SAN FRANCISCO, CA--July 15, 2012: business and labor leaders today recognized the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD) for its low-income vehicle repair program that cleans up the region's oldest and dirtiest passenger cars and trucks. Tune In & Tune Up is a voluntary program that provides convenient Smog Check testing and $500 repair vouchers to help low-income drivers pass Smog Check. Over the past year, the SJVAPCD and its partner Valley Clean Air Now held 15 events, reaching more than 5,500 participants, testing about 4,900 vehicles and giving away more than 2,900 $500 repair vouchers. Each event results in the reduction of about 3,000 tons of carbon monoxide, 300 tons of hydrocarbons, and 150 tons of oxides of nitrogen from the air annually.
“The program targets those in the community who may not have smog certificates or the financial resources to seek repairs. Tune In & Tune Up focuses on assisting car owners obtain repairs that are otherwise out of reach.”
For its efforts, the SJVAPCD has been awarded the prestigious 2012 Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Award by the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance (CCEEB). CCEEB President Jerry Secundy announced the award winner by saying, "Tune In & Tune Up achieves some of the most cost-effective mobile source emissions reductions anywhere in the state. This is absolutely critical for meeting air quality standards. But more importantly, the program provides real dollar benefits to low-income drivers and families, enabling them to safely repair and register their vehicles, and helps to clean the air where they live, work and play. This is the type of balance between economy and environment for which CCEEB and the Pat Brown Award stands."
The award selection committee applauded the Tune In & Tune Up program for its out-of-the-box approach to collaboration and public-private partnerships. A number of other business and environmental groups supported the program's nomination, including the American Lung Association, Fresno County Department of Public Health, the City of Arvin, the Bakersfield Downtown Business Association, the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of San Joaquin Valley, Goodwill Industries of San Joaquin Valley, and Charterhouse for Families. Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall said, "The program targets those in the community who may not have smog certificates or the financial resources to seek repairs. Tune In & Tune Up focuses on assisting car owners obtain repairs that are otherwise out of reach."
The SJVAPCD will be honored at a special reception on Tuesday, July 17 in Olympic Valley, California. For more information about Tune In & Tune Up, go to Vally Tune Up.
Founded in 1973 by the late Governor Brown, CCEEB is a coalition of California business, labor and public leaders that strives to advance collaborative strategies for a sound economy and a healthy environment.
