The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a)
That the South Coast Air Basin is a geographical entity not reflected by political boundaries.
(b)
That the basin is acknowledged to have critical air pollution problems caused by the operation of millions of motor vehicles in the basin, stationary sources of pollution, frequent atmospheric inversions that trap aerial contaminants, and the large amount of sunshine that transforms vehicular and nonvehicular emissions into a variety of deleterious chemicals.
(c)
That these critical air pollution problems are most acute in the foothill communities of the San Gabriel/Pomona Valleys and the Riverside/San Bernardino areas, where pollutants which originate in other parts of the basin are trapped by geographical and meteorological conditions characteristic of these areas.
(d)
That the state and federal governments have promulgated ambient air quality standards for the protection of public health, and it is in the public interest that those standards not be exceeded.
(e)
That, in order to achieve and maintain air quality within the ambient air quality standards, a comprehensive basinwide air quality management plan must be developed and implemented to provide for the rapid abatement of existing emission levels to levels which will result in the achievement and maintenance of the state and federal ambient air quality standards and to ensure that new sources of emissions are planned and operated so as to be consistent with the basin’s air quality goals.
(f)
That, in recognition of the fact that some regions within the basin face more critical air pollution problems than others, it is necessary for the basinwide air quality management plan to consider the specific air pollution problems of regions within the air basin in planning for facilities which create new sources of emissions.
(g)
That, in order to successfully develop and implement a meaningful strategy for achieving and maintaining ambient air quality standards, local governments in the South Coast Air Basin must be delegated additional authority from the state in the control of vehicular sources and must retain existing authority to set stringent emission standards for nonvehicular sources.
(h)
That, in order to successfully implement a comprehensive program for the achievement and maintenance of state and federal ambient air quality standards in the South Coast Air Basin, the responsibilities of local and regional authorities with respect to air pollution control and air quality management plan adoption must be fully integrated into an agency with basinwide authority, largely to be governed by representatives of county and city governments.