[Adobe Acrobat required]
Wm. S. Hart Union High School District What's Good &
School Board Roundup
College of the Canyons
Breaking News Bottom Line
Newhall School District NSD Today
Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center
The Mighty Oak
Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers Inc. Health Matters
Santa Clarita Valley
Historical Society
Heritage Junction Dispatch
Organization: South Coast Air Quality Management District
Date: June 9, 2009
AQMD Announces Grants for Tree Planting Projects
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has established the
Tree Planting Partnership — a match funding opportunity for cities and
counties within AQMD's four-county jurisdiction. A total of $1.5 million will be
available to co-sponsor tree planting projects.
The goal of the program is to help cities and counties build healthy urban
forests across the Southland, which will assist in reducing air pollution, help
remove greenhouse gases, and lower energy needs by providing shade for
buildings.
The Tree Planting Partnership is one of four elements of the Helping Hand
Initiative, a program approved by the AQMD Governing Board in February to
help keep the region on the path toward clean air while lending assistance to
businesses and local governments during the economic recession.
"Trees have the ability to capture pollutants from the air while adding
beauty to our communities," said William A. Burke, Ed.D., AQMD's Governing
Board Chairman. "This is an opportunity for us to partner with communities to
help clean our air and beautify our neighborhoods at the same time."
At its June 5 meeting, AQMD's Governing Board approved the Tree
Planting Partnership to assist cities and counties with additional tree planting
projects. AQMD has developed a list of 52 preferred California native trees
that have low biogenic volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, 11 of
which are also drought-tolerant.
Tree planting projects must include a community outreach component,
and should include opportunities for temporary student employment to assist
in implementing them. Only cities and counties in AQMD's four-county region
are eligible to apply.
Requirements for tree planting projects include:
• Trees that have low biogenic VOC emissions and are native species to
California
• Trees are appropriate for the area where they will be planted
• Trees will be planted on public lands
• Tree maintenance is provided after planting
• Outreach and educational components are provided
To assist with the application process, AQMD will hold two voluntary
informational workshops on June 30 and July 17, both at 9:30 a.m. at AQMD
Headquarters in Diamond Bar. Cities and counties have until Friday, July 31,
2009 to submit project proposals.
For more information on workshops, project requirements and a full list of
qualifying trees, visit www.aqmd.gov/aqmd/funding.html.
In other action, the AQMD Board:
• Adopted a $131.7 million budget for fiscal year 2009-10, which is a
reduction of approximately $400,000 from the 2008-09 budget. No general
fee increases are proposed for next year. AQMD will use its reserve funds to
offset lower estimated revenues due to the economic downturn to balance
the 2009-10 budget;
• Adopted Rule 433 — Natural Gas Quality — to require monitoring of the
quality and quantity of natural gas being supplied to the four-county region
to determine the effects of new supplies of natural gas — such as imported
liquefied natural gas — on natural gas quality and emissions;
• Approved $840,000 from the Lower-Emission School Bus Program Fund to
retrofit 42 school buses in the Southland with diesel particulate matter (PM)
traps. Funding will go to three school districts in the region; and
• Re-appointed Edward Camarena to the engineer member position on the
AQMD Hearing Board, and appointed Julie Masters to the attorney member
position and Tom Browne as the alternate engineer member. Each will serve
a three-year term, ending June 30, 2012.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major
portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major
portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
