California's farm belt plan to cut air pollution criticized

by stvalentine | May 1, 2008 at 06:22 am | 199 views | add comment

California's farm belt has some of the highest levels of airborne dust, smoke and soot in the country.

Environmentalists say a new plan to clean up the soot-laden air in California's farm belt would fail to adequately regulate agricultural sources of pollution.
Critics of the plan unfurled white prayer flags Wednesday outside the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's meeting in Fresno to illustrate the premature deaths they say are associated with the valley's polluted air.

The plan is meant to comply with standards set in 1997 under thefederal Clean Air Act. More rigorous standards were adopted in 2006.
Air quality advocates said the plan should have done more toregulate dairies, wineries and diesel pumps on farms, which are amongthe many sources of air pollution.

If the California Air resources Board sanctions the plan, it will head to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for final approval.

But the district likely will have to approach the issue again soon,since the EPA plans to address the valley's compliance with the 2006standards later this year.