AIR    

Healthy Air Living Week, July 7 - 13, 2008, is almost here!  

 The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is encouraging Valley residents and businesses to start thinking  about air quality in every decision they make and to live a healthy air life.   By continuing these choices in the future, we can all help to clean up our air.

The district is encouraging business and individuals to pledge to reduce their impact on air quality during Healthy Air Living Week.   To make a pledge to reduce emissions go to www.healthyairliving.com, print and fill out a pledge card (business or personal) indicating what you pledge to do to reduce emissions during Healthy Air Living Week, and mail the pledge card to the District.

Submitting a complete business pledge card will allow your employees to enter a drawing to win a Toyota Prius hybrid.  To enter, your employees must fill out a pledge card citing your business as their sponsor, or, alternatively, anyone can submit a personal pledge card to enter the drawing, by committing to try at least seven Healthy Air Living practices during the week.

If you have any questions about Healthy Air Living, or how you can take part in Healthy Air Living Week, please call the District at:

Northern Region      209-557-6446

Central Region        559-230-5888

Southern Region      661-326-6969

Make your pledge today and help us all live a Healthy Air Life! 

ARB workshop to focus on mandatory greenhouse gas reporting

On Friday, June 20, 2008, from 9:30 to 12:30, ARB staff is holding a general workshop for mandatory greenhouse gas reporting. 

Staff will provide an overview of the reporting requirements and information about program implementation, with an emphasis on General Stationary 

Combustion Sources. Staff is also preparing guidance documents for the regulation, and would appreciate input to identify those parts of the regulation 

where additional guidance would be helpful. 

The workshop will be also be webcast, which can be accessed here: http://www.calepa.ca.gov/broadcast/?BDO=1 

A copy of the modified GHG reporting regulation recently

released for review is available here: http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/2007/ghg2007/ghg2007.htm

Additional sector-specific technical discussions will be held at the dates and times shown below. Meeting agendas and materials may 

be posted prior to the workshops at ARB’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting and Inventory web site at:

 http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/reporting/ghg-rep/ghg-rep.htm (see Meetings and Workshops). Later in the year, ARB will also provide training

workshops for reporting, including the on-line reporting tool, and training to support the accreditation of third-party verifiers. 

WORKSHOP AND TECHNICAL DISCUSSIONS

For each workshop staff will: provide an overview of relevant sector reporting requirements, review key calculation methods, a

nswer questions about the regulation, and solicit input on the areas of the regulation in which additional ARB guidance documents would be helpful. 

General GHG Reporting Workshop: Overall Requirements, Stationary

Combustion Sources, Verification Overview

Friday, June 20, 2008

9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Byron Sher Auditorium and via webcast,

http://www.calepa.ca.gov/broadcast/?BDO=1

Electricity Generators, Retail Providers, and Marketers

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. – Electricity Generators Technical

Discussion

10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Electricity Retail Providers and

Marketers Technical Discussion

Sierra Hearing Room and via webcast,

http://www.calepa.ca.gov/broadcast/?BDO=1

Directions to Cal/EPA Headquarters and public transit

information can be found at the California Environmental

Protection Agency’s web site at

http://www.calepa.ca.gov/epabldg/location.htm. For additional

information, contact Patrick Gaffney at pgaffney@arb.ca.gov or

916-322-7303.
 

California Emerging Technology Forum (air)

http://www.epa.gov/region09/air/cecat-forum/index.html

This event will also be broadcast via webcast. Please check this website and/or call-in number for additional information.

If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact Trina Martynowicz (martynowicz.trina@epa.gov) or (415) 972-3474.

GENERAL REGULATORY

CPUC Public Participation Hearing Regarding Natural Gas Surcharges

--From the California League of Food Processors--

The Issue at Stake:

PG&E, SoCalGas, and San Diego Gas & Electric have petitioned the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to change the method used to allocate the costs for several public purpose programs, including CARE, LIEE, SGIP, and Energy Efficiency.  They propose to use the Equal Percent of Base Revenue Method for cost allocation rather than the Equal Cent Per Therm Method.  This will put more of the cost burden on residential rate payers, who benefit the most from CARE and other programs.  The net result will be to reduce the surcharges paid by food processors and other manufacturers by about 15%, and increase the typical residential bill by about 50 cents to $1 per month, depending on the utility.  CLFP estimates that the change in the cost allocation method will save the fruit and vegetable processing industry a total of about $1 million per year.

CPUC will be conducting a formal hearing on this issue in July and CLFP will be testifying at that proceeding.  In advance of that hearing CPUC is having the public participation hearings in Oakland, Fresno, Bakersfield, Compton, and San Diego to solicit opinions from the public.  There will be significant opposition to this proposal from consumer groups and so the CPUC must hear support from industrial customers.

Potential Talking Points:

• Your business is located in ___ and is an important source of employment in your community.  You employ about ___ workers at your facility and purchase raw product from numerous farmers, and an array of supplies and inputs from vendors.
• You have to compete with other suppliers located in other states and countries.
• Energy costs are very important to your business and your company's financial bottom line.  Natural gas accounts have been increasing in recent years and now account for about __ percent of your total cost of production.
• Your natural gas CARE surcharge costs have been rising rapidly over the last few years. 
• In 2007 your company spent about $____ on natural gas public purpose surcharges, including CARE.
• CARE alone now accounts for about ___ % of your total utility gas transportation bill. 
• CARE cost increases are causing you to cut back expenses in other important areas.
• Rising natural gas surcharge costs are causing you to be less competitive in the marketplace.
• The proposal made by the utilities to change the cost allocation method will not cut the funds available in the CARE program for low income households, it will just reallocate the program costs more fairly across the customer classes.
• You support the petition by the utilities to change the cost allocation method from an equal cent per therm basis to an equal percent of base revenue basis.
• Changing the cost allocation method will help your business be more competitive.

PUC Public Participation Hearing Dates and Locations:

• June 19^th, 7:00 p.m.

Elihu Harris State Building

First Floor Auditorium

1515 Clay Street (downtown Oakland, just off Rt 980)

Oakland, CA 94612

• June 24, 7:00 p.m.

Bakersfield City Council Chambers

1501 Truxton Avenue

Bakersfield, CA  93301

• June 26, 7:00 p.m.

Holiday Inn

Yosemite Room

5090 East Clinton Avenue (across from the Fresno airport)

Fresno, CA 93727

(559)-252-3611

Note:

• Speakers will likely be given about three minutes to make their presentations.
• Written correspondence can be mailed to:

Honorable Michael J. Galvin

Administrative Law Judge

California Public Utilities Commission

Room 5015

505 Van Ness Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94102

mfg@cpuc.ca.gov

It’s summer, so be HIP and help your employees beat the heat:

(join the Heat Illness Prevention Network)

The Heat Illness Prevention Network (The HIP Network)

The HIP Network is a voluntary public/private partnership established to increase awareness of both employers and employees of the hazard of heat illness and the importance of heat illness prevention measures to prevent fatalities and serious illnesses in California workplaces. HIP Network members work together to help prevent heat illness in workplaces throughout California in partnership with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) by providing timely information to employers and employees.

Members of the Heat Illness Prevention Network (HIP Network) are joining together with other private organizations and Cal/OSHA to put vital information in the hands of California’s employees to help prevent heat illness.

HIP Network members are encouraged to:

• Provide current contact information to Cal/OSHA in order to receive vital heat illness prevention information

• Promptly share heat illness prevention information received from Cal/OSHA to their organization’s members or employees

______________________________________________________________________

To sign up send an email to communications@dir.ca.gov

Questions and Answers About the  Heat Illness Prevention Network (HIP Network)

What is the Heat Illness Prevention Network?

The HIP Network is a voluntary public/private partnership established to increase both employer and employee knowledge regarding the importance of heat illness prevention in order to create a safer working environment in California. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) will provide timely information to Network members who will in turn share that information with their members, or for employers – share the information with their employees. The network is an immediate source of information from Cal/OSHA providing employers and employees with tools to protect employees from heat illness. Cal/OSHA will maintain the member list.

What are an employer’s or association’s expectations as a network member?

• To receive and share information from Cal/OSHA regarding the prevention of heat illness, primarily in the event of a heat wave. It is not necessary to establish new communication channels if existing distribution channels are in place and effective.
• By sharing information from Cal/OSHA, encourage member employers to address the risk of heat illness through their injury and illness prevention program (IIPP).
• To recruit other members to the network.
• To track your communications through the Network to your members or employees, and share general information about how many employers and employees you reach.

What resources are available to my organization to help prevent heat illness?

Cal/OSHA has created a web page devoted to the prevention of heat illness at http://www.dir.ca.gov/DOSH/HeatIllnessInfo.html. Your organization can link to this website and share the address. The publications are available for your distribution as well.

What is the cost to join the HIP Network?

There is no cost to join the network.

Will our organization be listed as in support or opposition to any legislation, regulation or other political initiative?

No. This is simply an information sharing network in order to reach out to employees to help prevent heat illness.

What tracking of information is requested of our organization?

HIP Network members are encouraged to share the number of employer members in their organization and an approximate number of employees reached through those members. You are also encouraged to track the document or information you send out and when. If you reach beyond your membership, that information is also requested. This information is requested simply to demonstrate the reach and potential effectiveness of the HIP Network and will only be used in the aggregate, unless expressly authorized otherwise.

What happens if my organization does not share or distribute the information provided to me by Cal/OSHA?

Your continued lack of participation could result in your organization being dropped from the Network.

Who are the founding members of the HIP Network?

California Chamber of Commerce, California Manufacturers and Technology Association, California Farm Bureau Federation, Associated General Contractors of California, Western Growers, California Restaurant Association, and California Hotel and Lodging Association.

MCCV ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATES

Next Meeting:             Wednesday, July 16, 2008-- 8:30 a.m. E&J Gallo Ops Training Room
                        (We will meet the third Wednesday of every month through December)

MCCV was formed in order to promote the common business interest of our members in ensuring, protecting and improving the environment and economy of the Central Valley through public education and community discussion of ecological, business and labor issues affecting businesses in the Central Valley. (MCCV Bylaws)

Be sure to visit our website www.mccv.org