Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Encyclopedia
| Locale: | San Francisco Bay Area San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas... |
|---|---|
| Established: | November 16, 1955 |
| Executive Officer: | Jack P. Broadbent |
| Employees: | ~340 |
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) is a public agency that regulates the stationary sources of air pollution
Air pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....
in the nine counties of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
's San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
: Alameda
Alameda County, California
Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,510,271, making it the 7th most populous county in the state...
, Contra Costa
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
, Marin
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
, Napa
Napa County, California
Napa County is a county located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is coterminous with the Napa, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population is 136,484. The county seat is Napa....
, San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, San Mateo
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...
, Santa Clara
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
, southwestern Solano
Solano County, California
Solano County is a county located in Bay-Delta region of the U.S. state of California, about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento and is one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. The county's population was reported by the U.S. Census to be 413,344 in 2010...
, and southern Sonoma
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
. The BAAQMD is governed by a Board of Directors composed of 22 elected officials from each of the nine Bay Area counties, and the board has the duty of adopting air pollution regulations for the district.
History
The first meeting of the Bay Area Air Pollution Control District (as it was initially known) board of directors was on November 16, 1955, possessing the duty of regulating the sources of stationary air pollution in the San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, that is, most sources of air pollution with the exception of automobiles and aircraft. By 1960, the Air District took significant actions, banning open burning at dumps and wrecking yards in 1957 and limiting industrial emissions in 1958. In 1958, the Air District also opened its first analytical laboratory, which was followed with an ambient air monitoring network in 1962.
The Air District later began to regulate agricultural burning in 1968, and banned backyard burning in 1970. In 1971, the Air District adopted emissions standards for lead, and Napa, Solano, and Sonoma counties became members of the Air District. The following year, the Air District began making daily air quality broadcasts through the "smog phone," and the board adopted the first odor regulation in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. California's first gasoline vapor recovery program was started in 1974 by the Air District. In 1975, the country's first air quality ozone
Ozone
Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...
model was completed by the Air District. The Bay Area Air Pollution Control District changed its name to the Bay Area Air Quality Management district three years later. In 1980, the Air District proposed a "Smog Check" program, one that would be adopted statewide by 1982. 1989 saw the nation's first limits on emissions from commercial bakeries and marine vessel loading, and the following year, emissions from aerosol spray products also came under regulation. In 1991, the Spare the Air program was started, made to notify the public of when air quality is forecast to exceed federal standards. The Air District founded its vehicle buyback program in 1996, intended to buy and scrap older, more polluting automobiles. In 1998, the Air District began administrating the Carl Moyer Program to reduce emissions by upgrading heavy-duty diesel engines. In 1998 and 1999, the Air District took steps to reduce particulate matter, primarily through regulating woodburning appliances and monitoring particulate matter through pre-existing air quality monitoring stations. In 2005, the Air District began to regulate emissions from refinery flares.
In July 2008, the Board passed a law that makes the previously voluntary compliance with wood burning regulations a crime. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081031/news/810310317&template=printart These meetings were not well attended due to a lack of publicity. The law came into effect during the next fall. Citizens wishing to use wood burning appliances during winter months now must check if a "spare the air" alert is in effect, which would prohibit residential wood burning. Neighbors are encouraged to report neighbors on a toll free telephone number. The status of "spare the air" alerts can be checked via the internet, telephone, newspaper or television.
Spare the Air Alerts are predictive in nature and are called when there is a chance of exceeding the limits. This was made apparent during the fall of 2009 there was a ban on burning on both Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. This resulted in public outcry. http://cbs5.com/local/spare.the.air.2.1394257.html
Uses of BAAQMD Data
BAAQMD overseas regional data on air pollution and has the authority to declare Spare the Air Days, when residents should take extra precautions when going outside and may be prohibited from engaging in activities such as burning. 511 Contra Costa511 Contra Costa
-About 511 Contra Costa: is a comprehensive transportation demand management program that implements vehicle trip reduction and air quality programs on behalf of the local jurisdictions in Contra Costa County, California...
built an RSS
RSS
-Mathematics:* Root-sum-square, the square root of the sum of the squares of the elements of a data set* Residual sum of squares in statistics-Technology:* RSS , "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary", a family of web feed formats...
feed using these data, and released an iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
application to alert people with allergies or other environmental sensitivities about air quality alerts.
Divisions
Administration: http://www.baaqmd.gov/Divisions/Administration.aspxCommunications & Outreach: http://www.baaqmd.gov/Divisions/Communications-and-Outreach.aspx
Compliance & Enforcement: http://www.baaqmd.gov/Divisions/Compliance-and-Enforcement.aspx
Engineering: http://www.baaqmd.gov/Divisions/Engineering.aspx
Finance: http://www.baaqmd.gov/Divisions/Finance.aspx
Human Resources: http://www.baaqmd.gov/Divisions/Human-Resources.aspx
Information Systems: http://www.baaqmd.gov/Divisions/Information-Services.aspx
Legal: http://www.baaqmd.gov/Divisions/Legal.aspx
Planning, Rules & Research: http://www.baaqmd.gov/Divisions/Planning-and-Research.aspx
Strategic Incentives: http://www.baaqmd.gov/Divisions/Strategic-Incentives.aspx
Technical Services: http://www.baaqmd.gov/Divisions/Technical-Services.aspx
Notable facilities in jurisdiction
Some example stationary sources in the BAAQMD jurisdiction are:- The Shaw GroupThe Shaw GroupThe Shaw Group is a Fortune 500 corporation headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As of February 27, 2011, the company employed approximately 28,000 people all over the world with 7 billion dollar revenue in 2010...
waste ponds, Martinez - Pacific Gas and Electric
- Shell Oil refinery, Martinez
- Chevron CorporationChevron CorporationChevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
refinery, Richmond, Ca
See also
- Spare the Air
- Carl Moyer Program
- Association of Bay Area GovernmentsAssociation of Bay Area GovernmentsThe Association of Bay Area Governments is a regional planning agency incorporating various local governments in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It deals with land use, housing, environmental quality, and economic development. Non-profit organizations as well as governmental...
- Metropolitan Transportation Commission (San Francisco Bay Area)Metropolitan Transportation Commission (San Francisco Bay Area)The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is a regional planning, financing, and funding government agency in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was created in 1970 to coordinate the transit systems in the area's nine counties...
External links
- Bay Area Air Quality Management District
- Spare the Air website
- Carl Moyer Program
- Managing TitleV Compliance
- Clean air reference website
- Fireplace Rebate Fund
- BAAQMD phone numbers including 800-EXHAUST (800-394-2878) to report smoggy cars