California Air Resources Board

Zero- and near-zero emission technologies and infrastructure

Directly reduce emissions from vehicles and equipment by switching to technologies with lower emissions

• The Port of Los Angeles/Port of Long Beach Clean Trucks Programs reduce pollution from drayage trucks by phasing in cleaner truck engines over time.
• The City of San Francisco’s Clean Construction Ordinance requires public projects to use construction equipment with lower emissions than otherwise required.

Activity changes

Reduce emissions or exposure by improving operational efficiency, changing hours of operation, reducing or eliminating operations, or other mechanisms

• The Port of Oakland and other California seaports have extended terminal operating hours to improve efficiency and reduce daytime congestion.
• The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issues Spare the Air Program makes wood burning illegal on Winter Spare the Air Alert days, when particulate matter levels are forecast to be high.
• CARB’s Airborne Toxic Control Measure for Stationary Compression Ignition Engines restricts the hours that a stationary emergency standby generator can be operated for maintenance or testing within a certain distance of schools.

Infill with compatible land use

Reduce emissions from cars by building housing and employment in centralized areas near transit

• A variety of land use and transportation policies can support infill development.  For example, the City of Sacramento revised its Parking Regulations to reduce parking requirements in the Central Business District as a mechanism to support urban development.

Increased clean transportation options

Reduce emissions from cars by providing zero- and near-zero emission transportation options, including clean transit, dedicated bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and clean car share, ride share, or bike and scooter share programs.

• At each level- State, Regional, and local- there are opportunities to raise awareness, improve safety, and increase participation in active transportation.  This can range from better safety laws for bicyclists, like the 3-foot bicycle passing distance law, to greater investments in bicycle and pedestrian amenities like those included in recent Sustainable Communities Strategies.

Setbacks and buffer zones

Create physical distance between emissions sources and sensitive land uses

• In July 2018, the City of Arvin adopted an ordinance that establishes minimum setback requirements for oil and gas operations. 
• Green Up Clean Up, Los Angeles City Ordinance No: 184246:  Establishes a Clean Up Green Up Supplemental Use District within Boyle Heights, Pacoima/Sun Valley, and Wilmington. This ordinance aims to reduce cumulative health impacts resulting from incompatible land uses and requires setbacks for select new sources near residential zones. 

Strategic siting to reduce exposure

Locate facilities, roadways, and sensitive land uses in ways that minimize exposure

• EPA’s Best Practices for Reducing Near Roadway Pollution Exposure at Schools (pg. 10) describes site location and design considerations to reduce exposure
• South Coast Air Quality Management District’s Air Quality Issues in School Site Selection Guidance Document provides suggested policies that school districts can implement

Alternative truck routing

Divert truck traffic away from local streets and sensitive land uses like schools or daycare centers

• Barrio Logan Clean Air Safe Streets Ordinance:  City of San Diego ordinance that establishes commercial vehicle prohibitions on various streets in the community of Barrio Logan. 

Vegetative and solid barriers

Reduce the spreading of air pollution into the community

• The United States Environmental Protection Agency has compiled recommendations for designing roadside barriers in the report Recommendations for Constructing Roadside Vegetation Barriers to Improve Near-Road Air Quality. Properly designed roadside vegetation and noise barriers can reduce downwind pollution concentrations near roadways by altering air flow and intercepting pollution.

Urban greening

Plant trees and other vegetation to absorb air pollution and reduce exposure in the community

• The National Recreation and Park Association's research paper on the "Air Quality Effects of Urban Trees and Parks" details how urban greening can improve air quality by directly removing air pollutants, reducing air temperature, shielding people from ultraviolet radiation, and removing carbon dioxide from the air. 

Air filtration

Improve indoor air quality by filtering out air pollution

• In their 2019 Building Efficiency Standards, The California Energy Commission is mandating that new and retrofitted buildings in 2020 must have MERV 13 as the minimum standard for filtration.
• The South Coast Air Quality Management District proposing funding the installation and maintenance of high-performance air filtration systems in residences located in communities impacted by air pollution, especially Environmental Justice(and/or Disadvantaged Communities disproportionately impacted by toxic air contaminants.
• The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is installing high-performance air filtration systems in sensitive receptor facilities(such as schools, community centers, senior residences, hospitals and similar) located in communities impacted by air pollution, especially Environmental Justice and/or Disadvantaged Communities disproportionately impacted by air pollution.

Notification systems

Reduce exposure to air pollution by providing real-time information to community members on outdoor air quality

• The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District’s Real-Time Air Advisory Network (RAAN) is an automated tool that provides residents with updates from the air monitor of their choice. Subscribers can receive email or text notifications to view hourly air quality data as local conditions change.

Geo-fencing

Reduce emissions in certain locations by establishing geographic boundaries that automatically switch applicable mobile source operations to zero emissions

• CARB is sponsoring a research project aimed to identify and evaluate geofencing strategies in the heavy-duty sector that could lower emissions in disadvantaged communities.