It looks like one of the air districts is listening...



South Coast Air Quality Management District


		Jan. 26, 2001
		To Help Provide Power During Energy Crisis
		AQMD EXTENDS OPERATIONS LIMIT ON EMERGENCY GENERATORS
		In an effort to give essential public services greater ability to respond to 
power emergencies, the region's air quality agency issued an executive order 
today extending the amount of time that such agencies can run emergency 
generators.
		"Gov. Davis declared a state of emergency last week due to the state's power 
crisis," said Barry Wallerstein, AQMD,s executive officer. "In response, AQMD 
has increased the amount of time that emergency generators at hospitals, 
police stations, fire houses and other essential public services can operate."
		Under AQMD's executive order, essential public service providers can operate 
emergency generators up to 500 hours in a calendar year, which more than 
doubles AQMD's Rule 1110.2 operation limit of 200 hours per year. AQMD rules 
normally limit emergency generators to 200 hours per year because they are 
typically diesel-powered, have no pollution controls and emit 300 times more 
smog-forming pollution per unit of energy than a new power plant.
		Today's order allows essential public service providers to operate up to 500 
hours per year during an imminent or actual power blackout in the provider's 
area. It also promotes the use of low-sulfur diesel fuel, defined as 
containing 15 parts per million or less of sulfur, if reasonably available. 
The provisions of the order are consistent with U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency guidance on this issue.
		The order expires on Feb. 3, 2001, but can be renewed in 10-day increments. 
It applies to the following public services:
		
		

		
		
		Police and fire fighting facilities;
		
		Hospitals and other health care facilities;
		
		Kindergarten through high schools;
		
		Drinking water agencies;
		
		Public transit agencies;
		
		Prisons;
		
		911 emergency dispatch operations;
		
		Publicly owned sewage treatment plants;
		
		Landfill gas operations; and
		
		Critical military operations.
		
		Under AQMD's Rule 118, the agency's executive officer can suspend AQMD rules 
for public health and safety services for 10 days at a time in response to a 
state of emergency declared by the state or federal government.
		AQMD has set up a hotline, (909) 396-2660, to assist operators of backup 
generators at non-essential public services to voluntarily apply for a 
variance with AQMD's independent Hearing Board.
		AQMD also will approve applications submitted by any emergency generator 
operator that is not an essential public service to revise their permit to 
allow up to 200 hours of operation.
		"The governor has determined that the power crisis poses an extreme peril to 
public safety," Wallerstein said. "We are doing our part to ensure that 
public health and safety agencies can keep operating during periods of 
potential blackouts."
		AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and the urban 
portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.


Mary Schoen
Environmental Strategies
Enron Corp
713-345-7422