News Release

Over $30 Million in Clean Air Investments Approved for Arvin/Lamont

New Community Plan includes investments in new electric vehicles, lawn mowers, school buses, and more

The District’s Governing Board unanimously voted Thursday to adopt the Arvin/Lamont AB 617 Community Emissions Reduction Program (CERP) that includes over $30 million in investments for residents, businesses and the communities of Arvin and Lamont. The plan was developed over the past 16 months in close collaboration with the Community Steering Committee (CSC).

The Arvin/Lamont CSC, which is comprised of residents, community advocates, business representatives, local agencies, and other stakeholders, worked tirelessly to advocate for clean air resources under AB 617.

“The Arvin/Lamont communities came together to develop a CERP that reflects the many different voices who participated in the process and that will lead to real public health benefits within their communities,” stated David Couch, Kern County Supervisor and Valley Air District Governing Board Member.

The CERP, which received unanimous support from the CSC prior to Board adoption, outlines the community and District’s plans for implementing clean air measures and anticipates investing more than $30 million in emission reduction incentives and a variety of other clean air projects in the community. The 31 adopted CERP measures aim to reduce air pollution impacts from sources of concern in the community, approximately 136 tons of PM2.5, 421 tons of NOx, and 161 tons of VOCs, as well as significant reductions in air toxics emissions in the community.

“We’re very eager to move forward with the implementation of this CERP as it includes proven and innovative strategies, as well as significant resources, to improve community health by reducing emissions and the public’s exposure to air pollutants in the Arvin/Lamont community,” said Samir Sheikh, Valley Air District Executive Director/Air Pollution Control Officer.

“Community members can take pride in the work started years ago to advocate for the state to select Arvin/Lamont as an AB 617 community, and we are excited, now that the CERP is adopted, to begin the implementation,” stated Gustavo Aguirre Jr., Co-chair of the Arvin/Lamont CSC.

The AB 617 program, now in its fourth year of implementation, is designed to improve quality of life for the state’s most disadvantaged communities through community-led efforts to identify and address local air pollution concerns. This program brings more resources to the Valley Air District’s longstanding efforts to develop and implement regulatory and incentive-based clean air strategies throughout the San Joaquin Valley.

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fter the District’s Governing Board approves the CERP, the document will go to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for review and approval. Once the CERP is approved by CARB, the next phase of the AB 617 process starts with implementation of the various measures. To view the CERP, or learn more about the AB 617 implementation effort in Arvin/Lamont, visit http://community.valleyair.org/selected-communities/arvin-lamont/.

The Valley Air District covers eight counties including San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and San Joaquin Valley air basin portions of Kern. For additional information about the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, visit www.valleyair.org or call 559-230-6000.