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The Air District and the California Air Resources Board are announcing a nearly $82 million penalty in a joint case to address significant air pollution violations by Valero Refining Co. at its Benicia refinery. This penalty is the largest ever assessed in the Air District’s history.

The Air District, in partnership with the Communities for a Better Environment and the East Oakland community, will convene a community steering committee kick-off meeting on Thursday, September 15, at 6 PM. 

At a public hearing today, the Air District released the 2024 Toxic Air Contaminant Program Annual Report, along with a user-friendly new web page that allows members of the public to view toxic emission data from a comprehensive map of permitted facilities in the Bay Area. 

The Air District is hosting a series of workshops to implement additional air monitoring in communities located near refineries. 

The Air District has settled a case against Chemtrade West US LLC for air pollution violations at its chemical plant in Richmond. Chemtrade will pay $135,000 in civil penalties.    

The Air District has awarded a loan guarantee to King Solarman, a provider of smart solar generators in California. Their products replace loud and aging diesel generators used for mobile light towers and surveillance stations.

The Air District Board of Directors recently voted to approve funding for a comprehensive odor study in the Milpitas-area. 

The Air District is asking Bay Area residents to not burn wood in their fireplaces or woodstoves today to prevent air quality from becoming unhealthy. A delay in onshore winds has contributed to increased particulate pollution levels in the Bay Area today. If these conditions continue, there may be an exceedance of the federal health standard. A Winter Spare the Air Alert is NOT in effect today and wood burning is not illegal, but it is strongly discouraged.

The Air District, in collaboration with the UC Berkeley Cool Climate Network, has developed a consumption-based greenhouse gas inventory for the Bay Area to tell a more complete story of how the region contributes to global climate change.

The Air District is soliciting applications for two seats on its Community Advisory Council (CAC). There are two vacant seats, one for a member who resides or works in Alameda County and one for a representative of Bay Area youth.

Grants for income-qualified Bay Area residents to retire their older car and replace it with a plug-in hybrid, battery, or hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, or a pre-paid card to use for public transit and purchase e-bikes.

As a reminder, due to heavy smoke in the Bay Area from the extensive Camp Fire in Butte County, the Air District has extended the Winter Spare the Air Alert through Friday, November 16.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District will ask Bay Area employers to sign the Cut the Commute Pledge to extend remote work options for employees at a press conference in San Jose on Monday, July 13 at 11:30 a.m. A continuation of remote work can help maintain the Bay Area’s air quality progress even after shelter-in-place orders are eased.

The Air District is extending a Spare the Air Alert for smog through Wednesday, July 3. A Spare the Air Alert remains in effect today, Tuesday, July 2. Air quality is forecast to be unhealthy. Very high inland temperatures in the 100’s and weak afternoon sea breeze, along with motor vehicle exhaust, will create elevated concentrations of ozone, or smog.

The Air District is requiring a new Residential Fireplace Disclosure for anyone selling or leasing property with a wood-burning device in the nine-county Bay Area region. Beginning June 1, anyone selling or leasing residential property within the Bay Area will be required to disclose the health hazards of wood smoke, as part of the signed disclosure documents in real estate purchase or rental transactions.

The Air District has organized a conference entitled, Climate Forward Bay Area: A Leadership Forum, that will be held on October 13 and 14 at the Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco. Technology, government, NGO and industry leaders are invited to register and participate in this forum by sharing ideas and approaches to reducing local greenhouse gases while maintaining the Bay Area's economic viability.

The Air District is opening a search for innovative and disruptive technologies that can help combat climate change and improve air quality in the Bay Area. 

Learn about the Spare the Air Program and how the season affects air quality, and find out whether a Spare the Air Alert is in effect.

The Air District will hold a joint virtual workshop with Communities for a Better Environment on Friday, May 7, 2021, from 5:30 to 8:30 PM to present, discuss, and receive comments on the draft health risk assessment for AB&I Foundry located in East Oakland.

The Air District is hosting a joint virtual workshop with Communities for a Better Environment on Friday, May 7, 2021, from 5:30 to 8:30 PM to present, discuss, and receive comments on the draft health risk assessment for AB&I Foundry located in East Oakland.