Section 40402 Of Article 1. General Provisions From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 26. >> Part 3. >> Chapter 5.5. >> Article 1.
40402
. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) That the South Coast Air Basin is a geographical entity not
reflected by political boundaries.
(b) That the basin is acknowledged to have critical air pollution
problems caused by the operation of millions of motor vehicles in the
basin, stationary sources of pollution, frequent atmospheric
inversions that trap aerial contaminants, and the large amount of
sunshine that transforms vehicular and nonvehicular emissions into a
variety of deleterious chemicals.
(c) That these critical air pollution problems are most acute in
the foothill communities of the San Gabriel/Pomona Valleys and the
Riverside/San Bernardino areas, where pollutants which originate in
other parts of the basin are trapped by geographical and
meteorological conditions characteristic of these areas.
(d) That the state and federal governments have promulgated
ambient air quality standards for the protection of public health,
and it is in the public interest that those standards not be
exceeded.
(e) That, in order to achieve and maintain air quality within the
ambient air quality standards, a comprehensive basinwide air quality
management plan must be developed and implemented to provide for the
rapid abatement of existing emission levels to levels which will
result in the achievement and maintenance of the state and federal
ambient air quality standards and to ensure that new sources of
emissions are planned and operated so as to be consistent with the
basin's air quality goals.
(f) That, in recognition of the fact that some regions within the
basin face more critical air pollution problems than others, it is
necessary for the basinwide air quality management plan to consider
the specific air pollution problems of regions within the air basin
in planning for facilities which create new sources of emissions.
(g) That, in order to successfully develop and implement a
meaningful strategy for achieving and maintaining ambient air quality
standards, local governments in the South Coast Air Basin must be
delegated additional authority from the state in the control of
vehicular sources and must retain existing authority to set stringent
emission standards for nonvehicular sources.
(h) That, in order to successfully implement a comprehensive
program for the achievement and maintenance of state and federal
ambient air quality standards in the South Coast Air Basin, the
responsibilities of local and regional authorities with respect to
air pollution control and air quality management plan adoption must
be fully integrated into an agency with basinwide authority, largely
to be governed by representatives of county and city governments.