Effective January 1, 2024, Santa Barbara County’s designation for the State ozone standards was changed from “nonattainment” to “nonattainment-transitional.” Additional information on the change in designation is available at the California Air Resources Board’s website.
Our air quality attainment plans, including our most recent 2022 Ozone Plan, provide an overview of our air quality, the sources of air pollution, and identify potential pollution-control measures to help meet clean air standards. In Santa Barbara County, our plans have focused on attaining and maintaining both the state and federal ozone standards.
The Process
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) develop and implement air quality standards to protect public health. These agencies determine if our county meets or “attains” the air quality standards by using the ambient air monitoring data collected at our monitoring stations. Our county’s attainment designation drives our clean air planning process, as it sets mandates and schedules to achieve additional emissions reductions from the various emission sources within the County.
Working closely with the District’s Community Advisory Council and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), District staff develop plans consistent with the California Clean Air Act and state/federal guidelines. The plans are brought to the District Board for adoption, and are then sent to the EPA and/or CARB for final approval. Every three years, the District is required to update the Plan to demonstrate the progress toward attaining the state ozone standards.
What’s in a Plan
Our air quality attainment plans include topics such as:
- An overview of planning efforts,
- Information on our local air quality,
- An emissions inventory and emission forecasts,
- Existing and proposed stationary source control measures,
- Existing and proposed transportation control measures, and
- Public comments, and other topics as appropriate.
Hence, these plans are comprehensive documents that shed light on both the historical and long-term issues and challenges for our county’s air quality. The plans influence a range of activities such as the development of our rules and regulations, transportation planning, and the allocation of funds for air quality projects. These plans are often referenced or cited in various environmental/CEQA documents and analyses for regional projects.
Plans
- View the 2022 Ozone Plan.
- View the 2019 Ozone Plan.
- View the 2017 Nonattainment-Transitional Report.
- View the 2016 Ozone Plan.
- View the 2013 Clean Air Plan.
- View the 2010 Clean Air Plan and the Final 2010 Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
- View the 2007 Clean Air Plan.
- View the 2004 Clean Air Plan.
- View the 2001 Clean Air Plan webpage. This plan meets the requirements of both the Federal Clean Air Act and the California Clean Air Act and has been approved by state and federal agencies.
- View the Final 1998 Clean Air Plan.
Other References
For more information, please e-mail our Planning group or visit the following webpages.
