Air Quality Planning
(Updated 2/2/2021)
Background

Air quality plans provide an overview of the region's air
quality and identify the pollution-control measures needed to
expeditiously attain and maintain air quality standards. The
District's plans include the San Diego Regional Air Quality Strategy
(RAQS), addressing State requirements, and the San Diego portion of
the California State Implementation Plan (SIP), addressing federal
requirements.
Current
Attainment Status
Information
on EPA's 2015 Ozone Standard
CEQA
Reducing
Air Pollution
Walking,
Biking, and Transit
Climate
and Pollution
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The Facts about Ozone (English) La Realidad Sobre el Ozono (Espanol) |
Simple Ways to Reduce Air Pollution
(English) Formas Sencillas de Reducir La Contaminación del Aire (Espanol) |
Federal Plans

- Carbon Monoxide (CO)
- Lead (Pb)
- Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
- Ozone (O3)
- Particulate Matter (PM)
- Sulfur Oxides (SOx)
The federal Clean Air Act (CAA) requires plans which identify how nonattainment areas will attain and/or maintain the NAAQS. The CAA requires the EPA to review each plan, any plan revisions, and to approve the plan/revisions if consistent with the CAA. Key elements of these plans include emission inventories, emission control strategies and rules, air quality data analyses, modeling, air quality progress and attainment or maintenance demonstrations.
The San Diego County Air Pollution
Control District (District) has prepared an Attainment Plan for San
Diego County (Attainment Plan), demonstrating how the region will
further reduce air pollutant emissions in order to attain the
current National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone in the
future. Approved by the District Board on October 14, 2020, and the
California Air Resources Board on November 19, 2020, the plan was
submitted by CARB on January 8, 2021 for EPA's consideration as a
revision to the California State Implementation Plan (SIP) for
attaining the ozone standards.
State Plans
The California Clean Air Act (CCAA) of 1988 requires the air districts to endeavor, achieve and maintain the state ambient air quality standards by the earliest practicable date and develop plans for attaining the state ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide standards.
In compliance with the CCAA, the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District prepared and submitted the 1991 Regional Air Quality Strategy (RAQS) to address San Diego County's nonattainment status for ozone. The RAQS is designed to make expeditious progress toward attaining the state ozone standard and contains preliminary implementation schedules for control programs on stationary sources, transportation, indirect sources, and a vehicle/fuels program.
Year | Report Description | Attachments (if applicable) |
2016 | RAQS Revision | Attachment I, Attachment II |
2009 | RAQS Revision | Attachment I, Attachment II |
2005 | Measures to Reduce PM | N/A |
2004 | RAQS Progress Report | N/A |
2004 | RAQS Revision | N/A |
2001 | RAQS Revision | N/A |