume 2
- 2017 Plan Final Program EIR
- Public Comments on 2017 Plan
- Air District Reponses to Public Comments on 2017 Plan
Additional documents associated with the 2017 Plan:
- 2017 Clean Air Presentation to the Air District Board of Directors, April 19, 2017
- Multi-Pollutant Evaluation Method, Technical Document, 2016 Update
- Greenhouse Gas Emission Estimates and Draft Forecasts
- Socioeconomic Analysis of the 2017 Clean Air Plan, April 2017
2010 Clean Air Plan Documents
The 2010 Multi-Pollutant Clean Air Plan was adopted in September 2010.
Particulate Matter Planning Activities
The Air District and its partners have been working hard to reduce particulate matter, or PM, emissions in the Bay Area and to meet state and national standards and to protect public health. Although the Bay Area is in attainment for annual PM2.5 State and national standards, the Bay Area is not in attainment of the 24-hr PM2.5 national standard. Therefore, the Air District continues its efforts to reduce local PM emissions. Key elements of the Air District’s work include:
- Regulations and permit requirements to limit PM emissions.
- A wood burning regulation to limit PM emissions from wood smoke.
- The Spare the Air program to notify residents when high PM levels are expected.
- Control measures in the 2010 Clean Air Plan to reduce PM emissions.
- A comprehensive report (PDF) and summary (PDF) evaluating PM in the Bay Area.
- Preparation of an abbreviated State Implementation Plan to address U.S. EPA planning requirements.
- Public outreach to solicit input on our PM planning activities (archived webcasts and key documents are available in the table below).
PM Symposium
Efforts to assess the health effects of particulate matter pollution in the context of climate change are ongoing through the Air District Advisory Council’s PM Symposium. Each symposium consists of presentations from a panel of nationally recognized scientists and experts who inform and facilitate discussion with community stakeholders and local agency representatives on PM and health.
For more information, visit the web page: PM Conference.
Public Workshops/Webcasts
Last Updated: 7/24/2023