BILL NUMBER: ACR 112	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Hadley

                        JANUARY 7, 2016

   Relative to the State Air Resources Board.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 112, as introduced, Hadley. State Air Resources Board.
   This measure would thank the State Air Resources Board for its
exemplary work and tenacity in uncovering the emissions control
defeat devices on certain diesel-fueled Volkswagen motor vehicles.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, The Legislature established the State Air Resources Board
in 1967 to attain and maintain healthy air quality; and
   WHEREAS, A May 2014 study by researchers at West Virginia
University, done in collaboration with the International Council on
Clean Transportation, discovered that two Volkswagen diesel-fueled
motor vehicles emitted significantly higher levels of nitrogen oxides
in onroad tests than in standard emissions tests; and
   WHEREAS, Nitrogen oxide emissions have been linked to smog and
acid rain; and
   WHEREAS, The concerns raised by the study prompted the State Air
Resources Board to open an investigation and discussions with
Volkswagen Group of America (Volkswagen) in 2014; and
   WHEREAS, In December 2014, Volkswagen issued a voluntary recall in
the United States of all of its diesel-fueled motor vehicles from
model years 2009 to 2014 after conducting its own tests and
identifying a recalibration fix; and
   WHEREAS, The State Air Resources Board, in cooperation with the
United States Environmental Protection Agency, said it wanted to do
confirmatory tests of the tests Volkswagen ran in 2014, and the State
Air Resources Board did so in May 2015; and
   WHEREAS, The State Air Resources Board notified Volkswagen in July
2015 that the test vehicles, despite having completed the
recalibration fix under the voluntary recall, still showed emissions
that exceeded state and federal limits, and the State Air Resources
Board deemed the initial recall ineffective; and
   WHEREAS, In September 2015, the United States Environmental
Protection Agency and the State Air Resources Board demanded an
explanation from Volkswagen and were prepared to withhold
certification that Volkswagen's 2016 diesel-fueled motor vehicles
complied with applicable emissions standards; and
   WHEREAS, Volkswagen admitted defeat devices were installed on the
emissions control equipment on certain Volkswagen diesel-fueled motor
vehicles; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature acknowledges and praises the
State Air Resources Board for its unwavering diligence and
dedication to preserving the air quality in the state and its
exposure of Volkswagen's circumvention of emissions standards on
certain diesel-fueled motor vehicles; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Legislature thanks the State Air Resources
Board for its exemplary work and tenacity in uncovering Volkswagen's
emissions control defeat devices; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit sufficient
copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate
distribution.