Northend communities get AB 617 designation

IMPERIAL COUNTY — The fourth time was the charm for a Community Air Protection Program partnership between the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District and Comite Civico del Valle Inc., in establishing a “North End Phase 1 Community” for the Brawley-Westmorland- Calipatria corridor.

According to a Comite Civico press release, after failing to gain approval and a withdrawal from consideration due to lack of funds in 2019, 2020, and 2021, the California Air Resources Board approved a resolution on Thursday night, February 23, that clears the way for the development of both a “Community Emissions Reduction Program” and a “Community Air Monitoring Plan” for the new Brawley-Westmorland- Calipatria corridor, much like the programs that have been in place since 2018 for the Calexico-Heber-El Centro corridor created under Assembly Bill 617 (C. Garcia).

Imperial County APCD and Comite Civico del Valle co-chair and facilitate the AB 617 Community Steering Committee that is convened to gather input and recommendations on pollution mitigation projects within the Calexico-Heber-El Centro corridor. A similar, community-led framework will roll out for the Northend in the coming weeks, according to the release.

“The ICAPCD is thankful for the opportunity to expand the AB 617 communities and we are determined to work and provide a healthier quality of life for our community by collaborating and participating in the AB 617 program,” said Belen Leon-Lopez, Imperial County Air Pollution Control Officer and co-chair of the AB 617 Community Steering Committee. “To build a community, it requires vigilant awareness of the needs for change, and the power for change is in a united community. A united community will bring the community’s skills all around.”

“Obviously, we had hoped this would have happened much sooner than it did, but we are nevertheless pleased with the approval,” said Luis Olmedo, executive director of Comite Civico del Valle and co-chair of the AB 617 Community Steering Committee.

“In the shadow of the Salton Sea, with numerous cattle feed yards and ag land, northern Imperial County is subject to much air pollution and poor air days. It’s not uncommon that during wind events, our IVAN (Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhoods) air monitors in the north are showing the highest levels of particulate pollution,” Olmedo added. “This couldn’t have come at a better time.”

To that end, Comite Civico Special Projects Manager Christian Torres said this first designation is just one step in a larger process aimed at addressing air quality around the Salton Sea region through the AB 617 process.

“We’re hopeful that a later recommendation will come to add Niland, Bombay Beach, and Salton City to complete the Imperial Corridor in a Phase 2,” Torres said, “which will allow us to address the problematic air quality we will only see worsen around the Salton Sea as inflows decrease amid water conservation and with Lithium Valley industries’ development on the horizon.”

Although the number of AB 617 communities has increased with the addition of Imperial County and one Bay Area region on February 23, funding for the state program has remained relatively stagnant. Until this year, the state had allocated $50 million the previous five years. Fortunately, that increased to $60 million this year, according to the release.

According to the release, in Imperial County AB 617 has funded such air-quality projects as electric school busses in Calexico, a mobile air-monitoring project across the New River, an expansion of Comite Civico’s IVAN community air-monitoring network, paving alleys and dirt roads within the Calexico-Heber-El Centro corridor, air filtration in corridor schools, urban greening projects, and updating APCD rules and policies.

To learn more about AB 617 in Imperial County, visit www.icab617community.org