California Assembly Bill ACR112 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: ACR 112AMENDED 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.