by Kym Luttermoser
9. February 2011
On Friday, February 4th, Southern California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) approved a controversial plan that will allow small businesses and public facilities to receive free clean air credits. The plan’s goal is to stimulate the economy by allowing small businesses (those that emit less than 4 tons of smog-forming pollutants a year) and public utilities to expand and create new jobs without the financial burden of having to pay for credits.
Clean air credits are normally sold on the open market, and are created when polluters reduce their emissions or shut down. Public entities that could benefit from this decision include sewage treatment plants and landfills. AQMD spokesman Sam Atwood says that the agency’s plan “allows for some growth and at the same time allows us to meet clean-air standards.”
Opponents of the decision believe that issuing the credits for free, instead of forcing polluters to buy the credits, will result in even more pollution in already smoggy region. The impact on public health is also concerning for local residents who may be at risk for developing respiratory illnesses such as asthma.
The Air Quality Management District encompasses all of Orange County and parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties – an area that is home to almost 17 million people.
Do you think this is an acceptable compromise between economic growth and public and environmental health? Do you have suggestions for other methods to balance economic growth while safeguarding public and environmental health?
For more information on the free emissions credits plan, visit the South California South Coast Air Management District’s website: http://www.aqmd.gov .
