June 19, 2007

Dr. Robert Sawyer, Chairman

California Air Resources Board

1001 "I" Street

Sacramento, California 95814

RE:	Delayed Adoption of the South Coast Air Quality Management District's Air Quality Management Plan - as part of Agenda Item 07-7-7

Dear Dr. Sawyer:

As the Executive Director of the Coachella Valley Association of Governments ( CVAG ) whose membership includes the nine cities of the Coachella Valley: Cathedral City, Coachella , Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio , La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, the City of Blythe , three Tribal members and Riverside County, I am writing to request that you not delay the review and adoption of the South Coast Air Quality Management District's ( AQMD ) Air Quality Management Plan.

I understand that CARB will hold a public hearing at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel to consider approval of the State's State Implementation Plan this Friday, June 22, 2007. However, the AQMD 's 2007 AQMP which includes the Southern California Association of Government's transportation control measures which were anticipated to be considered this Friday at the hearing, has been delayed until October 2007.

The Coachella Valley was out of attainment for the federal PM-10 standard for several years. A local State Implementation Plan using stringent air quality control measures over the last three years has resulted in meeting the federal standard. However, despite significant progress by areas in the AQMD including the Coachella Valley, air quality in the South Coast Air Basin remains the worst in the nation, posing a major health concern for the almost 17 million residents of the region. The Coachella Valley relies on the AQMD to implement emission control measures to meet the federal air quality standards particularly any measures pertaining to mobile sources, in order to reduce the transport of pollution to our area.

Locally, the AQMD has placed the most stringent regulations on stationary sources in the world; but they cannot regulate most of the polluting mobile sources which cause 80 percent of our area's smog problem. The statewide strategy that CARB proposes which will be considered by your Governing Board this Friday, needs to be strengthened to have mobile sources assume greater responsibility. This can only be done through the CARB Governing Board's actions.

Letter to Dr. Robert Sawyer	Page 2 of 2 Pages

June 19, 2007

Given that CARB staff have reviewed the AQMD 's AQMP since October, 2006, we ask that you

reconsider your decision and consider adoption of the AQMD 's 2007 Air Quality Management Plan at your June 22, 2007 public hearing.

Feel free to contact me should you have any questions.

Respectfully submitted,

John M. Wohlmuth

Executive Director

cc: Roy Wilson, Vice Chair, SCAQMD Governing Board

Barry Wallerstein , CEO, SCAQMD

Janet Laiblin , SCAQMD Public Affairs Advisor