EPA targets California for poor air quality

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – The Trump Administration on Tuesday accused the most degrading air quality in California, asking the state to review its plans to eliminate toxic smog or risk lose billions of dollars in road costs.

The government warning comes a few days after the Trump government has decided to block state-imposed emission standards for cars and trucks, ruling that would eliminate the most important weapon California to fight its biggest source of pollution.

Tuesday's announcement by US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler condemned California for its backlog of pending rules and regulations to reduce pollution in areas that do not meet air quality standards federal.

But Wheeler's letter to the California Air Resources Board puzzled the state's regulators and even former EPA officials who claimed that the backlog existed because the government Federal did not approve the plans.

"That makes no sense," said Gay MacGregor, former senior policy advisor for the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality from 1983 to 2016. "What they do today is fundamentally punishing California for the inaction of the EPA".

The federal government sets rules regarding the amount of air pollution. Many places in the country do not meet these standards. But no state has more problems than California, where 85% of the population, or 34 million people, breathe dirty air.

Under federal law, states that look dirty must develop a plan to reduce pollution. These plans must be approved by the EPA. The federal agency has a backlog of these plans pending approval, and California has more than 130, about one-third of the total.

Wheeler blamed California for the delay Tuesday, saying most plans were "inactive" and posed "fundamental problems with their affordability". He asked the state to withdraw the plans and to propose new ones. If they do not, the government will punish the state by withholding federal public funds. But this punishment involves a process that can take up to 18 months.

"California has failed to fulfill its most basic responsibilities under the Clean Air Act.Millions of Californians live in areas that do not respond to air quality standards of our country, "Wheeler said in a press release. "The EPA is ready to collaborate with California to achieve the goal of the Trump administration which is to create clean and healthy air for all Americans and we hope that the state will collaborate with us in good faith. "

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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 10: A United Airlines plane sits on the tarmac at San Francisco International Airport on June 10, 2015 in San Francisco, California. The Environmental Protection Agency is taking the first steps to start the process of regulating greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft exhaust. (Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

JOLIET, IL – MAY 07: Traffic resumes at an intersection in front of NRG Energy's Joliet Station on May 7, 2015 in Joliet, IL. According to scientists, global concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) reached a new monthly record of 400 parts per million, levels unprecedented for about two million years. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that the burning of fossil fuels to produce electricity is the main source of CO2 emissions in the United States, followed by the burning of fossil fuels for transportation. (Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images)

JOLIET, IL – MAY 07: An American flag is suspended in front of NRG Energy's Joliet Generating Station on May 7, 2015 in Joliet, IL. According to scientists, global concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) reached a new monthly record of 400 parts per million, levels unprecedented for about two million years. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that the burning of fossil fuels to produce electricity is the main source of CO2 emissions in the United States, followed by the burning of fossil fuels for transportation. (Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images)

The Wheeler announcement, detailed in a letter sent to California regulators, "contains many inaccuracies, omissions and inaccuracies," according to Richard Corey, a California Air Resources Board executive.

The letter lists six non-compliant California plans. It includes one for Ventura County for the 1997 federal ozone standards. But Ventura County already meets the 1997 standards and therefore does not need a state plan, said Ali Ghasemi, head of the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District Division.

The letter also criticizes Coachella Valley in Southern California for putting in place an inadequate plan for the 2008 ozone standard.

"It's news for us," said Philip Fine, deputy executive director for planning and rules for the South Coast Air Quality Management District. "We are working very closely with the EPA to make sure everything we submit is approvable and the staff there told us that there was no problem with that. to an approval. "

Much of California's smog problem comes from its 35 million registered cars and trucks, the highest of any state. But the problem is also aggravated in southern California, where two of the largest ports in the world are located, where much of the country's freight travels and is carried away by trucks and diesel trains.

Only the federal government can regulate emissions from trains, planes, ships and trucks, according to Corey, a California Air Resources Board executive.

"California and other states have had to go to court a number of times to get the EPA to meet the stringent smog standards that it is concerned about," he said. .

The EPA has announced plans to provide $ 40 million in grants to help regions of the country meet federal air quality standards, including several communities in California.

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Casey reported from Concord, New Hampshire.

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