California Air Resources Board

Infobox Government agency
agency_name = California Air Resources Board
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logo_width = 312px
logo_caption = Logo of the Air Resources Board


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formed = 1967
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preceding1 = Bureau of Air Sanitation
preceding2 = Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board
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headquarters = 1001 I Street Sacramento, California
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budget = $759 million
chief1_name = Mary D. Nichols
chief1_position = Chairman
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parent_agency = California Environmental Protection Agency
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website = http://www.arb.ca.gov
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The California Air Resources Board, also known as (CARB) is the "clean air agency" in the government of California. Established in 1967 in the Mulford-Carrell Act, combining the Bureau of Air Sanitation and the Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board, the ARB is a department within the cabinet-level California Environmental Protection Agency.

The stated goals of CARB include attaining and maintaining healthy air quality; protecting the public from exposure to toxic air contaminants; and providing innovative approaches for complying with air pollution rules and regulations.

The governing board is made up of eleven members appointed by the state's governor. Half of the appointees are experts in professional and science fields such as medicine, chemistry, physics, meteorology, engineering, business, and law. Others represent the pollution control agencies of regional districts within California - Los Angeles region, San Francisco Bay area, San Diego, the San Joaquin Valley, and other districts.

CARB's Organizational Structure

CARB has nine major Divisions: [ [http://www.arb.ca.gov/html/org/org.htm CARB's Divisions] ]

*Administrative Services Division
*Enforcement Division
*Mobile Source Control Division
*Mobile Source Operations Division
*Monitoring and Laboratory Division
*Office of Information Services
*Planning and Technical Support Division
*Research Division
*Stationary Source Division

Planning and Technical Support Division

The Planning and Technical Support Division assesses the extent of California's air quality problems and the progress being made to abate them, coordinates statewide development of clean air plans and maintains databases pertinent to air quality and emissions. The Division's technical support work provides a basis for clean air plans and CARB's regulatory programs. This support includes management and interpretation of emission inventories, air quality data, meteorological data and of air quality modeling. [http://www.arb.ca.gov/html/org/orgptsd.htm CARB's Planning and Technical Support Division] ]

The Planning and Technical Support Division has five branches:

*Emission Inventory Branch
*Modeling & Meteorology Branch
*Air Quality Data Branch
*Air Quality & Transportation Planning Branch
*Mobile Source Analysis Branch

Atmospheric Modeling & Support Section

The Atmospheric Modeling & Support Section is one of three sections within the Modeling & Meteorology Branch. The other two sections are the Regional Air Quality Modeling Section and the Meteorology Section.

The air quality and atmospheric pollution dispersion models [cite book |author=Turner, D.B. |title=Workbook of atmospheric dispersion estimates: an introduction to dispersion modeling|edition=2nd Edition|publisher=CRC Press |year=1994 |id=ISBN 1-56670-023-X [http://www.crcpress.com/shopping_cart/products/product_detail.asp?sku=L1023&parent_id=&pc= www.crcpress.com] ] [cite book|author=Beychok, Milton R.|title=Fundamentals of Stack Gas Dispersion|edition=4th Edition|publisher=author-published|year=2005|id=ISBN 0-9644588-0-2 [http://www.air-dispersion.com www.air-dispersion.com] ] routinely used by this Section include a number of the models recommended by the U.S. EPA. [Compilation of atmospheric dispersion models] The Section also uses models which were either developed by CARB or whose development was funded by CARB, such as:

* CALPUFFndash Originally developed by the Sigma Research Company (SRC) under contract to CARB. Currently maintained by the TRC Solution Company under contract to the U.S. EPA.
* CALGRIDndash Developed by CARB and currently maintained by CARB. [ [http://www.arb.ca.gov/eos/soft.htm#calgrid|CARB's CALGRID Model] ]
* SARMAPndash Developed by CARB and currently maintained by CARB. [ [http://www.arb.ca.gov/ei/sarmap.htm CARB's SARMAP Model] ]

Role in Reducing Greenhouse Gases

Alternative Fuel Vehicle Incentive Program

Alternative Fuel Vehicle Incentive Program (also known as Fueling Alternatives) is funded by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), offered throughout the State of California and administered by the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE).

PHEV Research Center

The PHEV Research Center was launched with fundings from the California Air Resources Board.

Plan

California has taken a major step forward on its global warming fight by unveiling an ambitious plan for clean cars, renewable energy and stringent caps on big polluting industries. CARB staff will present a series of proposals that would become law in 2012, with some measures going into effect two years earlier. [ [http://www.enn.com/lifestyle/article/37498 ENN: California unveils ambitious climate plan ] ]

See also

* Bioenergy Action Plan
* California Center for Sustainable Energy
* California Code of Regulations
* California Energy Commission
* California Environmental Protection Agency
* California Public Utilities Commission
* Ecology of California
* Emission standards
* Global warming in California.
* Grams per kilometre (g/km).
* Greenhouse gas
* Emissions trading
* Greenhouse gas emissions by the United States
* GHG Vehicle Test Group
* Million Solar Roofs (SB 1).
* Plug-in hybrids in California
* Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
* South Coast Air Quality Management District
* Timeline of major US environmental and occupational health regulation
* Upstream emission factor
* US Emission standard
* Vehicle acronyms and abbreviations
* WestStart-CALSTART
* Who Killed the Electric Car?
* Zero-emissions vehicle

References

External links

*
* CARB's [http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/levprog/test_proc.htm Low-Emission Vehicle Regulations and Test Procedures]
* [http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/cc.htm CARB web site page on Climate Change]
* [http://www.arb.ca.gov/diesel/verdev/verdev.htm ARB's Diesel Emission Control Strategies Verification]

News

* [http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/nr062608.htm California charts course to fight global warming] : California's greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent over the next 12 years.
* [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-climate26-2008jun26,0,4180472.story California air board announces plan for carbon-credit trading] .