 The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SAQMD) is the air pollution control agency for all of Orange County and the urban portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. This area of 10,000 square miles is home to nearly 16 million people - about half the population of the whole state of California. It is the second most populated urban area in the United States and one of the smoggiest. The AQMD's Governing Board established a Technology Advancement Office (TAO) in 1988 to assist the private sector in accelerating the development of low- and zero-emission technologies. Since its inception, the TAO has cofunded research, development and demonstration projects in a cooperative partnership with private industry, technology developers, academic and research institutes, and local, state, and federal agencies.
The TAO has provided millions of dollars in funding to promote low-emission technology developments in automobiles, transit buses, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and off-road applications. These vehicle-related efforts have focused on advancements in engine design, electric power trains, and energy storage/conversion devices (e.g., fuel cells and batteries); and implementation of clean fuels (e.g. natural gas, propane, and hydrogen), including their infrastructures. In calendar year 2004, 42% of the TAO’s clean fuels funding was devoted to zero-emission transportation solutions relating to hydrogen and fuel cells.
The AQMD also administers funding provided by California Assembly Bill 2766 (AB2766). Assembly Bill 2766 was adopted in 1990 to provide revenue to reduce air pollution from motor vehicles and for related planning monitoring, enforcement and technical studies. Forty percent of the AB2766 fund (approximately $18.6 million in the South Coast Air Basin) is returned to the cities and counties to fund transportation-related projects that reduce air pollution. AB2766 revenue is distributed by the AQMD on a quarterly basis to cities and counties in the South Coast Air Basin based on their prorated share of the population.
» For more information about SAQMD please visit:
www.aqmd.gov |
