Seyed Sadredin says Merced has “virtually” clean air!
Last night at the Merced City Council meeting Mr Seyed Sadredin of the Valley Air District gave the city council a 30 minute presentation about the recent decision to reclassify the valleys 8 hour ozone pollution compliance to extreme.
Mr Sadredin told the city council and attending residents the great news that Merced County has “virtually” clean air! He also said that with clean air, the medical costs attributed to dirty air will go away! I am so glad Mr Sadredin cleared this up for us!
This is fantastic news. This morning I threw my Advair away knowing that dirty air was no longer a problem in my life, and the Asthma problems I have been dealing with since I moved to the Valley would be in remission shortly. I also was overjoyed to look outside my bedroom window this morning and see mountains in the distance to the east and west. I have NEVER seen that before. It seems that we just needed to be told we had no problem for it to go away! Our $3.2 billion in associated health costs are just psychosomatic. You can actually see the mountains, it has just been mass hysteria that has stopped us from doing so.
Come on Mr Sadredin, wake up and smell the dirty air. Yes, our valley has seen improvements, and you are indeed welcome to some of the credit for this. Your wonderful facts and figures about how much you have cleaned our air is very impressive, but we still have a long way to go. As you said yourself the last 20% takes 80% of the work.
Mr Sadredin, your statements last night saying that “no matter if we swapped out every diesel and gas burning car with clean burning alternatives, it would not be enough to reach attainment anytime sooner than 2023” says a couple of things to me:
You are not being logical.
If money was no object, and we swapped every vehicle to be a PZEV or even ZEV using current technologies, there would be a dramatic improvement to our air quality. Even you said that 80% of our problem comes from mobile sources, and so if making 80% of the problem partially or fully emission free cannot solve the problem what can?
So you stated repeatedly now that we cannot make the air clean with current technology even “money was no object”. And so using your logic, we are forced to admit that we are an “extreme” case, that needs the Pandoras black box rule that allows us to gamble on future technology to be able to clean the air for us.
Mr Sadredin, please choose a story and stick to it:
 Either we have “virtually” clean air or we have no chance of making deadlines for clean air – which is it?
Your use of the word “virtually” in the description of Merced County’s air problem is something I find condescending. Those of us who have seen the health impacts of the “virtually clean air” can only be saddened by the fact that even as many people are suffering and even dying because of the health implications of Merced’s dirty air, the leader of the organization tasked to help us overcome these issues is essentially telling us we “virtually” have no problem.
One final note, as you commence on the 58 city tour of the valley to tell the city councils about the boards recent decision I hope you will be doing your bit by using public transport wherever possible, or at least using a low emission vehicle.
Melissa Kelly-Ortega Said,
May 8, 2007 @ 9:15 am
Excellent explanation!
New Interchange opens near my house » The Geeky Brit Said,
June 21, 2007 @ 9:43 am
[…] tons of air pollution dragging Merced’s air into a bigger hole than it already is thanks to Seyed Sadridin. Hang on! Our city council has this covered. I knew they would come through for […]
Chairman of California Air Resource Board is fired » The Geeky Brit Said,
July 3, 2007 @ 10:38 am
[…] air. I hope those in charge of the San Joaquin Valley’s Air will listen. Come on Seyed, I know you can do […]
Judy Case tries to lie her way onto California Air Resources Board » The Geeky Brit Said,
January 24, 2008 @ 9:09 am
[…] the governor proposed her, so we will count him. Then there is the master of deception himself Seyed Sadredin, APCO for the SJ Valley Air District. Then there is the trucking industry, which contributes to her […]
Judy Case tries to lie and cheat her way onto California Air Resources Board » The Geeky Brit Said,
January 24, 2008 @ 10:10 am
[…] the governor proposed her, so we will count him. Then there is the master of deception himself Seyed Sadredin, APCO for the SJ Valley Air District. Then there is the trucking industry, which contributes to her […]
Charlie Peters Said,
March 10, 2008 @ 1:04 pm
* Clean Air Performance Professionals (CAPP) supports a Smog Check inspection & repair audit, gasoline ethanol fuel cap and elimination of dual fuel CAFÉ credit to cut car impact over 50% in 1 year.
* Some folks believe ethanol in gasoline increases oil use and oil profit
* Ethanol uses lots of water
* A Smog Check audit would cut toxic car impact in ½ in 1 year. Chief Sherry Mehl, DCA/BAR, has never found out if what is broken on a Smog Check failed car gets fixed, never
* An ethanol waiver would stop a $1 billion California oil refinery welfare program coming from the federal government @ $0.51 per gallon of ethanol used
* About 60,000 barrels per day of the oil used by cars is allowed by the “renewable fuel” CAFE credit
Anne Tyler Said,
September 22, 2009 @ 1:24 pm
The local air districts don’t have jurisdiction over cars. they can’t swap out old cars for new cars except on a voluntary basis, so suggesting they CAN do that if money was no object is incorrect. They could only do that if federal law allowed it, and it currently doesn’t. They also can’t govern railroads or interstate trucks.
Stuart Said,
October 7, 2009 @ 9:18 pm
You are correct that the local air districts do not have jurisdiction over cars. However, my point was that IF money REALLY was no object, they wouldn’t need jurisdiction.
They have in the past given large rebates to purchasers of hybrid vehicles. If money was no obecjt then perhaps they could do a $30,000 rebate on each Prius. (Yes this would make it free). If money was no object, perhaps they give an incentive to BNSF to convert the rail tracks into something clean (but ridiculously expensive) like maglev… If money was no object, the air district could provide a rebate for the whole amount to those diesel trucks that get retrofitted with cleaner engines. These measures would still be “voluntary” for the individuals and businesses to partake in.
Yes, I know these things are never going to happen, it is just that the “Even if money is no object…” argument didn’t pass the smell test in my book. I have been in the US long enough to have learnt that in this country, money talks…
Charlie Peters Said,
March 18, 2010 @ 8:44 pm
Money available to clean air and improve smog program
Charlie Peters, The Daily Review / MY WORD, August 14, 2002
The smog check issue has been under continuous legislative debate since 1993. AB 2637 by Dennis Cardoza is an opportunity to improve program performance and public support.
We at the Clean Air Performance Professionals propose “reasonably available control measures” to improve California Smog Check performance. Consider a Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) quality audit (secret shopper) to improve smog check performance.
We propose using the CAP cars and funds to provide random quality audit of smog check providers. Audits that result in the car’s not being in compliance should be handled similarly to the former Consumer Repair and Education Workforce program. The Bureau of Automotive Repair program did not fine the licensees nor did it involve coercion. But when the question of “what would you like to do?” was asked, the shop took care of business and usually elected to fix the car.
The average smog check failure repair is about $ 150.00 statewide. The motorist pays about the same at the average repair station and the CAP station The average CAP repair is about $350.00. Many cars are not brought into compliance.
To level the smog check failure repair playing field so more cars meet standards after repair, the whole smog check market should be subject to a CAP (secret shopper) random audit.
Around 1985, BAR started a “missing part” audit. In 1991 that program was stopped,
The difference was a 300 percent change in result in finding the missing part.
When BAR ran fewer than on audit per station per year, the result was a change in behavior that started at more than an 80 percent rate, but moved to less than 20 percent rate of noncompliance.
The difference was a 300 percent change in result in finding the missing part. If the CAP audit was addressing the issue of repair compliance rather than just finding a missing part, the results may be the same or a 300 percent improvement in compliance.
With the missing part program, a follow-up audit with increasing demands lift the stations no options but to find the missing part or be removed from the game.
There are huge inconsistencies from smog check station to station and with BAR representatives. For BAR to decide a car is not in compliance, rules of smog check must be clarified. Money is available for the CAP program. It can be used for contracted scrap and repairs, or some of the funds can be used to evaluate and support improved
Performance of licensed small business. The cars and funds are the same, but the results may be credit for 2,000 tons per day in pollution prevention credit in the State Implementation Plan, rather than our current credit of fewer than 100 tons per day.
The governor and state Legislature would get the credit for improved performance. Performance improvements would be accomplished at a cost of less than $500.00 per ton. And program illusions would be reduced in 1 year.
Charlie Peters is president of Clean Air Performance Professionals. 510.537.1796
(retyped from original)
Charlie Peters Said,
August 18, 2010 @ 4:28 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLaBbcmZemA&feature=player_embedded#!