By mandate, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPD) monitors and regulates our air quality through emission control measures. Based upon our farm size (100 acres or more) we are obliged to participate in a Conservation Management Practice Plan (CCMP) and pay biennial fees toward Conservation Management Practices (CMP).

Application: If we were to begin using chemical dust suppression instead of water to maintain our unpaved roads a CCMP Modification Form and possibly a CMP Supplemental Application Form would be necessary. When we operated stationary diesel powered IC engines to power our irrigation wells we were required to complete Permit-Exempt Equipment Registration (PEER) forms and pay general fees. In March we complete an SJVAPD annual report listing hours of Irrigation Well motor operation, energy usage for the year previous and keep proof of insurance for a  period of 5 years. At times there might be a site visit and inspection.

It’s not necessarily adversarial bureaucracy and red tape always.  SJVAPD oversees cooperative incentive programs that have been to our advantage. The AG Pump Program through assistive funding paid us $150 per horsepower when we repowered our Wells with cleaner running Tier III diesels. This was repeated when we switched from diesel to electric energy.

Who’d think farming akin to a smoke factory or a manufacturing process as we endure this kind of regulation. That was a rhetorical question. It is our share toward improving health and quality of life [according to the SJVAPD]