Four air pollution control agencies that impact Bakersfield and Kern County

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) is the state agency responsible for air pollution compliance activities in California. The ARB oversees the activities of 35 local and regional air pollution control districts. They also issue permits, develop local plans to attain healthy air quality, and ensure that the industries in their area adhere to air quality mandates.ARB also regulates mobile sources, often times setting more stringent standards than federal requirements.Finally, ARB puts together the State Implementation Plan (SIP), a document that shows how California will comply with federal air pollution standards. The SIP combines plans from all of the local air agencies in California.Although its main office is located in downtown Bakersfield, the Eastern Kern County Air Pollution Control District (EKAPCD) covers a different air basin than the San Joaquin Valley APCD, which also has an office in Bakersfield. This map shows the boundaries of the EKAPCD, generally covering the mountains and other Kern County areas east of Bakersfield.The Eastern Kern County Air Pollution Control District (EKAPCD) serves a similar function as the San Joaquin Valley APCD. It issues air permits, burn day notices, and responds to air pollution complaints, among other things.The EKAPCD is a separate agency from the SJVAPCD because the geographical area it serves represents a completely different ambient air basin, with different air quality problems that require different air quality solutions.View the list ยป
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is responsible for air pollution control from stationary sources in the San Joaquin Valley. If you are a business that operates equipment that emits air pollution, then the SJVAPCD is the agency from which you need to get an air pollution permit. The agency also issues smog alerts, burn day notices, and handles nuisance complaints, in addition to many other functions, such as developing plans to bring the Valley's ambient air into compliance with federal and state standards.

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One of the drawbacks to living in Bakersfield and Kern County is that we have some of the worst air quality in the nation. Whether talking about photochemical smog or particulate air pollution, there aren't many places in the country that have a worse air pollution problem than right here in the San Joaquin Valley.

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What a lot of people don't know or understand, unless they spend their working days interacting with government, is that there isn't one government agency that regulates, oversees, controls, etc., all of the various sources of air pollution in the area.

Here is a list of four air pollution agencies, each of which has an important role in trying to improve air quality in our communities.

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  • The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is responsible for air pollution control from stationary sources in the San Joaquin Valley. If you are a business that operates equipment that emits air pollution, then the SJVAPCD is the agency from which you need to get an air pollution permit. The agency also issues smog alerts, burn day notices, and handles nuisance complaints, in addition to many other functions, such as developing plans to bring the Valley's ambient air into compliance with federal and state standards.
  • The Eastern Kern County Air Pollution Control District (EKAPCD) serves a similar function as the San Joaquin Valley APCD. It issues air permits, burn day notices, and responds to air pollution complaints, among other things.The EKAPCD is a separate agency from the SJVAPCD because the geographical area it serves represents a completely different ambient air basin, with different air quality problems that require different air quality solutions.
  • Although its main office is located in downtown Bakersfield, the Eastern Kern County Air Pollution Control District (EKAPCD) covers a different air basin than the San Joaquin Valley APCD, which also has an office in Bakersfield. This map shows the boundaries of the EKAPCD, generally covering the mountains and other Kern County areas east of Bakersfield.
  • The California Air Resources Board (ARB) is the state agency responsible for air pollution compliance activities in California. The ARB oversees the activities of 35 local and regional air pollution control districts. They also issue permits, develop local plans to attain healthy air quality, and ensure that the industries in their area adhere to air quality mandates.ARB also regulates mobile sources, often times setting more stringent standards than federal requirements.Finally, ARB puts together the State Implementation Plan (SIP), a document that shows how California will comply with federal air pollution standards. The SIP combines plans from all of the local air agencies in California.
  • The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is responsible for enforcing environmental regulations (air, water, waste, etc.) across the United States and its territories. It is subdivided into regional offices across the nation. In California, the Pacific Southwest Region IX, based in San Francisco, covers Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, and Tribal Nations.EPA must approve State Implementation plans and delegates enforcement of federal air pollution regulations to local air agencies.
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Suggested by the author:

, Bakersfield Environmental News Examiner

Mr. Maccioli has over 30 years of experience working for government agencies, consulting firms, and industry as an environmental engineer/compliance specialist. He has a Masters degree in Environmental Pollution Control and is the co-author of a book on toxic air pollution. Although semi-retired,...

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