Air Quality

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) offers programs for the business community that includes the following benefits:

• Financial Incentives for implementing cleaner technologies from non-toxic dry-cleaning machines to new or retrofit engines for heavy-duty on-road trucks.
• Emission Reduction through innovative solutions.
• Raising the profile of clean products such as solvents and commercial products through certification.
• Identification of other clean air products and equipment that can be used by businesses large and small to help improve air quality.
• Compliance assistance through South Coast AQMD-sponsored training.
• Small business assistance to help those businesses with regulatory requirements.

Link: https://www.aqmd.gov/home/programs/business

Small Business Assistance

The South Coast AQMD Small Business Assistance Office assists small business owners to comply with South Coast AQMD rules and regulations, permit conditions, and recordkeeping through a variety of services offered.

Link: https://www.aqmd.gov/home/programs/business/business-detail?title=small-business-assistance

Certification Programs & Training

South Coast AQMD has introduced several certification programs that are intended to increase confidence in products and services used by the regulated community (permitted facilities) that promote clean air. South Coast AQMD provides compliance assistance training to enhance understanding of applicable air quality regulations, introduce new control technologies and assist industry with achieving and maintaining compliance with federal, state and local clean air requirements.

Link: https://www.aqmd.gov/home/programs/business/business-detail?title=certification-programs-training

Environmentally Friendly Products for Businesses

Certified Products

South Coast AQMD provides a list of the following certified and environmentally friendly products for Lake Forest businesses to use: water heaters, boilers, emergency generators, spray booth make-up air units, charbroilers, street sweepers, tank seals, fume suppressants, and low polluting cleaning products. Click the link below for the full list of products.

Link: https://www.aqmd.gov/home/programs/business/business-detail?title=certified-products

Low-VOC Products

To help employers reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, the South Coast AQMD provides a list of low-VOC products that consist of aqueous waste haulers, and cleaning materials, equipment, and super compliant architectural coatings. The links below include lists of low-VOC products.

Link: https://www.aqmd.gov/home/programs/business/business-detail?title=other-low-voc-products

Low-VOC Cleaning Materials & Equipment List Link: https://www.aqmd.gov/home/programs/business/business-detail?title=low-voc-cleaning-materials-equipment-list&parent=other-low-voc-products

Super-Compliant Architectural Coatings List Link: https://www.aqmd.gov/home/rules-compliance/compliance/vocs/architectural-coatings/super-compliant-coatings

Vehicle & Engine Upgrades

South Coast AQMD offers a variety of financial incentives, which include grants for incremental funding, subsidies, or vouchers, are designed to promote voluntary introduction of new technologies on an accelerated schedule.  These incentives also provide manufacturers with justification to gear up for mass production of cleaner technologies.

Link: https://www.aqmd.gov/home/programs/business/business-detail?title=vehicle-engine-upgrades

Programs to Support Complying with Clean Air Regulations

RECLAIM

The South Coast AQMD's RECLAIM (REgional CLean Air Incentives Market) Program is the world's first comprehensive market program for reducing air pollution. RECLAIM uses the power of the marketplace to reduce air pollutants from stationary sources, an approach to air quality regulation that has the potential to clean up our air more effectively than traditional regulations. For businesses, RECLAIM means greater flexibility and a financial incentive to reduce air pollution beyond what clean air laws and traditional command-and-control rules require.

Each firm participating in RECLAIM program receives RECLAIM trading credits (RTCs) equal to its annual emissions limit. Facilities must hold credits equal to their actual emissions, but they can sell excess credits to firms that cannot or choose not to meet their limits. Because businesses are different, some can reduce emissions more easily and at less cost than others. Credits are assigned each year and can be bought or sold for use within that year. No matter who buys or sells credits, RECLAIM requires that total emissions from all participating companies be reduced each year.

Link: https://www.aqmd.gov/home/programs/business/business-detail?title=reclaim

Rule 2202 On-Road Motor Vehicle Mitigation Options

Rule 2202-On-Road Motor Vehicle Mitigation Options provides employers with a menu of options to reduce mobile source emissions generated from employee commutes. Rule 2202 is applicable to employers in the South Coast Air Basin with 250 or more employees at a worksite. Mitigation options include Emission Reduction Credits, Air Quality Investment Program, Employee Community Reduction Program, and Vehicle Trip Emission Credits. Please use the link below for more information on Rule 2202

Link: https://www.aqmd.gov/home/programs/business/business-detail?title=rule-2202-on-road-motor-vehicle-mitigation-options

Air Quality Investment Program

An employer may elect to participate in the Air Quality Investment Program by investing annually $46.73 per employee or triennially $129.79 per employee into a South Coast AQMD administered restricted fund. Monies collected in this restricted fund will be used by the South Coast AQMD to fund proposals that reduce emissions equivalent to an emission reduction target based on the level of employer participation in the Air Quality Investment Program.

Link: https://www.aqmd.gov/home/programs/business/business-detail?title=air-quality-investment-program

Laboratory Approval

Through the Laboratory Approval Program (LAP) the South Coast AQMD approves independent laboratories or source testing firms that collect and analyze emission samples for reporting to the South Coast AQMD for compliance testing for the RECLAIM programs and regulations such as Rules 1111, 1121, 1138 and 1420. Test facilities are approved on a method-by-method basis. Approval means that the test facility's management, personnel, policies, facilities, methods, equipment, documentation, quality assurance, and audit performance have been evaluated and found to meet South Coast AQMD criteria.

Link: https://www.aqmd.gov/home/programs/business/business-detail?title=laboratory-approval