The District has released the 2024 edition of its award-winning Annual Report to the Community, sharing the District’s work over the past year. One of the biggest highlights of the new report: the entire Valley reached attainment of the federal annual PM2.5 standard of 15 µg/m³, a historic achievement that was years in the making.

Decades of collaboration between Valley residents, private businesses, community organizations, public agencies, and other stakeholders; paired with innovative strategies and strong funding support from the state and federal government, have driven record-low pollution levels for both ozone and PM2.5 in the Valley.

Since PM2.5 monitoring began in 1999, annual averages have dropped from 27.6 µg/m³ to 13.5 µg/m³ in 2023—a reduction of more than 50%. In fact, the majority of the Valley has been in attainment of the standard for many years.

This significant progress led the region’s 2022-2024 design value to fall below the federal PM2.5 standard of 15 µg/m³. (A design value is a special type of average established by the federal EPA to measure long-term pollution levels and determine whether our air meets health standards.) In addition to this milestone, the Valley has experienced more days with air quality meeting health-based standards across all counties, even amid challenges like wildfire impacts. This reflects a clear and positive trend toward cleaner air.

While this progress is remarkable and worth celebrating, there’s still work to do. The increasing occurrence of catastrophic wildfires and other factors continue to impact the air we breathe. This reality reinforces the urgency of strengthening partnerships and continuing efforts to reduce pollution to meet future air quality goals and protect public health in the years ahead.

The 2024 annual report is available online. Start reading now!

Stockton residents and community members came together in early April for the 60th Stockton AB 617 Community Steering Committee (CSC) meeting at the Stribley Community Center. Residents, local businesses, community-based organizations, government agencies and other stakeholders learned about recent updates and the progress made to implement clean air strategies in the Community Emission Reduction Program (CERP).

CSC members visited various tables to learn about the latest information on CERP measures and engage directly with District staff and partner agencies. The CERP measures discussed included those targeting heavy-duty trucks, car sharing, electric school buses, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, vegetative barriers, outreach methods, and enhanced compliance strategies.

Afterward, attendees reconvened as a group to hear updates and summaries from the conversations from each table.

More details about clean air progress in AB 617 communities can be found in the District’s interactive 2024 AB 617 Annual Report, available online in both English and Spanish.

Tired of a noisy and smelly gas-powered lawn equipment?  With spring in full gear, take advantage of the District’s Clean Green Yard Machines (CGYM) rebate program to transition into cleaner equipment.

The program offers two rebate options for San Joaquin Valley residents:

• Option 1: Replace your existing old gas- or diesel-powered lawnmower by taking it to a participating dismantler and purchasing a new electric lawnmower to qualify for a rebate. The eligible rebate amount is based on where you live and the purchase price of the new lawnmower. Valley residents can receive up to $250, once per address for every two consecutive years. Residents who live within a designated AB 617 community can receive up to $500 to replace their lawnmower.
• Option 2: Receive up to $50 for the purchase of eligible new electric lawn equipment with no replacement. The rebate amount is dependent upon the cost of the new electric equipment. Eligible electric lawn equipment includes lawnmowers, edgers, trimmers, chainsaws and pole saws.

For more information about the Clean Green Yard Machines program, please visit the CGYM website.