FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Air officials in the San Joaquin Valley increased vehicle
registration fees on Thursday to fund programs that will help clean one of the
nation's most polluted air basins.
Car owners in the Valley will have to pay an extra $2 every year on top of the
$5 they already pay, collectively raising up to $10 million that the state will
use as incentives to promote clean air projects, said Janelle Schneider,
a spokeswoman with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
Groups that often find themselves on the opposite sides of the table, like
agribusiness representatives, health care workers and environmental advocates,
all agreed this was a necessary step, said Josette Merced Bello, CEO of
American Lung Association of Central California. She was one of many proponents
of the increase to testify before the air district board on Thursday.
Merced Bello said this cooperation and the extra funds should "create real
momentum" to solve the Valley's intractable air pollution problems, caused by
a combination of vehicle emissions, which can't be controlled by the air
district, and other sources that can be controlled, like industry and agriculture.
One of the fee's biggest advantages would be the creation of a permanent source
of funding for the Carl Moyer program, which has helped farmers substitute
old diesel engines that pump irrigation water for newer, cleaner models.
The funds will also give cities, counties and industry incentives to promote
other pollution reduction programs, like the substitution of older, dirtier
school buses for newer models.
"It's a tremendous payoff to all Valley residents for such a small personal
investment," said Dave Crow, the District's air pollution control
officer in a written statement.
Air authorities in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento also decided to
increase the vehicle registration by $2 on Wednesday.
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http://www.valleyair.org/
