OCE Files Suit against the BAAQMD regarding Title V Operating
Permits.
On February 5, 2002, Our Children's Earth sued the Bay Area Air
Quality Management District and its Air Pollution Control Officer,
Ellen Garvey for failing to issue federally required permits that
implement air pollution requirements for major pollution emitters.
The District has flouted the federal Clean Air Act for months
by failing to take final action on 21 long-outstanding operating
permit applications, as required by the Act. Failure to take action
on the permits means that the public is unable to monitor thousands
of tons of potential annual air pollution, including hazardous
emissions, from Bay Area air pollution sources.
OCE Files Suit Against 9 RECLAIM Facilities.
On March 11, 2002, OCE and Communities
for a Better Environment filed citizen suits in United States
District Court for the Central District of California against
nine facilities whose annual NOx emissions exceeded the number
of "federally-recognized" pollution trading credits they had acquired.
The suits were filed under the Clean Air Act against Crimson Resource
Management Corp.; So Cal Gas Co.; Western Metal Decorating Co.;
National Gypsum Co.; Fontana Paper Mills, Inc.; Van Can Co.; United
Airlines; City of Burbank; and Pomona Paper Co.
The announcement of the suits resulted in significant media interest
at both the local and national levels. Local coverage included
the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Daily News,
and the City News Service of Los Angeles. National coverage
included the Associated Press, Air Daily, Environmental
News Service, Greenwire, and BNA Daily Environmental
Report.
OCE Files Emergency Motion for Stay of EPA Decision on Motor
Vehicle Emissions.
On March 14, OCE joined with a coalition of other environmental
groups to file a request for a stay of the EPA decision to find
adequate for "transportation conformity purposes" motor vehicle
emissions budgets (MVEB's) for NOx and VOC's. The MVEB's were
contained in the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted by
California for the San Francisco Bay Area. The proposed decision
would permit funding and approval of new highway projects in the
Bay Area even though emissions are not within legal limits.
OCE Comments on California Air Quality Standards for PM and
Sulfates.
OCE submitted several sets of public comments on the ARB-OEHHA,
"Review of the California Air Quality Standards for Particulate
Matter and Sulfates, November 30, 2001." The comments criticized
the Agencies for proposing new PM standards that do not sufficiently
protect public health because they do not contain an adequate
margin of safety as required by State law. The proposed standards
also do not take environmental justice into consideration and
are likely to produce disproportionate impacts upon communities
of color and poor families. OCE has contacted 20 grassroots environmental
and EJ groups in California and organized a joint response to
the Agency proposals in which we call for significantly lower
standards than are currently being proposed.
OCE to Participate in Bay Area Earth Day Activities.
OCE is a member of the Bay Area Earth Day Celebration coalition,
and will be participating in at least one Bay Area Earth Day event.
The event is the Berkeley
Earth Day Festival, to be held on Saturday, April 20 from
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Civic Center Park in downtown Berkeley. The
event will feature cultural performances, an eco-Art area for
kids, demonstrations of renewable resources, a climbing wall,
and over 150 booths representing businesses, craftspeople, community
organizations, food vendors and government groups. We will have
a booth at the event, and will be distributing clean air kits.
Please stop by the OCE booth if you are in the area. For more
information, check out our Events page.
Clean Air Community Kits available!
OCE is now distributing 1,000 Clean Air Community Kits, containing
information on air pollution, its effects, and ways for communities
and individuals to be involved in helping to reduce it. Anyone
wishing for a kit should contact Tracey Moyer at 415-934-9600
or email her at tmoyer@ocefoundation.org
OCE Moves To New Office Space.
OCE has moved into great new office space. The new digs are located
at 850 Montgomery Street, Suite C-50, San Francisco. If you are
in the area, please stop by.
OCE Holds its first Annual Planning Retreat.
On February 11-12, OCE Staff met in Alamo California to plan work
for the coming year. It was a successful, if hectic two days,
and resulted in an ambitious work plan for 2002.
