1994_03 Insight March 1994

              March 9,1994
Page 9
\x\ I f.
c:sui* —
Smog: Air quality takes priority in state
Continued from Page 1
responsibility for protecting air quality.
At Ihc federal level, thc EPA has
thc responsibility of implementing national air quality programs. Thc EPA
developed thc Federal Clean Air Act.
which was signed into law by President Nixon in 1970 and amended by
Congress in bolh 1977 and 1990.
Thc EPA deals with global, international, national and interstate air
pollution issues. It also oversees state
air quality programs to ensure lhat
stales arc following the federal vehicle emission standards.
Tlie EPA set National Ambient Ak
Quality Standards (NAAQS) for sc>
has authority to withhold transportation funds from states that refuse to
comply with stringent federal ozone
standards.
Along wiih other stales, California
is required lo show how it can reduce
pollution 15 percenl by 1996 and 3
percent each year thereafter.
monoxide in ihe air still pours oul of
tailpipes.
Under lhe Clean Air Act, thc EPA
is responsible for reviewing all highway projects. Because transportation
funds can't be spent on a project lhat
will undermine astatc'sclcan air plan,
stale transporiaiion and air-quality
Thc Clean Air Aci Amendment of    officials have to work together to dc-
1990sciguidclinesforemissionsfrom    velop a plan that is within the state's
both automobiles and stationary
sources, such as factories and utility
plants.
It also requires states io exude
stricter smog inspections using improved smog detection devices. Thc
computerized equipment will be so
teneiliuo ih:.i  millions nf cure „,w
capable of passing inspection are
cral air pollutants. There are two types likely lo fail.
of NAAQS: primary, intending to And not jusl old smokies, lhc EPA
protect people from pollutant-related estimates that as many as a third of
illnesses, and secondary, protecting recent-model cars will flunk, instead
lhc public from non-heallh-relatcdcf- of thc current 9 percent,
fects like low visibility. Along with smog-check road
"In lhe past, EPA s philosophy was blocks, there will also be remote sens-
to decentralize the air pollution rcgu-
clcan air objectives.
State smog check centers
Centralized smog inspections of
thc 26 million cars traveling on California highways and byways could
create a big hassle, both for the car
Jerry Martin, spokesman for lhc
California Air Resources Board, said
the costofsmogchccksmay be lower,
but ihc time and distance involved
will be a major disadvantage.
Thc convenience of jotting to the
neighborhood repair stalion would be
replaced wiih rigid burcaucrauzed
lation and control," said Ray Kapahi,
director of Air Quality Services. "Now
the EPA seems to want to play a more
active and visible role."
Slates arc required to at least mcci
thc standards of the NAAQS. California has established its own scl of
California Ambieni Air Quality Standards, found in lhc Hcalih and Safely
Code, Section 39606(b).
Thc California Air Resources
Board is responsible for looking over
thc shoulder of the local districts and
making sure they meet the standards
of lhc California Clean Air Act of
1988 (CCAA).
Thc CCAA requires thai local districts show a five percenl reduction in
air pollutants every year.
The Area Control District has the
majority of lhe responsibility for carrying oul lhe federal and slate rules.
Local districts arc responsible for
^Before, the sanctions have just meant a
delay, but now they're talking about
losing them completely."
— Barbara Godwin
mg devices lo detect high levels of
emissions when cars pass by a check
point along thc highway.
According io the Senate Vehicle
Inspection and Maintenance Bill, if
cars fail the smog check, the owners
will be required to lake lhc car lo an
emission-control stalion within 30
days.
If they don't comply, they will be
carrying out all of the regulations and fined S500, which will be imposed at
-nceiing the set standards. [hc nex, annua| rcg,straiion period.
Until the passage of thc CCAA and        Rcpairs ,0 pass mc smog inspct-.
FCAA, Ihc air districts were r
quired to implement controls over
transportation.
Now the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District is
working together with regional transporiaiion planning to gel some new
programs started.
"Regional air districts arc funded
through vehicle registration fees," Jim
Sweet said, "we gel S4 from each
registered vehicle."
Interlinked, the air quality agencies from local air districts to the
federal EPA work together lo clean
up and prevent air pollution
The Clean A
mentor IWO
Under the Clea
Act   and Anund-
Air Act. the EPA
could run car owners anywhere
from S25 io $450.
One good thing is lhat lhc buck
stops there. Owners who have shelled
out $450 for rcpairs and slill don't
pass the inspection will get a waiver
until the next required test.
But, that is only delaying die obvi-
The owner will eventually have to
gel lhc car up io lhe emission standards or keep paying the $450 every
year.
All these rules may sound stria,
bul the EPA has gotxl reason io issue
them.
More than 20 years ago lhc government began requiring annual cmis-
sioas lesis for many cars, half of the
smog and 90 percent of the carbon
schedules.
Officials and smog experts arc
skeptical aboul the quality of service
a government-run smog industry will
give. Especially since many cars will
fail thc first lest and will be required
io come back at a later dale.
Centralized smog check centers
would only lest cars — they w ouldn 't
repair ihcm. Cars lhat fail the emissions test would have to be fixed at
private repair stations, then brought
back to the testing center to be re-
tcstcd.
And slill experts doubi thai government-controlled smog checks will
solve the state's pollution problems.
James Lcc, spokesman for ihc California EPA, said lhc centralized smog
program just won'i work to clean up
California's polluted air.
Hc said 50 percent of thc smog is
caused by only 10 percent of Califor-
nian cars.
These cars are thc pre-1985 models, which naturally emit more pollutants than newer cars. Lcc said.
In limes of recession, people can'l
al lord to buy new cars.
One of the goals of Ihc Clean Air
Act Amendment of 1990 is to produce iwo percent of new cars thai
won't release any pollutants.
The state-run smog-inspectionccn-
ters would be under the direction of
thc Bureau of Automotive Rcpairs,
just as it is at tins time.
Even though state lawmakers are
dodging lhe EPA's suggestion of
implementing centralized inspections, there is a greal possibility that
California will convert to thc centralized plan in thc future, said Mcintosh.
Thc maximum fee for a smog certificate would remain at the current
$7, said Martin, but the cost of lhc
inspection is stall unknown.
Here's the dealt Yes, we did rent 14 apts during the past 18 days! Yes,
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we have a "Big Head?" We sure do. Do we still like to rent aptsJ You
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cost! Of course, on a slow day we just might do a little more. If you're
searching for a wonderful apt community, come talk to us at the
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Bullard and Minncwawa in Oovis. Call 297-2297
PRBSTlOl
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7277 Blackstone Suite 102
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Airline Tickets
Tours & Visas
XXXI W Valley Blvd.    Tel: (818) 458 - 7777(D)
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CA 9x803 U.S.A. Fax: (8X8) 284 - 9906
Local Transportation Affected
Taking away federal funds and
delaying federal environmental clearances could mean long delays in local
highway projects.
Fresno is currently undertaking
three major transportation projects on
highways41,168 and 180. Thc environmental price tag on just the Highway 41 project has already reached
S3.5 million, said Don DcMcrs. administrator of lhc Fresno County
Transponauon Authority.
The cost of environmental clearances includes such ihingsas research
studies, mitigation measures and processing Ices. Thc cost is also affected
said.
"[For the Valley), we've been told
thai if they implement the sanctions,
ihc first one will be the 2-io-l." said
David Jones, a spokesman for the San
Joaquin Valley Unified Air Polluuon
Control District. Jones referred lo the
iwo pares air-pollulion remedies to
every one part of newly introduced
pollutant.
That could happen within 18
months, he said, and funding sanctions would come next.
If California still remained oul of
compliance after lhc 2-lo-1 sanctions
were imposed, Jones said, lhe government could withhold its environmental clearance of all highway
projects lhat require federal approval.
"Sanctions usually mean that the
funds arc held up." said Barbara
Godwin, deputy dirccior of ihc Council of Fresno Couniy Governments.
"Before, the sanctions have just
mcani a delay, but now they're talking about losing ihcm completely."
Aliogcthcr.FrcsnoCounty receives
about S30-S50 million from lhc federal govemmentforhighway improvements and local transit, said Godwin.
If those funds were taken away,
Godwin said, highways and transit
would suffer immensely.
Air pollutants
There arc a number of various pollutants contaminatingCalifomia'sair,
including ozone, carbon monoxide,
nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide.
Thc California Clean Air Act of
1988 has classified these pollutants
under four categories ranging from
moderate to extreme.
FresnoCouniy falls under thc classification of severe non-attainment,
which means wc have very polluted
air.
"I Valley residents) have greater severity in air quality, which means
greater action is required to clean up
lhc air," said Jim Sweet, an atmospheric modeler for ihe San Joaquin
Valley Unified Air Pollution Control
District.
However, Valley residents aren't
to blame for all lhe smog in ihc air.
Some of the pollution we breathe is
brought into thc Valley via lhc river of
air—flowing from ihe north-western
cities and highways.
'The San Francisco Bay Area, only
one-fifth lhc size of lhc San Joaquin
Valley, releases more air pollution ot
every type, except dust particles."
Sweet said.
"Yet. lit) has better air quality for
its residents because of the clean air
flowing in from the Pacific, washing
lhc pollution oul of thc area."
Insight
Hadi YazdanPanah/INSIGHT
An FSU baseball player takes a late swing in the game
against Long Reach Slate Friday nighl.
Riding more than
just horse play
By Karen Mendel	
StaffWriter
On the cast side of campus lies
the student horse barn, where on
any given day of the week lhc
rumble of hooves and the whinnies of horses can be heard.
Some people have never even
ventured over ihcrc and don'l
know how involved Fresno Stale
is in the world of horses.
1 lorscback riding can be one of
leading in points this year. Shc
was thc all around champion last
year.
"1 think this is a great sport
because il seems to be one of thc
only sports where people who arc
competing against you really pull
for you and cheer you on," said
Bcllin.
Bcllin also siatcd lhai riding
with people fonns friendships and
ihcrc is a lol of unity wilhin Ihc
"Il really is a great experience
"It really is a great experience and
I'd encourage anyone interested
to come out see for themselves."
— Cheri Bellin
the most exciung and rewarding
sports and CSUFhas a horse show
team thai puts ihcm right in the
thick of things.
The horse show team consists
ofsixridcrsappoinicdbytheteam
coach, Chuck Smallwood.
They travel to colleges on the
same circuit as CSUF, competing
for points in both English and
western disciplines.
Cheri Bcllin,CSUFstudentand
president of the leam. is currently
and I'd encourage anyone interested to come oul sec for themselves," she said.
"It's a loi of fun."
For anyone interested in learning more about thc horse show
team or interested in just riding,
CSUF offers both English and
western riding lessons. There also
is a horse show club lhat anyone
can join.
CSUF will host a championship show in May.
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Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Varieties available:
%   Bridal Veil Amber Ale <
% San Joaquin Golden Ale
% Tower Dark
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