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U.S. EPA finalizes revision to California Air Improvement Plan

Release Date: 07/07/2008
Contact Information: Margot Perez-Sullivan, [email protected], 415.947.4149

Request acknowledges pesticide use in Ventura County

LOS ANGELES - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized approval of a revision to the California State Implementation Plan, in response to a request from the California Air Resources Board to gradually reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds from pesticides in Ventura County.

The California Air Resources Board had requested that the EPA revise the Ventura County portion of its California State Implementation Plan for ozone (smog) because the state was unable to achieve by 2005 all of the pesticide volatile organic compound reductions it had committed to. The California Air Resources Board believes it will be able to achieve the full commitment by 2012.

"The California Air Resources Board showed EPA that even with the more gradual reduction, Ventura County will continue to meet the old 1-hour ozone standard," said Deborah Jordan, Director of the Air Division in EPA's Pacific Southwest Region. "The State also showed that the change will not interfere with progress toward reaching the current 8-hour ozone standard."

The EPA will publish the final approval in the Federal Register within a few weeks. For more information, please visit: www.epa.gov/region09/air/actions/ca.html and scroll down to "Ventura".

Federal clean air laws require areas with unhealthy air develop State Implementation Plans, which describe the steps needed to achieve the EPA’s air quality standards. Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA must take action when a state requests revisions to its approved State Implementation Plan.

Volatile organic compounds or vapors are emitted as gases from pesticides, paints, and other chemicals; they can cause eye irritation, liver damage and central nervous system. Some organics can cause cancer in animals; some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans.

The California State Implementation Plan is a compilation of new and previously submitted plans, state regulations and federal controls. For more information, please visit: http://www.arb.ca.gov/planning/sip/sip.htm