Apr 21, 2026 Air Pollution Control Board Regular Meeting

[CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:04]

GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE SHASTA COUNTY AIR POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD. IT IS TUESDAY, APRIL 21ST. THE TIME IS 8:30 A.M..

WE HAVE ALL MEMBERS PRESENT, ALONG WITH CEO DAVE RICKERT, COUNTY COUNSEL JOE LARMER, FROM THE STAFF, FROM THE CLERK OF THE BOARD, STEFANY BLANKENSHIP, KRISTEN [INAUDIBLE] SMITH IN THE FOYER LISA TIERNEY. WE ENCOURAGE THOSE WISHING TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC COMMENT. FILL OUT A SPEAKER REQUEST CARD AND SUBMIT IT TO THE CLERK IN THE FOYER.

SPEAKER REQUEST CARDS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE CLERK BEFORE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD BEGINS.

WITH THAT, MS. BLANKENSHIP, DO WE HAVE ANY REQUESTS TO SPEAK FOR PUBLIC COMMENT OPEN TIME? WE DO NOT CHAIR. SHOCKER. ALL RIGHT. MOVING ON TO THE CONSENT CALENDAR.

[CONSENT CALENDAR]

NOT ALL AT ONCE. I'LL DO IT. MEMBER MUNNS WITH A MOTION SECONDED BY MEMBER LONG.

ANY DISCUSSION? YOU GOOD WITH IT TENESSA? YEAH.

ALL RIGHT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. CONSENT PASSES FIVE ZERO.

MOVING ON TO R1. RECEIVE THE 2024 ASSEMBLY BILL 2588 ANNUAL REPORT AND CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING TO RECEIVE TESTIMONY ON AND DISCUSS THE

[R1 Receive the 2024 Assembly Bill 2588 Annual Report and conduct a public hearing to receive testimony on, and discuss, the 2024 Annual Report on implementation of the Air Toxics "Hot Spots" Information and Assessment Act.]

GOOD MORNING. CHAD PETERSON, SHASTA COUNTY AIR QUALITY SENIOR AIR POLLUTION INSPECTOR.

I'M GOING TO GIVE A VERY BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE HOT SPOTS ANNUAL REPORT PLAN IS JUST TO START WITH A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF WHAT IT IS AND WHAT ARE THE CHANGES SINCE LAST YEAR.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS JUST FEEL FREE TO ASK.

SO BASICALLY HOT SPOTS IS A RIGHT TO KNOW REGULATION FOR TOXICS.

SO WE CLASSIFY BUSINESSES BASED ON THEIR RISK FOR CANCER RISK, ACUTE RISK AND CHRONIC RISK.

SO THE REGULATION GOES THROUGH OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AND THE FACILITY'S RESPONSIBILITY TO GET THEM CLASSIFIED.

IF A FACILITY AFTER A HEALTH RISK IS CLASSIFIED AS HIGH, THEN THERE'S SOME MORE STEPS THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH.

THEY HAVE TO DO A RISK REDUCTION PLAN TO REDUCE THAT RISK BELOW OUR SIGNIFICANCE THRESHOLD.

BETWEEN 2023-2024 NOT A LOT OF ACTIVITY WE HAD ONE FACILITY GIVE THEIR QUAD UPDATE, WHICH THERE WAS NO CHANGE THAT WAS ALLEN AND DULLES.

THEY PRIORITIZATION OR THEIR CATEGORY DIDN'T CHANGE.

AND WE HAD ONE FACILITY SHASTA SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES.

THEY, WE APPROVED THEIR HEALTH RISK AND THEIR BUCKET WAS INTERMEDIATE.

SO THEY WEREN'T THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO DO ANY ADDITIONAL.

WHAT WAS ALLEN AND DULLES? INTERMEDIATE. INTERMEDIATE.

YEAH, A LOT OF LEVEL RIGHT NOW. IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THE REPORT SCHEDULE A, YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED THAT THERE'S A LOT OF ACTIVITY WITH EXISTING FACILITIES. THIS IS AN OLD REGULATION. IT'S BEEN AROUND SINCE 1987.

A COMMON QUESTION IS HOW COME THERE'S SO MUCH ACTIVITY NOW? THERE'S BEEN SOME CHANGE IN THE REGULATION. AND SO THE STATE CHANGED OUR INITIAL PRIORITIZATION PROCESS, MADE IT STRICTER. AND THEN THEY ALSO CHANGED THE PROCESS WE GO THROUGH FOR A HEALTH RISK.

AND SO WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF RECATEGORIZING ALL OF OUR EXISTING FACILITIES.

AND THEN MOVING FORWARD IN HISTORY, JUST WANTED TO GIVE THE BOARD A HEADS UP THAT MORE CHANGES IN REGULATION CRITERIA, TOXIC REPORTING REGULATION IS KIND OF INTERTWINED WITH HOT SPOTS NOW.

AND SO WE WILL PROBABLY THIS SUMMER BE BRINGING TO THE BOARD A REQUEST TO REDUCE REGULATORY BURDEN ON SOME OF THE SMALLER FACILITIES.

THEY'RE GOING TO BE BROUGHT INTO THE PROGRAM TO CLASSIFY THEM AS INDUSTRY WIDE FACILITIES SO THAT THEIR BURDEN IS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. IT PUTS A LITTLE MORE BURDEN ON US, BUT IT TAKES COST AND REPORTING AWAY FROM THOSE FACILITIES AND THAT'LL BE GAS STATIONS PAINT SPRAY BOOTHS AND POTENTIALLY DIESEL EMERGENCY BACKUP ENGINES THAT HIT CERTAIN CRITERIA.

IF IT'S MORE WORKLOAD ON YOU GUYS, ARE YOU GUYS, I MEAN, THAT'S GOING TO FIT WITHIN YOUR BUDGET STILL.

THAT'S PROBABLY NOT MY QUESTION TO ANSWER, BUT YES, I THINK WE CAN DO THE WORKLOAD.

IT'S GOING TO BE HEAVY LIFTING TO GET THEM IN AND STARTED.

AND ONCE THEY'RE IN IT'S NOT A LOT OF IT'S WORK, BUT IT'S NOT THE SIGNIFICANT WORK IS GETTING EVERYTHING ROLLING AND GETTING ME IN THE PROGRAM. WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS RIGHT NOW WITH GAS STATIONS AND CALCULATING, THEIR CATEGORY BASICALLY TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THEY FIT.

BUT THEIR ADDITIONAL CHARGE FOR THE GAS STATION WILL BE $35 A YEAR.

[00:05:01]

EVERY ONCE IN EVERY FOUR YEARS WE EVALUATE THEM ON EVALUATION YEAR.

THERE WILL PROBABLY BE ADDITIONAL $100 CHARGE FOR THOSE FACILITIES TO COVER OUR TIME.

ALL $35. WHOLE $35. BUT, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, IT PROBABLY COSTS US MORE TO PROCESS THAT, ASSESS THAT MONEY THAT WE HAVE TO THEN TRANSFER TO THE STATE THAN TO ACTUALLY BUT AGAIN, THAT'S, THE WAY THE RULES ARE WRITTEN. SO ANY QUESTIONS ON HOTSPOTS OR ANYTHING ELSE I CAN ANSWER FOR YOU? I DON'T BELIEVE SO. ANYBODY ELSE. ALL RIGHT. SO IT'S A NO VOTE ITEM.

SO THANK YOU. MOVING ON TO R2. WHO'S GOING TO LEAD THAT? IS IT SEAN, ARE YOU LEADING THAT. YOU'RE BACK AGAIN.

OKAY. MISS BLANKENSHIP IS ALL DOCUMENTATION ON FILE WITH THE CLERK OF THE BOARD CHAIR.

BEFORE WE MOVE ON, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT TO NOTE.

YES, THAT IS, ARE YOU GOING TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THIS ONE.

BUT THE R1 IS A NO. SO THAT'S NOT PART OF THE HEARING.

IT IS PART OF THE HEARING. SO WE DO NEED TO TAKE THAT.

PUBLIC HEARING. IF IT'S UNDER THE SCHEDULED HEARINGS. YES. OKAY.

SO WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. IS ALL CORRESPONDENCE ON FILE WITH THE CLERK OF THE BOARD.

YES, IT IS. PERFECT. WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT.

WE DO NOT. GOING TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. BEAUTIFUL.

ALL RIGHT, SO NOW WE CAN MOVE ON TO R2. YES. GREAT.

[R2 Conduct a public hearing and adopt a resolution which: (1) Finds that the proposed resolution is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15308, Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment; (2) adopts the Northern Sacramento Valley Planning Area 2024 Triennial Air Quality Attainment Plan; and (3) approves the submittal of emission tracking information to the California Air Resources Board.]

SO AGAIN JUST GOING TO GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE TRIENNIAL ATTAINMENT PLAN.

IT IS A THREE YEAR PLAN THAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO PUT TOGETHER BY THE CALIFORNIA CLEAN AIR ACT.

IT IS A JOINT PLAN BETWEEN SHASTA, TEHAMA, GLENN COLUSA, BUTTE AND FEATHER RIVER.

BECAUSE WE SHARE AN AIR BASIN. SO THE PLAN IS BASICALLY HOW WE'RE GOING TO MEET OUR STATE ATTAINMENT GOALS, HOW ARE WE GOING TO MEET THE EMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS.

AND FOR SHASTA COUNTY, WHAT WE'RE WATCHING IS OZONE.

AND SO HOW ARE WE GOING TO MEET OUR OZONE GOALS MOVING FORWARD.

AND THEN IT'S ALSO A REPORT CARD. HOW DID WE DO SINCE THE LAST PLAN.

CURRENT STATUS FOR SHASTA COUNTY. WE ARE IN ATTAINMENT FOR THE FEDERAL STANDARD FOR OZONE.

AND WE ARE NON-ATTAINMENT TRANSITIONAL FOR THE STATE STANDARD, MEANING THE STATE IS EXPECTING US TO BE ATTAINMENT SHORTLY.

SO THAT'S THE DIRECTION WE'RE MOVING. I GUESS I SHOULD GO THROUGH WHAT, HOW OZONE IS CREATED BASICALLY NOX NITROGEN OXIDES, REACTIVE ORGANIC GASES OR VOCS IN COMBINATION WITH SUNLIGHT REACT TO MAKE OZONE.

AND SO IN SHASTA COUNTY, 30% OF OUR OZONE COMES FROM STATIONARY SOURCES.

I BRING THAT UP BECAUSE THE ONLY THING THAT WE CAN REGULATE ARE STATIONARY SOURCES.

SO THE EFFECTS FROM MOBILE SOURCES OR AREA WIDE SOURCES WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER.

SO THAT SMALL, YOU KNOW, 30% IS WHAT WE CAN WORK WITH TO TRY TO PUSH ATTAINMENT.

SO IF YOU LOOK IN THE PLAN, THERE'S ONE RULE THAT'S LISTED AS POTENTIAL FOR US TO IMPLEMENT.

IT'S A METAL PARTS RULE. AND UNLESS THIS BOARD DIRECTS US OTHERWISE WE HAVE NO PLANS TO BRING THAT RULE UP.

WE'RE GOING TO GO ATTAINMENT. AND SO IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO PUT ANY MORE REGULATORY BURDEN ON BUSINESSES IF WE'RE ALREADY MOVING TOWARDS ATTAINMENT.

ANY QUESTIONS ON THE TRIENNIAL ATTAINMENT PLAN OR.

THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE. APPRECIATE IT. SO I HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS ABOUT SO THERE'S LIKE FIVE CATEGORIES.

THERE'S VO2, THERE'S. VOC'S. VOC'S, THERE'S OZONE, THERE'S PARTICULATE MATTER.

THERE'S IS THERE A SULFUR IN THERE? I FORGET THERE'S.

THERE IS LIKE FIVE OF THEM. SO OUR CRITERIA POLLUTANTS ARE GOING TO BE VOCS, SOX, CO, NOX, AND [INAUDIBLE] SOX OKAY. AND SO THOSE ARE CRITERIA POLLUTANTS.

THIS PLAN DOESN'T DIRECTLY ADDRESS THOSE. OTHER THAN THE NOX AND THE VOCS.

THERE ARE EMISSION STANDARDS FOR SOX CO AND PM.

PM IS NOT IN THE PLAN. WE'RE IN ATTAINMENT. WE DON'T CURRENTLY DO ANY MONITORING FOR SOX LEDS IN THERE AS WELL.

SO WE'RE NOT MONITORING FOR THOSE. THE STATE HASN'T REQUIRED US TO. SO THEY DON'T EXPECT WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT. IS THAT A CORRECT STATEMENT. SO WE'RE ONLY MONITORING FOR HOW MANY THEN. SO WE'RE MONITORING CURRENTLY FOR PM2.5.

[00:10:05]

AND WE HAVE A TWO OZONE MONITORS ONE BRESLAUER AND THEN ONE AT THE FIRE STATION UP AT CITY OF SHASTA LAKE.

SO THE REST OF THOSE COMPONENTS. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT MONITORING FOR THEM AT ALL BECAUSE IT'S NOT REQUIRED UNDER STATE LAW.

AND DO YOU HAVE ANY INDICATION. WELL, YOU'RE NOT MONITORING.

SO YOU WOULDN'T KNOW IF WE'RE IN COMPLIANCE OR WHAT THE COMPLIANCE WOULD EVEN BE.

YEAH. SO THE STATE DOES TOXIC MONITORING AROUND THE STATE.

AND SOME DISTRICTS DO, THEY HAVEN'T REQUIRED US TO DO THAT.

AND I'M SO WE'RE NOT MONITORING FOR THOSE OTHERS.

OKAY. THANK YOU. MEMBER MUNNS. OUT OF ALL THOSE FUNDS, WHAT IS ABOUT 600 GRAND? HOW MUCH FUNDS WE'RE GETTING FROM THE GRANT. OH.

I WASN'T SURE WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO, BUT YEAH. MOYER.

IS THAT MONEY DISTRIBUTED TO ALL THESE COUNTIES THAT YOU MENTIONED. YEAH. ALL COUNTIES GET MOYER FUNDS BUT THEY DON'T.

THIS ISN'T DISPERSED AMONG THE COUNTY. THIS IS JUST FOR US.

YES. SO WE HAVE OUR OWN FUND OF MOYER SOME OF OUR MOYER PROJECTS.

IF I'M MISTAKEN LET ME KNOW. WE DO THERE IS SOME MONEY OR I DON'T WANT TO CALL IT.

SHARING IS NOT THE RIGHT WORD, BUT THERE'S SOME PROJECTS THAT ARE COOPERATIVE BETWEEN DISTRICTS. BUT WE DO HAVE OUR. DO WE ATTRIBUTE SOME OF THE FUNDS TO ANOTHER COUNTY. WE ARE GOING TO BE CURRENTLY. THAT'S A DIFFERENT ITEM COMING UP.

GOOD MORNING BOARD. SEAN EWING, AIR POLLUTION CONTROL OFFICER.

THIS ITEM HERE THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING IS PRIMARILY THE PRESENTATION OF THE ATTAINMENT PLAN FOR THIS YEAR.

THE QUESTION AS FAR AS CARL MOYER AND GRANT FUNDS THAT WE RECEIVE FROM THE STATE, THERE WAS A CONSENT ITEM THAT THAT INVOLVED REDISTRIBUTING SOME FUNDS TO ANOTHER DISTRICT DUE TO FINANCIAL REASONS.

I JUST MENTIONED CARL MOYER IN HERE, SO I THOUGHT MAYBE I COULD ASK ABOUT IT. YEAH, YOU CAN SO.

SO REAL QUICK. CARL MOYER IS EQUITABLE TO THIS PLAN.

SORRY FOR THE INTERRUPTION. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WITH COUNCIL WE'RE NOT ON THAT ITEM ANY LONGER, THAT WAS ON CONSENT AND WE'VE PASSED CONSENT. ARE WE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THAT ITEM DURING THIS ITEM? OKAY I APOLOGIZE. SO MOYER IS IN THE ATTAINMENT PLAN BECAUSE IT'S ONE OF THE MECHANISMS THAT WE USE TO BASICALLY CUT NOX EMISSIONS FROM TRACTORS. AND SO IT'S ONE OF THE TOOLS THAT WE USE TO REACH ATTAINMENT.

MY QUESTION IS, DOES THAT MONEY GET DISBURSED TO OTHER COUNTIES JUST THE SAME.

OR IS IT ALL FOR SHASTA COUNTY? SO EACH EACH YEAR THE AIR DISTRICT HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE GRANT FUNDS FROM THE STATE. TRADITIONALLY, WE'VE RECEIVED THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT AND WE USE THEM WITHIN SHASTA COUNTY JURISDICTION, AIR DISTRICT. ONLY RECENTLY HAVE WE, WHEN WE ACCEPT THE FULL AMOUNT THERE'S A MATCH FUND THAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO EXPEND OUR OWN RESOURCES. AND SO AT THAT POINT, WE REDUCED IT TO THE LEVEL WHERE WE DON'T HAVE A MATCH FUND.

AND SO WE THIS YEAR WILL BE THE FIRST TIME THAT WE THAT I'M AWARE OF THAT WE DISTRIBUTED OUT TO ANOTHER AIR DISTRICT.

AND IF THEY DON'T USE IT ALL, DOES IT COME BACK TO US? IT'S HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO USE IT.

BUT NO, IT'S THEIRS. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. YEAH.

MEMBER AUDETTE. WHAT'S THE MECHANISM BY WHICH WE WOULD BE INFORMED IF WE WERE MOVING TOWARDS NOT AT ATTAINMENT OR AT HERE.

BUT HOW DOES THE BOARD FIND OUT THAT WE'RE GETTING EITHER CLOSE OR LIKE, WHAT'S THE MECHANISM? DO YOU JUST COME OR DO YOU WAIT TILL THE YEAR? AND WE GET THAT. AS FAR AS I KNOW, THE UPDATES ARE TIED WITH THIS PLAN.

IF YOU WANT MORE UPDATES, IF WE THINK THERE'S A PROBLEM, WE CAN DO THAT.

I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT THE MECHANISM IS. WILL WE FIND OUT AFTER THE FACT OR IF THINGS START TO GO WHERE WE'RE NOT OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S NEW REGULATIONS COMING OUT ALL THE TIME. SO IF THE BAR GETS SET HIGHER, HOW WOULD THIS BOARD KNOW IF WE WERE LEANING INTO NOT BEING AT ATTAINMENT? WOULD WE NOT FIND OUT UNTIL WE DIDN'T HIT IT? OR DO WE GET UPDATES ALONG THE WAY IN ORDER TO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS? I THINK IT WOULD BE OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN CHANGES, AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT. THERE IS NO TIME EITHER FOR PM OR OR OZONE RIGHT NOW THAT WE ARE THINKING THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE GETTING WORSE.

IN FACT, WE PETITIONED THE EPA JUST RECENTLY, AND WE'VE STOPPED MONITORING FOR PM10.

WE HAD TO BE, I BELIEVE IT WAS 75% BELOW THE STANDARD CONSISTENTLY.

AND WE DEMONSTRATED THAT WE DON'T NEED TO MONITOR FOR PM10 ANYMORE.

[00:15:03]

SO WE'RE NOT EXPECTING US TO GO THAT DIRECTION.

ROB STAHL AIR QUALITY DISTRICT MANAGER. THE ATTAINMENT STATUS IS REVIEWED EVERY THREE YEARS BY THE STATE AND FEDS. AND IT WOULD BE TIED TO THIS REPORT THAT WHEN WE'D COME IN AND GIVE THE TRIENNIAL REPORT IS WHEN WE'D BE GIVING YOU GUYS NOTIFICATIONS OF IF OUR ATTAINMENT STATUS IS EITHER GOING UP OR DOWN.

OKAY. WE'LL HAVE AN INDICATION FROM OUR MONITORING.

WE KNOW WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE. THANK YOU ROB. ALL RIGHT.

GOOD. I'M GOING TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. MISS BLANKENSHIP, IS ALL CORRESPONDENCE ON FILE WITH THE CLERK OF THE BOARD.

IT IS CHAIR. IT IS. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? NO, SIR. NO, WE DO NOT. SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.

ALL RIGHT. ANYBODY WANT TO MAKE A MOTION TO ACCEPT ITEMS ONE, TWO AND THREE.

NUMBER TWO. OKAY. YEAH, I'M ALL RIGHT. SO WE HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER MUNNS.

SECONDED BY MEMBER LONG. ANY DISCUSSION? LET'S JUST WAIT.

DRAMATIC EFFECT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. PASSES FIVE ZERO.

MISS BLANKENSHIP, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE FOR THE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD FOR TODAY? NOT TODAY. ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED.

I WAS WAY OFF. I SAID WE'D GO SEVEN MINUTES.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.