6.6 Air Quality

6.6 AIR QUALITY

6.6.1 Introduction This section describes the existing air quality conditions within the City of Simi Valley Planning Area. The regulatory agencies responsible for managing and improving air quality within the Simi Valley Planning Area are discussed along with the laws and plans that have been adopted to improve regional air quality. Information for this section was obtained from the California Air Resources Board, the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (VCAPCD), the 1991 Simi Valley Air Quality Element and the Simi Valley Municipal Code.

6.6.2 Existing Conditions

„ Regional Climate Simi Valley is located within Ventura County, which is part of the South Central Coast Air Basin (the Basin). This area includes all of Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. Ventura County is divided into two airsheds for air quality planning purposes: the Ojai Valley Airshed and the Oxnard Plain Airshed. The regional climate within the basin is dominated by the intensity and location of the semi-permanent Pacific high pressure zone, which, from spring to fall, induces regional subsidence and temperature inversion layers. The region is characterized by warm summers, mild winters, infrequent seasonal rainfall, and moderate humidity, with the predominate wind patterns follow a diurnal land/sea breeze cycle, with typical daytime winds from the west.

„ Local Climate Simi Valley is located within southeastern Ventura County, the inland portion of the Oxnard Plain Airshed, approximately 25 miles from the coast of the Pacific Ocean, and experiences the mild Mediterranean climate typical of Southern California. The City is surrounded by the Santa Susana Mountains to the north and northeast, Big Mountain to the north and the Simi Hills to the south. Simi Valley extends west to east and varies in elevation from approximately 700 feet to the west to approximately 1,200 feet at the northeast. Average temperatures in the valley are an 88.2°F high and a 40.7°F low. Precipitation averages 14.37 inches per year, with the majority of rainfall occurring from late October through early April. Prevailing daytime winds are from the west to west-southwest with average wind speeds of approximately eight miles per hour (mph). Predominant nighttime winds are from the east to east- southeast and average three to four mph. This general flow of winds in the valley is occasionally interrupted by warm and very dry Santa Ana winds, which originate from the deserts located northeast of California and occur between September and March. Santa Ana winds blow through the valley from the north to northeast with velocities in excess of 17 miles per hour, including gusts in excess of 30 miles per hour.

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The vertical dispersion of air pollutants in the Oxnard Plain Airshed is limited by the presence of persistent temperature inversions. Because air cools under decreased atmospheric pressure, temperatures typically decrease with altitude. A reversal of this state in the atmosphere, where temperature increases with height, is known as an inversion. The base of the inversion, or the mixing height, represents an abrupt change in the density of the atmosphere so that the air below the inversion base does not mix with the air above the base. Two types of temperature inversions (warmer air on top of colder air) are created in the area: subsidence and radiational (surface). The subsidence inversion is a regional effect created by the Pacific high in which air is heated as it is compressed when it flows from a high pressure area to the low pressure areas inland. This type of inversion generally forms at about 1,000 to 2,000 feet and can occur throughout the year, but is most evident during the summer months. Surface inversions are formed by the more rapid cooling of air near the ground at night, especially during winter. This type of inversion is typically lower and is generally accompanied by stable air. Both types of inversions limit the dispersal of air pollutants within the regional airshed. Ozone (O3) is the primary air pollutant of concern during the subsidence inversions, while carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are of greatest concern during winter inversions

„ Air Quality Background Air pollutant emissions within the air basins are generated by stationary, mobile, and natural sources. Stationary sources can be divided into two major subcategories: point and area sources. Point sources occur at an identified location and are usually associated with manufacturing and industry. Examples are boilers or combustion equipment that produce electricity or generate heat. Construction activities such as excavation and grading also contribute to point source emissions. Area sources are widely distributed and produce many small emissions. Examples of area sources include residential and commercial water heaters, painting operations, portable generators, lawn mowers, agricultural fields, landfills, and consumer products such as barbeque lighter fluid and hair spray. Mobile sources refer to emissions from on- and off-road motor vehicles, including tailpipe and evaporative emissions. On-road sources may be legally operated on roadways and highways. Off-road sources include aircraft, trains, and construction vehicles. Mobile sources account for the majority of the air pollutant emissions within the air basin. Air pollutants can also be generated by the natural environment such as when fine dust particles are pulled off the ground surface and suspended in the air during high winds. Both the federal and State governments have established ambient air quality standards for outdoor concentrations of various pollutants in order to protect public health. The federal and State ambient air quality standards have been set at levels whose concentrations could be generally harmful to human health and welfare and to protect the most sensitive persons from illness or discomfort with a margin of safety. Applicable ambient air quality standards are identified later in this section. The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (VCAPCD) is responsible for bringing air quality within the South Central Coast Air Basin into conformity with the federal and State standards. The air pollutants for which federal and State standards have been promulgated and which are most relevant to air quality planning and regulation in the air basins include ozone, carbon monoxide (CO),

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fine suspended particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and lead. In addition, toxic air contaminants are of concern in the air basins. Each of these is briefly described below. ■ Ozone is a gas that is formed when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides

(NOX), both byproducts of internal combustion engine exhaust, undergo slow photochemical reactions in the presence of sunlight. Meteorological conditions that are needed to produce high concentrations of ozone are direct sunshine, early morning stagnation in source areas, high ground surface temperatures, strong and low morning inversions, greatly restricted vertical mixing during the day, and daytime subsidence that strengthens the inversion layer. ■ Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas produced by the incomplete combustion of fuels. CO concentrations tend to be the highest during the winter morning, with little to no wind, when surface-based inversions trap the pollutant at ground levels. Because CO is emitted directly from internal combustion engines, unlike ozone, and motor vehicles operating at slow speeds are the primary source of CO in the Basin, the highest ambient CO concentrations are generally found near congested transportation corridors and intersections.

■ Respirable Particulate Matter (PM10) and Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) consist of very small liquid and solid particles floating in the air, which can include smoke, soot, dust, salts, acids, and metals. Particulate matter also forms when gases emitted from industries and motor vehicles

undergo chemical reactions in the atmosphere. PM10 and PM2.5 represent fractions of particulate matter. Inhalable particulate matter (PM10) refers to particulate matter 10 microns or less in diameter, about one/seventh the thickness of a human hair. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) refers to particulate matter that is 2.5 microns or less in diameter, roughly 1/28th the diameter of a

human hair. Major sources of PM10 include crushing or grinding operations; dust stirred up by vehicles traveling on roads; wood burning stoves and fireplaces; dust from construction, landfills, and agriculture; wildfires and brush/waste burning; industrial sources; windblown dust from open

lands; and atmospheric chemical and photochemical reactions. PM2.5 results from fuel combustion (from motor vehicles, power generation, and industrial facilities), residential fireplaces, and wood

stoves. In addition, PM2.5 can be formed in the atmosphere from gases, such as SO2, NOX, and VOC. ■ Sulfur dioxide is a colorless, extremely irritating gas or liquid. It enters the atmosphere as a pollutant mainly as a result of burning high sulfur-content fuel oils and coal, and from chemical processes occurring at chemical plants and refineries. ■ Lead occurs in the atmosphere as particulate matter. The combustion of leaded gasoline is the primary source of airborne lead in the Basin. The use of leaded gasoline is no longer permitted for on-road motor vehicles; therefore, most lead combustion emissions are associated with off-road vehicles. Other sources of lead include the manufacturing and recycling of batteries, paint, ink, ceramics, ammunition, and secondary lead smelters. ■ Toxic Air Contaminants refer to a diverse group of air pollutants that can affect human health, but have not had ambient air quality standards established for them. This is not because they are fundamentally different from the pollutants discussed above, but because their effects tend to be local rather than regional.

„ Existing Regional Air Quality Regional air quality throughout the Basin has improved substantially over the 1980s and 1990s, even as substantial growth has occurred. This is illustrated in Figure 6.6-1 (Ventura Air Pollution Control District

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Ozone Exceedance Graph) for the percent of days that exceed national and state pollutant standards for ozone However, the entire County is designated as a national-level nonattainment area for ozone. Ventura County is considered a national level attainment area for all other criteria air pollutants for which there are federal attainment standards, including PM10, PM2.5, CO, NO2, and SO2. The Basin is a state-level nonattainment area for ozone, PM10 and PM2.5. It is in attainment of the state ambient air quality standards for SO2 and lead.

Figure 6.6-1 Ventura Air Pollution Control District Ozone Exceedance Graph SOURCE: VAPCD 2007

„ Existing Local Air Quality

To identify ambient concentrations of the six primary criteria pollutants (i.e., O3, CO, NO2, SO2,

PM10/PM2.5 and lead), the VCAPCD operates seven air quality monitoring stations throughout Ventura County. These stations are located in Thousand Oaks, El Rio, Ventura, Piru, Ojai, and Simi Valley. The most representative air quality monitoring station is located on Cochran Street within Simi Valley. This station presently monitors the concentration levels of O3, NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 within the City. Table 6.6-1 (Summary of Ambient Air Quality at the Simi Valley Monitoring Station) identifies the national and State ambient air quality standards for relevant air pollutants and provides a summary of ambient air quality measured within the Planning Area through the period of 2004 to 2006. CO monitoring was eliminated in Ventura County in 2004 as part of network changes in response to the proposed National Monitoring Strategy set forth by EPA. The decision to eliminate CO monitoring was approved by both EPA and the California Air Resources Board (ARB). Summary data available through the year 2006 shows ozone levels in the Planning Area at higher than State and national standards, and

PM10 and PM2.5 levels are higher than State standards.

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Table 6.6-1 Summary of Ambient Air Quality at the Simi Valley Monitoring Station Year Pollutant Air Quality Standards 2004 2005 2006 Ozone Maximum 1-hour concentration 0.122 ppm 0.121 ppm 0.130 ppm Number of days exceeding national 1-hour standard >0.12 ppm 0 0 1 Number of days exceeding State 1-hour standard >0.09 ppm 18 13 14 Maximum 8-hour concentration 0.098 ppm 0.094 ppm 0.108 ppm Number of days exceeding national 8-hour standard >0.08 ppm 11 10 13 Carbon Monoxide (CO)* Maximum 8-hour concentration 2.62 ppm * * Number of days exceeding national 8-hour standard ≥9.0 ppm 0 0 0 Number of days exceeding State 8-hour standard >9.0 ppm 0 0 0

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Maximum 1-hour concentration 0.07 ppm 0.06 ppm 0.055 ppm Number of days exceeding State 1-hour standard >0.25 ppm 0 0 0

Respirable Particulate Matter (PM10) Maximum 24-hour concentration 48.7 µg/m3 76.0 µg/m3 56.9 µg/m3 Number of days exceeding national 24-hour standard >150 µg/m3 0 0 0 Number of days exceeding State 24-hour standard >50 µg/m3 0 1 1

Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Maximum 24-hour concentration measured 41.2 µg/m3 42.4 µg/m3 21.9 µg/m3 Number of days exceeding national 24-hour standard >65 µg/m3 0 0 0 SOURCE: ARB 2004, 2005, 2006 * VACPD eliminated monitoring for CO in 2005 ppm = parts by volume per million of air; µg/m3 = micrograms per cubic meter of air

„ Existing Toxic Air Contaminant Emissions Toxic air contaminants are airborne substances that are capable of causing chronic (i.e., of long duration) and acute (i.e., severe but of short duration) adverse effects on human health. They include both organic and inorganic chemical substances that may be emitted from a variety of common sources including gasoline stations, motor vehicles, dry cleaners, industrial operations, painting operations, and research and teaching facilities. Toxic air contaminants are different than the “criteria” pollutants previously discussed in that ambient air quality standards have not been established for them, largely because there are hundreds of air toxics and their effects on health tend to be local rather than regional. Lifetime cancer risk is defined as the increased chance of contracting cancer over a 70-year period as a result of exposure to a toxic substance or substances. It is the product of the estimated daily exposure of each suspected carcinogen by its respective cancer unit risk. The end result represents a worst-case estimate of cancer risk. The ARB has produced a series of estimated inhalation cancer risk maps based on modeled levels of outdoor composite toxic pollutant levels. The 2001 map (the most recent map

Simi Valley General Plan Update Technical Background Report 6.6-5 Chapter 6 Natural Resources available) indicates that the Planning Area is exposed to an estimated inhalation cancer risk of more than 500 persons per million. The largest contributors to inhalation cancer risk are diesel engines.

„ Sensitive Receptors As discussed previously, the national and State ambient air quality standards have been set at levels whose concentrations could be generally harmful to human health and welfare and to protect the most sensitive persons from illness or discomfort with a margin of safety. The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (VCAPCD) defines typical sensitive receptors as residences, schools, playgrounds, child care centers, athletic facilities, hospitals, long-term health care facilities, rehabilitation centers, convalescent centers, and retirement homes. Each of these land use types is present within the City.

„ Land Use Planning and Air Quality Land use patterns and density of development affect the amount of air pollutants that are generated by communities. Land uses that are segregated throughout a community increase the number of motor vehicle trips and associated air pollutant emissions since opportunities to walk, ride bicycles, and use public transportation between such uses as homes and work/shopping are generally reduced. This is compounded in areas such as the City of Simi Valley where low densities increase the distance between uses, and public transportation routes and vehicles are limited. Communities that have more local residents in the work-force than the number of local jobs (i.e., are housing rich), as is the case with the Simi Valley, also increase the potential for emissions to be generated as residents have to commute outside of the community for their employment.

„ Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change The natural “greenhouse effect” allows the earth to remain warm and sustain life. Greenhouse gases trap the sun’s heat in the atmosphere, like a blanket, and help determine the existing climate. Examples of greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and hydrofluorocarbons. The increased consumption of fossil fuels (wood, coal, gasoline, etc.) has substantially increased atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases. As atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases rise, so do temperatures. Over time this rise in temperatures would result in climate change. Theories concerning climate change and global warming existed as early as the late 1800s. By the late 1900s, understanding of the earth’s atmosphere had advanced to the point where many climate scientists began to accept that the earth’s climate is changing. Today, many climate scientists agree that some warming has occurred over the past century and will continue through this century. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that changes in the earth’s climate will continue through the twenty-first century and that the rate of change may increase significantly in the future because of human activity. Many researchers studying California’s climate believe that changes in the earth’s climate have already affected California and will continue to do so in the future. Projected future climate change may affect California in a variety of ways. Public health can suffer due to greater temperature extremes and more frequent extreme weather events, increases in transmission of

6.6-6 Simi Valley General Plan Update Technical Background Report 6.6 Air Quality infectious disease, and increases in air pollution. Agriculture is especially vulnerable to altered temperature and rainfall patterns, and new pest problems. Forest ecosystems would face increased fire hazards and would be more susceptible to pests and diseases. The Sierra snowpack that functions as California’s largest reservoir could shrink by a third by 2060, and to half its historic size by 2090. Runoff that fills reservoirs will start in midwinter, not spring, and rain falling on snow would trigger faster rates of runoff which may result in increased flooding. The California coast is likely to face a rise in sea level that could threaten its shorelines. Sea level rise and storm surges could lead to flooding of low-lying property, loss of coastal wetlands, erosion of cliffs and beaches, saltwater contamination of drinking water, and damage to roads, causeways, and bridges. On July 22, 2002, Governor Gray Davis signed AB 1493, which required the ARB to develop and adopt regulations that reduce greenhouse gases emitted by passenger vehicles and light duty trucks. Transportation is California’s largest source of carbon dioxide, with passenger vehicles and light duty trucks creating more than 30 percent of total climate change emissions. This emissions reduction requirement applies to 2009 and later model year vehicles. More recently, on September 27, 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 32, which requires the ARB to monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, AB 32 requires the ARB to do the following: ■ Establish a statewide greenhouse gas emissions cap for 2020, based on 1990 emissions by January 1, 2008 ■ Adopt mandatory reporting rules for significant sources of greenhouse gases by January 1, 2008 ■ Adopt a plan by January 1, 2009, indicating how emission reductions will be achieved from significant greenhouse gas sources via regulations, market mechanisms and other actions ■ Adopt regulations by January 1, 2011, to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost- effective reductions in greenhouse gases, including provisions for using both market mechanisms and alternative compliance mechanisms ■ Convene an Environmental Justice Advisory Committee and an Economic and Technology Advancement Advisory Committee to advise ARB ■ Ensure public notice and opportunity for comment for all ARB actions ■ Prior to imposing any mandates or authorizing market mechanisms, requires ARB to evaluate several factors, including but not limited to: impacts on California’s economy, the environment, and public health; equity between regulated entities; electricity reliability, conformance with other environmental laws, and to ensure that the rules do not disproportionately impact low-income communities ■ Adopt a list of discrete, early action measures by July 1, 2007, that can be implemented before January 1, 2010, and adopt such measures. Current climate models were developed to analyze climate change on a global scale and are not sensitive enough to accurately measure an individual community’s impact on global climate change. No guidance is available to local agencies regarding the methodology for assessing the potential for global warming impacts on a community scale, and no standards have been established to assess a community’s contribution of greenhouse gases. Until such time that standards are established by the State and federal governments and reliable modeling techniques at a regional and project level have been developed, the ability to assess a community’s contribution to global climate change is severely limited.

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6.6.3 Regulatory Setting Air quality within the Basin is addressed through the efforts of various federal, State, regional, and local government agencies. These agencies work jointly, as well as individually, to improve air quality through legislation, regulations, planning, policy-making, education, and a variety of programs. The agencies responsible for improving the air quality within the Basin are discussed below.

„ Federal U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for setting and enforcing the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for atmospheric pollutants. It regulates emission sources that are under the exclusive authority of the federal government, such as aircraft, ships, and certain locomotives. The EPA also maintains jurisdiction over emissions sources outside State waters (outer continental shelf), and establishes various emissions standards for vehicles sold in states other than California. As part of its enforcement responsibilities, the EPA requires each state with federal nonattainment areas to prepare and submit a State Implementation Plan (SIP) that demonstrates the means to attain the federal standards. The SIP must integrate federal, State, and local plan components and regulations to identify specific measures to reduce pollution, using a combination of performance standards and market-based programs within the timeframe identified in the SIP. The City of Simi Valley General Plan, the Growth Management Plan and Municipal Code are the regulatory mechanisms by which the City conforms to EPA regulations, including the SIP.

„ State California Air Resources Board The ARB, a part of the California Environmental Protection Agency, is responsible for the coordination and administration of both federal and State air pollution control programs within California. In this capacity, the ARB conducts research, sets California Ambient Air Quality Standards, compiles emission inventories, develops suggested control measures, provides oversight of local programs, and prepares the SIP. The ARB establishes emissions standards for motor vehicles sold in California, consumer products (such as hair spray, aerosol paints, and barbecue lighter fluid), and various types of commercial equipment. It also sets fuel specifications to further reduce vehicular emissions. As with the EPA, the Simi Valley General Plan, the Growth Management Plan and the Municipal Code are the regulatory mechanisms by which the City conforms to the regulations and requirements of the ARB.

„ Regional Southern California Association of Governments The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is a council of governments for Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties. It is a regional planning agency

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and serves as a forum for regional issues relating to transportation, the economy and community development, and the environment. Although SCAG is not an air quality management agency, it is responsible for developing transportation, land use, and energy conservation measures that affect air quality. The organization also promotes using carpools, buses, trains, and other alternative forms of transportation throughout the region. SCAG’s Regional Comprehensive Plan and Guide (RCPG) provides growth forecasts that are used in the development of air quality-related land use and transportation control strategies by the VCAPCD. The RCPG is a framework for decision-making for local governments, assisting them in meeting federal and state mandates for growth management, mobility, and environmental standards, while maintaining consistency with regional goals regarding growth and changes through the year 2015, and beyond. Policies within the RCPG include consideration of air quality, land use, transportation, and economic relationships by all levels of government.

„ Local Ventura County Air Pollution Control District The VCAPCD is the agency principally responsible for comprehensive air pollution control in the Basin. The VCAPCD, a regional agency, works directly with the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), county transportation commissions, and local governments and cooperates actively with all federal and state government agencies. The VCAPCD develops rules and regulations to reduce emissions, protect public health and agriculture, and to achieve and maintain state and federal air quality standards. In addition, the VCAPCD establishes permitting requirements for stationary sources, inspects emissions sources, and enforces such measures through educational programs or fines, when necessary. The VCAPCD is directly responsible for reducing emissions from stationary, area, and mobile sources. It has responded to this requirement by preparing a sequence of AQMPs. The most recent of these was adopted by the Governing Board of the VCAPCD in 1994, and has been revised three times, once in 1995, again in 1997, and the most recent revision being in 2004. The Ventura County AQMP is based on growth projections for Ventura County and subareas within the County that have been agreed to by both the County and the Southern California Association of Governments. The 2004 AQMP was prepared to comply with the federal and state Clean Air Act and its amendments, accommodate growth, reduce the pollutant levels in the Basin, meet federal and state ambient air quality standards, and minimize the fiscal impact that pollution control measures have on the local economy. The 2004 AQMP revisions consist of (1) updates to on-road motor vehicle emissions for historical and future years to reflect current data, including the latest planning assumptions; (2) revised transportation conformity emission budgets for 2005 that reflect adopted vehicle emission control regulations not included in the existing State Implementation Plan and budgets; and (3) monitoring data showing sustained improvement in ozone levels in Ventura County. Further, the 2004 AQMP sets forth a comprehensive program that is designed to lead this area into compliance with all federal and state air quality planning requirements, and satisfy the California Clean Air Act (CCAA) tri-annual update requirements and fulfill the District’s commitment to update transportation emission budgets based on the latest approved motor vehicle

Simi Valley General Plan Update Technical Background Report 6.6-9 Chapter 6 Natural Resources emissions model and planning assumptions. In February 2007, the VCAPCD released the 2007 Draft AQMP for public comment and review. The 2007 AQMP is due to the EPA by June 15, 2007.

County of Ventura, City of Simi Valley Local jurisdictions, such as the County of Ventura and the City of Simi Valley, have the shared responsibility to implement or facilitate some of the control measures of the AQMP. Transportation- related strategies for congestion management, low emission vehicle infrastructure, and transit accessibility and non-transportation-related strategies for energy conservation can be encouraged by policies of local governments. The transportation strategies include the following: ■ Trip Elimination: This strategy reduces vehicle emissions by eliminating vehicle trips. The primary emissions eliminated are the cold start emissions that occur when vehicle engines have been at rest for a period and then restarted. Cold start emissions occur after engine startup but before the engines are warm enough for the emission control systems to work effectively. Cold start emissions are a large percentage of total vehicle emissions and thus a major source of ozone precursors. Telecommuting, carpooling, combining trips, flexible work schedules, and certain land use measures that provide housing near jobs and shopping centers are strategies that eliminate vehicle trips. ■ Vehicle Substitution: This strategy reduces emissions associated with motor vehicle use by using nonmotorized transportation modes, which do not produce air emissions. Walking, biking, and telecommuting are all mechanisms of vehicle substitution. Adopting trip reduction ordinances is a mechanism to encourage walking or biking facilities and discourage motor vehicle use in highly congested areas. ■ Vehicle Miles Traveled Reduction: This strategy reduces motor vehicle emissions because vehicles traveling fewer miles produce fewer emissions. This strategy does not reduce cold start emissions. Park and ride lots, carpooling, and land use measures are all ways to reduce trip distance and, therefore, vehicle miles traveled. ■ Vehicle Occupancy: Increasing the number of passengers per vehicle can reduce all emissions associated with motor vehicle use. Transit, carpools, and vanpools are all mechanisms to implement this strategy. Other mechanisms include providing ridematch services for carpools and vanpools, restricting or limiting roads for high occupancy vehicles and passenger buses, establishing employer-based transportation management programs that encourage carpooling, vanpooling and transit use among employees. ■ Technological Improvements: This strategy reduces emissions through technological improvements to the internal operation of motor vehicles and the technologies used to improve the performance of transportation systems. Clean-fuel/electric vehicles, vehicle emission controls, Intelligent Transportation Systems, signal synchronization and freeway management systems that improve the performance of transportation systems are all mechanisms to implement this strategy. Programs to control extended idling of vehicles and remove older, high-polluting vehicles through vehicle scrapping incentives reduce emissions as well. The VCAPCD has primary responsibility for regulating stationary sources, including some area sources, within Ventura County. Stationary sources are sources of air pollution that do not move, such as power plants, turbines, refineries, oil field facilities, manufacturing facilities, industrial engines, water heaters, furnaces, and gasoline stations. Stationary source control measures provide the framework for District rules that reduce harmful air emissions. District rules implement AQMP control measures and apply to

6.6-10 Simi Valley General Plan Update Technical Background Report 6.6 Air Quality many activities including power generation, gasoline storage and dispensing, petroleum storage and processing, paint and solvent use, dry cleaning, printing, asphalt paving, and fuel combustion in industrial engines and turbines. A summary of the AQMP Stationary Source measures that are partially within the jurisdiction of local governments to implement is provided in Table 6.6-2 (AQMP Control Strategies for Local Governments). The City must regulate the emissions associated with these stationary sources in order to conform with the AQMP.

Table 6.6-2 AQMP Control Strategies for Local Governments AQMP Strategy Name Effect Stationary Source Control Measures R-303 Architectural Coating Reduce VOC R-314 Adhesives Reduce VOC R-314 Graphic Arts Solvents Reduce VOC R-321 Pleasure Craft Coating Reduce VOC R-328 Surface Cleaning and Degreasing Reduce VOC R-501 Fiberglass/Polyester Resin Use Reduce VOC R-504 Restaurant Cooking Operations Reduce VOC

N-102 Boiler’s Steam Gen, Heaters<1MMBtu Reduce NOx

N-110 Fan Type Central Furnaces Reduce NOx SOURCE: VCAPCD 2007Draft Air Quality Management Plan, VOC = Volatile Organic Compounds NOx Nitrogen Oxides

Simi Valley Municipal Code Chapter 9-39, Transportation Demand Management, of the Simi Valley Municipal Code is intended to promote trip reduction and travel demand measures in the City of Simi Valley, which in turn would serve to reduce Air Quality Impacts from new development within the City. As such, Chapter 9-39 of the Municipal Code sets forth standards and requirements for new commercial and residential development that would promote alternative transportation methods and other strategies to improve both congestion and air quality.

Simi Valley General Plan The Simi Valley 1991 Air Quality Element identifies goals and policies for improving air quality in Simi Valley and the air basin. Because air quality goals can be achieved through a variety of land use, housing and transportation strategies, several air quality-related policies are contained in other elements of the 1988 General Plan. The goals and policies are intended to improve local and regional air quality by reducing harmful emissions from both mobile and stationary sources and include such policies as encouraging new development contiguous with existing development, encouraging infill development on the valley floor, reducing vehicle trips through the use of transportation demand (TDM) programs, and promoting growth management through the Countywide Planning Program as well as the City’s Growth Management Plan.

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6.6.4 Issues ■ Continued development will increase the amount of air pollutant sources within the City. The primary source of these emissions will be motor vehicles. Many of the vehicle trips will originate and end within the Simi Valley Planning Area. Other trips will consist of single occupant vehicles commuting to the regional employment centers in Ventura County, such as Thousand Oaks, or the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles. These emissions could be reduced through planning programs that reduce the length and or number of vehicle trips, and encourage residents to work locally, rideshare, or use alternative forms of transportation. Continued development will increase the amount of stationary air pollutant sources within the City. These emissions will be limited and regulated by the VCAPCD through their New Source Review (NSR) permitting procedures. ■ The City should review planning programs that reduce the length and or number of vehicle trips and encourage residents to work locally, rideshare, telecommute, or use alternative forms of transportation, such as park and ride facilities and providing off-street bicycle paths along transportation corridors within the City. The segregated, low-density, auto-oriented pattern of land uses within much of the City does not foster alternate forms of transportation along major transportation corridors. ■ Vehicles capable of using alternative fuels and possibly electricity may be commercially available and economically viable in the near future. These vehicles will need a large infrastructure to support refueling before they can be accepted for broad use by the average driver. ■ It is likely that the number of sensitive receptors in the Simi Valley Planning Area will increase with population growth and increased urbanization. It will be necessary to identify measures to protect those sensitive receptors and also solutions to reduce pollution emissions locally.

6.6.5 Sources California Air Resources Board (ARB). 2001. Ozone Transport: 2001 Review. ———. 2007. ARB Web site (http://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/cti/hlthrisk/cncrinhl/riskmapviewfull.htm). Air Quality Maps: Estimated Cancer Risk from Air Toxics—2001 Map Information. City of Simi Valley, General Plan, 1991 Air Quality Element. Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (VCAPCD). 1994. Ventura County Air Quality Management Plan. ———. 1995. Ventura County 2004 Air Quality Management Plan Revision. ———. 1997. Ventura County 2004 Air Quality Management Plan Revision. ———. 2003. Ventura County Air Quality Assessment Guidelines, October. ———. 2004. Ventura County 2004 Air Quality Management Plan Revision. ———. 2007. Draft Ventura County 2007 Air Quality Management Plan. Weather Underground. 2007. “Simi Valley, California Weather and Forecast” website: http://english.wunderground.com/cgi- bin/findweather/getForecast?query=93064&hourly=1&yday=55&weekday=Sunday.

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