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GUEST COMMENTARY - The Trump administration has fired hundreds of hardworking federal employees at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since taking office, individuals responsible for protecting Americans from toxic pollution, unsafe water, and the devastating consequences of climate change. Los Angeles residents, who breathe some of the most polluted air in the country, should be deeply concerned.
This is just the beginning of the Administration's vision for hamstringing the agency that has implemented standards under the Clean Air Act that have saved millions of lives by cutting dangerous pollution from cars, power plants, and industry. President Trump has promised his pick to run the agency, Lee Zeldin, will ensure "swift deregulatory decisions."
Fortunately, the future of our air quality does not rest solely in the hands of this Administration. Our regional air quality regulator—the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD)—plays an enormous role in advancing smart air quality policy. As an administration explicitly hostile to clean air rules begins their deregulatory rampage at the federal level, regional air quality regulators should double down on their responsibility to protect air quality for the 17-plus million people they serve.
SCAQMD can start by adopting standards requiring appliance manufacturers to gradually ramp up the sale of pollution-free space and water heating technologies like heat pumps. These rules target pollution from fossil fuel furnaces and water heaters in homes, addressing a significant portion of the smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from the building sector, which collectively generates seven times more NOx pollution than power plants in the region. Passing these standards would deliver the second-greatest emissions reduction of any rules SCAQMD has passed in three decades.
These rules are achievable, commonsense measures that will deliver pollution reductions while helping Southern California residents access state-of-the-art technologies that will improve the health, safety, and comfort of their homes. In fact, SCAQMD can be more ambitious. New analysis from RMI finds that even without federal dollars, low-income households can save thousands of dollars by choosing a heat pump water heater instead of a gas water heater by tapping state and local incentives. Regulators need to stand strong in the face of gas industry pressure to keep polluting equipment in our homes for decades to come by accelerating the implementation timeline for pollution-free water heaters.
But tackling pollution from homes is just the beginning. With a federal retreat from pollution standards across the board imminent, SCAQMD must also pass strong standards to clean up California’s single largest fixed source of smog pollution in Southern California: emissions from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The largest port system in the country imports goods from all around the world, but does so while releasing more NOx pollution than all 6 million cars in the region. Recognizing the urgent need, SCAQMD is considering a bold new “Indirect Source Rule” to get this pollution in check. This rule, if done right, would include components for new zero-emission infrastructure, emission reductions targets, and reporting requirements for the port.
Forward-thinking action by SCAQMD can also spur innovation and clean up pollution from Southern California’s robust manufacturing sector. In a groundbreaking move last summer, SCAQMD passed standards 1 million fossil fuel-powered water heaters, residential furnaces, and other commercial and industrial equipment be replaced with zero-emission electric technologies over the next decade. Cheesemakers, pulp and paper manufacturers, laundry facilities, and more are already beginning to adopt this clean heat technology across the state. Now, the rule is under attack by the fossil fuel industry and their allies, who have filed a lawsuit to overturn these life saving measures. The People’s Collective for Environmental Justice, Sierra Club and Earthjustice have jointly intervened in opposition to the lawsuit, and are working to defend the policies in court.
As federal environmental protections face unprecedented threats, local action becomes not just important but essential. SCAQMD has both the authority and a legal obligation to protect our region's air quality. With bold leadership and community support, Southern California can continue making progress toward cleaner air and a healthier future for all residents, regardless of federal rollbacks. The time for regional leadership is now—our health and environment depend on it.
(Morgan Goodwin is the Senior Director for the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club.)
