Center helps California transportation stay on (cleaner-air) track

Air-quality-wise, some of America’s unhealthiest places are located in California. And, transportation is one of the chief contributors to that unhealthy air. As such, it makes perfect sense to focus on the transportation sector in terms of trying to address this issue.

One entity assisting in that effort is the San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Center.

As the name implies, the Center is charged with finding transportation solutions that, in fact, aid in helping improve the quality of Golden State air.

“With funding from the California Energy Commission, CALSTART today [Jan. 8, 2016] announced it has opened the San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Center,” CALSTART acknowledged in a prepared statement. “The new Center’s goal is to accelerate the use of clean vehicles and fuels and help the region more quickly meet its air targets.

“The Center will provide technical assistance, project development expertise, and support with acquiring funding for San Joaquin Valley vehicle fleet owners, local governments, businesses, and residents. Its work will expand the use of zero-emission vehicles, clean trucks, and high-efficiency non-road equipment.”

“CALSTART secured the funding for the center in a competitive California Energy Commission (CEC) solicitation,” the organization went on in the Jan. 8, 2016 release.

Contained in the release was a brace of comments of support.

1. “‘The San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Center is part of a larger strategy to address regional clean-air needs across the state,’ said James A. Scott, Commissioner at the California Energy Commission. ‘The Energy Commission is pleased to provide a $1.2 million grant to fund this center, which will help local residents, governments and businesses collaborate on advanced transportation solutions and accelerate their progress toward meeting the Valley’s clean-air goals.’
2. “‘The San Joaquin Valley Clean Transportation Center is a great new regional resource that will play an important role in helping to improve air quality and reduce emissions from vehicles. The center has strong connections and relations with a national network of manufacturers, suppliers, and fleets that we will be able to utilize to improve our transportation system,’ said Seyed Sadredin, Executive Director and Air Pollution Control Officer of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.”

Focused on making transportation better from an air-quality standpoint, the Center, as it happens, is located at the Fresno Chandler Executive Airport in the state’s mid-section with an area of coverage that ranges from Stockton in the north Valley to Bakersfield in the Valley’s south, details borne out in the press release in question. Assisting the Center in its work include partners: the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, the San Joaquin Valley Clean Cities Coalition, the San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization, Southern California Gas Company, as well as a host of interested stakeholders who want improved air quality for the Valley.

For more information, see: the “Clean Transportation Center Opens in Valley,” press release here.

Second image from bottom: Dana60Cummins

Published by Alan Kandel