SACRAMENTO –Today, legislation by Assemblymember Dave Jones (D- Sacramento) to increase enforcement of diesel emission regulations passed off the Assembly Appropriations Committee suspense file, making its way to the Assembly floor.

In 1998 the California Air Resources Board identified diesel particulate matter as a toxic air contaminant. It found that diesel particulate matter, found in diesel exhaust, was responsible for 70% of California’s toxic airborne cancer risk. In addition to particulate matter, diesel exhaust also was found to contain over forty other cancer causing substances.

As a result of this study, CARB developed the Diesel Risk Reduction Plan. The plan strives to reduce the State’s diesel particulate matter emissions by 75% by 2010 and 85% by 2020. Since 2000, CARB has adopted a series of regulations to move California towards this goal and to reduce the public’s health risk. Unfortunately, CARB currently only has 18 heavy-duty field enforcement officers who cover the entire state. This number is inadequate to ensure compliance with idling and other diesel emission regulations. There are over 500,000 diesel vehicles operating in California and approximately 38,000 truck terminals.

AB 233 strives to make California’s air cleaner by requiring CARB to adopt a coordinated enforcement plan of existing diesel emission regulations. The plan shall include increased education efforts aimed at truck drivers and community members, outreach efforts to sister enforcing agencies, and more in-house enforcement officers. The bill also increases the fine for idling violations, bringing the penalty in line with other traffic violation fines.

In addition, AB 233 ensures that heavy-duty diesel trucks registered in California are operating cleanly by requiring owners to clear air quality citations before renewing their truck registration. The bill also seeks to prevent the importation of old, polluting trucks into California by prohibiting the new registration of any pre-1994 heavy-duty diesel truck. Registration renewals and registration transfers are not affected.

“The importance of clean air cannot be overstated,” explained Assemblymember Jones. “Recent studies have found that particulate pollution substantially increases the risk of heart disease in older women and a 2007 University of Southern California study found that children living within 500 yards of a freeway had pronounced deficits in lung capacity. In a typical California city, 17% of the population lives within this proximity to a freeway. We must protect our communities by enforcing the diesel emission regulations already on the books- regulations designed to keep our families healthy.”

AB 233 is sponsored by Sierra Club California and the American Lung Association of California and is supported by the Coalition for Clean Air, California Teachers Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, Planning and Conservation League, Breast Cancer Fund, Union of Concerned Scientists, California Safe Schools, California Air Pollution Control Officer’s Association, and others.