In April, the Air District issued a report summarizing the accomplishments of the Community Air Risk Evaluation, or CARE, Program. Through this nearly decade-long program, the Air District analyzes the effects of air pollutants on impacted Bay Area communities and identifies ways to focus air pollution reduction measures in these areas.

The report demonstrates how the CARE Program identified seven regions of the Bay Area that experience relatively higher levels of air pollution and correspondingly greater health effects. These areas are close to large-scale pollution sources—such as freeways, busy roadways, active goods movement centers, and large industrial sources. The pollutant of primary concern in these areas is diesel exhaust. The report shows how the program employed the latest scientific research and robust technical analyses to design effective mitigation measures in these communities.

The CARE report further identifies parts of the Bay Area that experience episodes of relatively high air pollution, where air quality standards are exceeded on certain days during the year. Exceedances of the ozone, or smog, standard typically take place in the summer, and exceedances of the fine particle standard in the winter.

In order to engage communities and other stakeholder groups and develop productive relationships with local agencies, the CARE Program involved close collaboration between the Air District and an appointed CARE Task Force. This task force included members of environmental and community groups, industry representatives, researchers and regional health and planning department officials.

The CARE report describes how the CARE Program provides a useful framework for guiding policy decisions, developing effective air pollution reduction programs in impacted areas, and fostering long-term positive partnerships with community groups.

The report reviews accomplishments, considers challenges and previews the road ahead. Over the years, the CARE Program has introduced many new approaches to evaluating and reducing air pollution problems. Highlights include:

- Development of a regional toxic emissions inventory

- Identification and mapping of communities with the greatest health impacts

- A truck activity survey in West Oakland conducted with community assistance

- A monitoring study that characterized variations in air pollution in West Oakland

- Tools and guidance for infill development

- The pioneering concept of a Community Risk Reduction Plan and methods to support it

This summary report commemorates the closing of the first major chapter in this groundbreaking effort to better understand how air pollution impacts Bay Area residents at the community level. The CARE Task Force concluded their activities upon publication of the report. The Air District will continue to conduct research under the CARE Program to improve air quality and reduce health impacts in Bay Area communities.

In April, the Air District’s Board of Directors approved a climate action work program designed to guide the agency’s climate protection activities and identify necessary resources for future action.

This work program was developed in conjunction with the Air District’s Climate Protection Resolution, which was passed in November 2013 and sets as a goal the reduction of greenhouse gas, or GHG, emissions in the Bay Area to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

The 10-Point Climate Action Work Program outlines activities to be taken by the Air District in the near-term:

1. Set a GHG reduction goal to reduce emissions in the Bay Area to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

2. Update the Air District’s GHG emissions inventory for the Bay Area.

3. Implement local monitoring of certain GHGs, including methane and carbon dioxide.

4. Develop a regional climate action strategy, to be included in the Air District’s 2015 Clean Air Plan.

5. Support and enhance local action through enhanced technical assistance to local government entities.

6. Initiate rule development to advance GHG reduction in sources subject to Air District regulatory authority, and identify opportunities to require GHG emission reductions in existing rules and policies.

7. Expand enforcement of statewide regulations to reduce GHGs.

8. Launch climate change and public health impacts initiative to collect and synthesize information, reports and data on climate change impacts related to air quality and public health.

9. Report progress to the public in an informative and engaging manner.

10. Explore the Bay Area’s energy future by assigning the Air District’s Advisory Council to investigate related technical issues.

The work program reflects the role the Air District plays in promoting, supporting and coordinating climate policy implementation in the Bay Area. The specified actions will serve as the Air District’s priorities for the next two years, as the agency continues to work with many stakeholders to reduce the Bay Area’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The Air District’s Climate Protection program was established in 2005. Over the past eight years, the Air District has initiated numerous climate protection activities. The agency awarded over $7 million in grants to local governments, non-profits and schools to reduce GHG emissions. It provided funding and technical support to local governments in local climate action plan development, beginning in 2007. The agency adopted a cost-recovery permit fee for GHG-emitting facilities in 2008, and it developed the first-ever California Environmental Quality Act thresholds of significance for GHG emissions for non-industrial projects in 2010.

With the Air District playing a major facilitating role, about 50 local governments in the Bay Area have adopted local climate action plans, more than any other metropolitan region in the country.

This fall, employers with 50 or more full-time employees must register for the Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program and offer their staff benefits to encourage them to take transit, vanpool, carpool, bicycle or walk, rather than drive alone, to work.

Employers must register and implement a commuter benefit option by September 30, 2014. Visit 511.org and click on “Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program” for more information and to register for the program.

To request free assistance or further information, just click on the “Needs Assistance” section or call 511 and say “Commuter Benefits.”

The Commuter Benefits Program is based on Regulation 14, Rule 1, developed by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in collaboration with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Employers can select from four commuter benefit options and decide which option will work best for their organization.

The Commuter Benefits Program will reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, thus improving the quality of life for all Bay Area residents.

In May, the Air District was pleased to announce the winners of the Great Race for Clean Air, a competition between Bay Area companies to see whose employees could reduce the most carbon dioxide by ridesharing, vanpooling, biking, walking or riding transit to work instead of driving solo.

In March and April, over 1,000 employees from 70 companies logged air-friendly commutes. Approximately 773,225 pounds of CO2 were saved by employees choosing not to drive to work alone—the equivalent of more than 835,000 miles driven on Bay Area roads by an average passenger vehicle.

Companies with the highest overall CO2 savings:
1st Place - County of Alameda
2nd Place - Nektar Therapeutics, Inc., San Francisco
3rd Place - Gilead Sciences, Inc, Foster City

Companies with the highest participation rates (categorized by company size):
Mini (1-25 employees)

1st Place – three-way tie:
Moffett Park Business Group, Sunnyvale
Hacienda Owners Association, Pleasanton
Trinity Consultants, Oakland

2nd Place - tie
Livable City, San Francisco
Climate Protection Campaign, Sonoma

3rd Place
Alexa Internet, San Francisco

Small (26-100 employees)

1st Place - HDR Architecture, Inc., San Francisco
2nd Place - Interior Architects, San Francisco
3rd Place - Flixster, Inc., San Francisco

Mid-size (101-500 employees)

1st Place - Nektar Therapeutics, Inc., San Francisco
2nd Place - Virgin America, Burlingame
3rd Place - City of Pleasanton, Pleasanton

Companies with the highest average of “clean commute days” per participant:
1st Place - SF Maritime National Historical Park
2nd Place - Trinity Consultants, Oakland
3rd Place - Alexa Internet, San Francisco

The Great Race for Clean Air was sponsored by the Air District, in partnership with 511 Rideshare, 511 Contra Costa, the Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance and the San Francisco Department of the Environment.

This was the fourth year of the Bay Area-wide commuting competition.

This spring, the Air District announced penalty settlements totally nearly $700,000 with Tesoro Refining & Marketing, Valero Refining and Phillips 66.

Tesoro Settlement
In April, the Air District announced an agreement with Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company to pay a $285,000 civil penalty to settle a single air quality violation at its Golden Eagle Refinery in Martinez.

The settlement covered one violation notice, issued to Tesoro in connection with a water vapor leak discovered at a cooling tower at Tesoro’s Golden Eagle Refinery in September 2010. The leak continued for at least 13 days and caused an estimated 52 tons of hydrocarbon emissions.

Corroded tubing allowed organic compounds to enter the cooling system water and be emitted from the cooling tower. Tesoro missed early indications that a leak was occurring.

In response to this incident, Tesoro conducted an investigation and repaired the equipment. It also took steps to increase oversight of its cooling water system contractors and drafted a new cooling water system operating procedure plan.

Valero Settlement
In March, the Air District announced that Valero Refining Company agreed to pay a $183,000 civil penalty to settle air quality violations at its refinery in Benicia.

The settlement covered seven notices of violation that the Air District issued to Valero in 2011 for incidents that occurred in December of 2010.

All of the Valero violations were related to a December 2010 upset of Valero’s fluid catalytic cracking unit, which converts heavy gas oils into gasoline and other lighter compounds. The upset was caused by a valve failure and occurred at the same time that electrostatic precipitators controlling particulate emissions were working at reduced efficiency.

The upset resulted in intermittent violations of smoke density and particulate standards at Valero’s main stack over a ten-day period, as well as violations of carbon monoxide and sulfur standards at other affected equipment.

Phillips 66 Settlement
In March, the Air District announced an agreement with Phillips 66 Company to pay a $230,900 civil penalty to settle air quality violations at its refinery in Rodeo.

The settlement covered 19 notices of violation that the Air District issued to Phillips 66 Company for incidents that occurred in 2008 and 2009.

Several of the violations related to flaring, including late or missed flare-gas samples and noncompliant instrumentation used to measure flare gas flow. Others concerned a failure to install required controls on wastewater system components or to inspect the components.

Several violations related to storage tanks, one of which involved a relatively small amount of product discovered on the roof of a storage tank, while another involved the refinery’s operation of a tank while pressure vacuum valves on the tank roof were opened.

The remaining violations included citations for an inaccurate ground level monitor for hydrogen sulfide, for an exceedance of the hydrogen sulfide limit for refinery fuel gas, for several uncapped open-ended lines, for short-term emission excesses measured by monitoring equipment, and for vapor leaks at valves and connectors.

The Air District issues Notices of Violation to inform facilities that they have violated a specific air quality regulation or rule. Violators are generally required to respond to the notice within ten days and submit a description of the actions they will take to correct the problem. These actions can include shutting down operations immediately, or changing operations or equipment to come into compliance.

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