COMMENTARY ON AIR QUALITY AND THE ECONOMY : AQMD, Business Community Partnership Will Go Long Way : A special panel set up to get input from industry aims to balance environmental and economic concerns.

You read it in the newspapers and periodicals, hear it on television and talk about it among colleagues. Survey after survey has revealed that companies throughout Southern California, fed up with the costs associated with conducting business, are relocating and taking much-needed jobs with them.

The message being sent is simple: It is no longer business as usual, and many cite the regulations imposed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District as one of the culprits. They charge that in its pursuit for clean air the SCAQMD has disregarded the business community by imposing burdensome regulations without being sensitive or responsive to economic concerns.

It is true that jobs are of the most immediate concern in this recessionary economy and must not be disregarded for environmental causes.

But, a healthful environment and a healthy economy are not mutually exclusive. One does not have to choose between air quality and economic vitality. The two can coexist.

Since its inception, SCAQMD has operated under traditional “command and control” rule-making more tailored for large businesses with the resources to meet such mandates. However, as the impacts of regulations become increasingly widespread and affect more medium-sized and small businesses, SCAQMD now recognizes that this approach is no longer practical.

Instead, for the first time, it acknowledges that changes in the implementation of its clean-air plan must occur--changes that remove SCAQMD from its traditionally adversarial role into one that encourages involvement of the business community. This will ensure healthful air at the lowest possible cost--something the business community believes has not been put into practice.

In its desire to change, SCAQMD has embarked on a brave new course of conducting business by establishing the Special Commission on Air Quality and the Economy. In this first effort toward becoming a better working partner with the region’s business community, the Special Commission recently held seven public hearings throughout the four-county region of the South Coast Air Basin to receive testimony from industry on the impact of air-quality regulations on the local economy.

In essence, through this innovative process, SCAQMD has invited criticism of its policies for the single purpose of improving its relations with the business community.

Is this a believable effort on the part of SCAQMD? Yes. As vice chair of the Special Commission, I believe that this process has brought together the regulator and the business community to resolve conflict for the betterment of the bigger picture--the health of all who reside in Southern California.

I am hopeful that the success of the Special Commission in addressing both the public and private interests through a partnership could prove to be the new standard for resolving conflict and making effective policy changes at all levels of government.

Nearly 175 business people participated by testifying before the Special Commission comprising 40 volunteer business, environmental, labor and community leaders from throughout the South Coast Air Basin. These 40 commissioners were committed to listening to the concerns of the business community and to translating those concerns and criticisms into recommendations for the SCAQMD board of directors. With the assistance of an independent consultant, those recommendations will be included in a final report that will be presented to the board in July.

Although those recommendations are not yet complete, there were several issues which dominated the public hearings and are likely to be addressed in the final report. For example, many in the business community cited the ineffectiveness of Regulation XV, which requires employers of 100 or more to submit ride-share plans. They requested that SCAQMD complete a comprehensive review of Regulation XV’s effectiveness and costs.

Those testifying also cited the need for changes in the rule-making process to allow for early substantive input by affected businesses, as well as better consistency in rule creation, implementation and enforcement.

Will this effort result in real constructive changes at SCAQMD? It is up to the board members to decide what action to take on the commission recommendations. I hope the integrity of the efforts of the private sector are maintained. Whatever the outcome, I am confident it will begin to mend the much-strained relationship between SCAQMD and the business community.

Businesses cannot escape pollution regulations through relocation, at least not for long. SCAQMD has established itself as a leader just as California has done by successfully meeting state and federal air-quality mandates. That means many cutting-edge environmental regulations and innovative technologies have been adopted here first and they are almost always imitated by the rest of the nation within a few years.

It is, however, possible to ensure that rule-making and enforcement are conducted in a manner that balances both economic and environmental concerns. This unprecedented partnership, which is rooted in the Special Commission, empowers us to do just that by working together to reach our mutual goals of clean air and a sound economy.