SBCAG Board Votes to Maintain Status Quo on Emissions Targets

Debate on whether to adopt stricter standards than those recommended by the state ends in 7-6 vote

More than 30,000 people a day commute more than 50 miles to work on the South Coast, including on Highway 101, according to an official with the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District. (Lara Cooper / Noozhawk photo)

By Lara Cooper, Noozhawk Staff Writer | Published on 09.20.2010

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In a 7-6 vote that, for the most part, separated North Santa Barbara County board members from their southern neighbors, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments board decided Monday to keep emissions in the county within the status quo for the next decade.

Emission targets set by the state have been the subject of discussion for the past week during two public workshops, and whether SBCAG should press for stricter emissions standards than the state has recommended. Earlier this summer, the California Air Resources Board issued draft targets to Santa Barbara County as part of Senate Bill 375, which creates greenhouse gas reduction targets for regional agencies throughout the state.

CARB consults with metropolitan planning organizations and issues draft targets, and Santa Barbara County was one of the only counties expected to increase emissions by 2030. Based on SBCAG’s growth forecast, which was updated in 2007, emissions are expected to increase to 6 percent by 2020 and 4 percent by 2035.