BILL NUMBER: ACR 112 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 5, 2016
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hadley
JANUARY 7, 2016
Relative to the State Air Resources Board.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 112, as amended, 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
and would express the Legislature's support for specified future
emissions test-related actions by the board .
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 In 2012, the State
Air Resources Board initiated a testing campaign focused on
light-duty diesel vehicles and agreed to provide in-kind support to
the International Council on Clean Transportation and to West
Virginia University for their light-duty diesel vehicle studies,
which led to the discovery that two Volkswagen diesel-fueled
motor vehicles emitted significantly higher levels of
nitrogen oxides oxides of nitrogen in onroad
tests than in standard emissions tests; and
WHEREAS, Nitrogen oxide emissions
Emissions of oxides of nitrogen have been linked to
smog ozone formation, 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 some of its
diesel-fueled motor vehicles from model years 2009 to 2014 after
conducting its own tests and identifying a recalibration
fix; fix that Volkswagen claimed would address excess
emissions; 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
conducted confirmatory testing in 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;
limits; 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 then 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 Legislature supports the State Air Resources
Board increasing the use of real-world emissions verification
testing; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature supports the State Air Resources
Board enhancing its penalty authority for cheating emissions tests to
deter future efforts to circumvent emissions standards; and be it
further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit sufficient
copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate
distribution.