Inventory of the Records of the Air Resources Board

Processed by Archives Staff

California State Archives

1020 "O" Street

Sacramento, California 95814

Phone: (916) 653-2246

Fax: (916) 653-7363

Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov

URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/

Inventory of the Records of the Air Resources Board

Collection number: F3935

California State Archives

Office of the Secretary of State

Sacramento, California

Processed by:: Archives Staff
Date Completed:: January 2000
Encoded by:: Melissa Tyler

Descriptive Summary

Title: Records of the Air Resources Board

Dates: 1953-1982

Collection number: F3935

Creator: Air Resources Board

Collection Size: 23 cubic feet

Repository: California State Archives

Sacramento, California

Abstract: Beginning in 1954 the state air pollution control program was centered in the State Department of Public Health, Bureau of Air Sanitation, and later shared with the Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board, created in 1959. In 1967, state air pollution control programs were combined to form a new agency, the Air Resources Board. The Records of the Air Resources Board (1953-1982) deal with subjects including land use and transportation planning; water resources; motor vehicle and power plant emission control standards, testing procedures, and devices; air quality and pollution; and related federal and state legislation.

Physical location: California State Archives

Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Administrative Information

Access

While the majority of the records are open for research, any access restrictions are noted in the record series descriptions.

Publication Rights

For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives collections.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Air Resources Board Records, F3935, California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.

Acquisition History

The California State Archives acquired the Air Resources Board Records according to state law.

Agency History

Beginning in 1954 the state air pollution control program was centered in the State Department of Public Health, Bureau of Air Sanitation, and later shared with the Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board, created in 1959 (Assembly Bill 17, Cameron Bill). Related directly to the federal Air Quality Act of 1967, the Mulford-Carrell Act, passed in 1967 by California's legislature, combined the state air pollution control programs and formed a new agency, the Air Resources Board (ARB).

The ARB is responsible for the control of motor vehicle emissions (Pure Air Act) and also coordinates state and local programs to control nonvehicluar emissions. The goal of the ARB is to control air pollution from all sources to meet the air quality standards in all parts of California.

The board is involved in various activities relating to air pollution. It sets air quality standards, maintains a statewide network of air quality surveillance and inventory of air pollution sources, adopts standards and test procedures for emissions from motor vehicles, approves motor vehicle emissions control systems, maintains surveillance over the effectiveness of motor vehicle emission control systems, coordinates control of air pollution within the fourteen air basins in California, reviews the rules and regulations of local and regional air pollution control agencies, provides technical assistance to local air pollution control agencies, and may enforce control of nonvehicular sources if local agencies fail to do so.

The administrative staff and technical staff are located in Sacramento. The ARB laboratory is in El Monte.

Scope and Content

The Records of the Air Resources Board (ARB) consists of 23 cubic feet of materials dating from 1953 to 1982. The records are organized into 9 series: (1) Meeting Files, (2) Motor Vehicle Emission Control Board Files, (3) Subject Files, (4) George Taylor Files, (5) Administrative Files, (6) Evaluation and Planning Division Subject Files, (7) Local Government Planning Files, (8) Land Use Files, and (9) Legal Files. The records deal with subjects including land use and transportation planning; water resources; motor vehicle and power plant emission control standards, testing procedures, and devices; air quality and pollution; and related federal and state legislation. The records reflect the relationship of the ARB with private citizens; state, local, and federal agencies; industry; and regional pollution control districts. Types of records include budgets, contracts, correspondence, grant applications, minutes, proposals, reports, resolutions, and studies.

Accruals

Further accruals are expected.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

California. Air Resources Board

Air--Pollution--Standards--California

Automobiles--Motors--Exhaust gas--California

Automobiles--Pollution control devices--California

Related Collections at the California State Archives

Assembly Natural Resources Committee Records

Assembly Natural Resources and Conservation Committee Records

Assembly Transportation Committee Records

Senate Natural Resources Committee Records

Senate Transportation Committee Records

Dept. of Agriculture--Division of Plant Industry Records

Dept. of Natural Resources Records

Dept. of Public Health Records

Environmental Affairs Agency Records

Resources Agency Records

Gordon W. Duffy Papers

F3935:1-85.

Series 1 Meeting Files. 1968-1971, 1975-1976.

Physical Description: 85 file folders.

Arrangement

Arranged roughly in chronological order by date of meetings or other documents.

Scope and Content Note

These records include reports, technical studies, resolutions, public hearings, proposals, and executive committee meeting files of the Air Resources Board (ARB). Also included are the Environmental Quality Study Council's proposals and recommendations to the ARB concerning land use, air quality, water resources, and noise abatement. Subjects reflected in the ARB meeting files concern emission control standards, vehicle emission measurements, test procedures for emission control devices, and resolutions to change emission standards and testing procedures. Progress reports concerning California air quality, including Governor Reagan's 1969 report, are also found in these files.

F3935:86-163.

Series 2 Motor Vehicle Emission Control Board Files. 1953-1970.

Physical Description: 78 file folders.

Arrangement

Arranged roughly in chronological order by date of correspondence or other documents.

Scope and Content Note

These records include reports, studies, correspondence, legislative files, and committee files of the Motor Vehicle Emission Control Board. Subjects include legislation regarding air pollution, plans to enforce emission control devices, complaints about the devices, testing procedures of control devices, budget analysis of testing procedures, and descriptions of automakers plans for smog control devices. Many reports and studies are here including surveillance reports of exhaust emission controls conducted by Scott Research Laboratories. Because the Motor Vehicle Emission Control Board was, after 1967, merged into the newly formed Air Resources Board, records of the two entities overlap.

F3935:164-220.

Series 3 Subject Files. 1969-1973.

Physical Description: 57 file folders.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Scope and Content Note

The subjects contained in these files reflect the relationship between the Air Resources Board; private citizens; various state, local and federal agencies; industry; and regional pollution control districts. The records include reports, technical studies, resolutions, proposals, interagency agreements, hearings and minutes of the Air Resources Board. Subjects within these files concern air basin and air pollution control districts sitings and budget analysis, departmental administration and organization, power plant emission control standards, test procedures for emission control devices, vehicle emissions measurements, resolutions to implement change in emission standards and testing procedures, alternative fuel and transit proposals, and miscellaneous reports and correspondence ranging from environmental toxicology reports to floodplain management.

F3935:221-247.

Series 4 George Taylor Files. 1973-1976.

Physical Description: 27 file folders.

Arrangement

Divided into two categories: reports/plans and correspondence. Within each category, arranged roughly in chronological order by date of documents.

Scope and Content Note

The subjects contained in these files reflect the relationship between the Air Resources Board (ARB) and its Assistant Administrative Officer, George Taylor. The records include correspondence, reports, and administrative files. Subjects within these files concern administrative budget analysis, activities assessments of the ARB, emergency evaluation and planning in the event of disaster, legal affairs pertaining to compensation for smog devices, legislative analysis of statutes relating to the ARB, and Environmental Protection Agency reports concerning air quality standards.

F3935:248-273.

Series 5 Administrative Files. 1981-1982.

Physical Description: 26 file folders.

Arrangement

Arranged roughly in chronological order by date of correspondence or other documents.

Scope and Content Note

The subjects contained in these files reflect the relationship between the Air Resources Board and its Chief Meteorologist and his staff. The records include correspondence, reports, and audits. Subjects within these files concern audits of program activities within the Data Division, operational records concerning the Aerometric Data Division, and correspondence relating to air quality data.

F3935:274-373.

Series 6 Evaluation and Planning Division Subject Files. 1969-1976.

Physical Description: 100 file folders.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Scope and Content Note

These subject files deal with various issues and functions within the Evaluation and Planning Division including federal grant applications, budgets, correspondence, energy workshops, future studies and population projections, land use and transportation plans, federal and state legislation, power plants, reports, and studies. The subjects contained in these files reflect the relationship between the Air Resources Board, private contractors, and regional pollution control districts. The records also reflect the interagency liaison between the Air Resources Board and various state agencies in all aspects of pollution control, and plans for land use, transportation, and power plant sitings.

F3935:374-384.

Series 7 Local Government Planning Files. 1971-1974.

Physical Description: 11 file folders.

Arrangement

Arranged roughly in alphabetical order by name of county or other government agency.

Scope and Content Note

These files concern air quality data in California counties. Types of materials include correspondence, reports, and air quality standards. Subjects include the relationship between the Air Resources Board and local governments and air quality maintenance guidelines and grant guidelines for federally assisted programs. Counties represented in these files are Los Angeles, Riverside, San Benito, San Diego, Stanislaus, and Ventura counties.

F3935:385-445.

Series 8 Land Use Files. 1970-1976.

Physical Description: 61 file folders.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by county and alphabetically by subject thereafter.

Scope and Content Note

These files have to do with the land use planning issues of the Evaluation and Planning Division. Types of materials include city land use and transportation plans, reports, correspondence, and administrative files. These files reflect the relationship between the Air Resources Board, local governments, and various state agencies. In 1973, the Land Use Planning Program was created to develop a liaison between local, regional, and state agencies by integrating state and local air quality and land use planning, and these files reflect that relationship. Counties represented in these files are Alameda, Fresno, Los Angeles, Orange, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Sonoma, and Yolo counties. On two aperture cards in F3935:435 there is a 74 page report by the U. S. Senate Committee on Public Works entitled, Some Environmental Implications of the National Fuel Policy (1974). Following the files that are arranged alphabetically by county, there are files arranged under the headings: Administration, Land Use Planning Program, and Regulations.

F3935:446-481.

Series 9 Legal Files. 1968-1975.

Physical Description: 36 file folders.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Scope and Content Note

These files contain several types of materials including federal grant applications, budgets, contracts, correspondence, hearing statements and transcripts, program goals, state and federal regulations, reports, and resolutions. Topics reflected in these files are the budget and contract process, guidelines, goals and policies of the Air Resources Board and the relationship between the board, private contractors, local, state, and federal governments. Subjects include: budgets, contracts, George Cornelius, correspondence, federal grants, hearings, legislation, North American Rockwell Corp., plans, pollution control devices, program proposals, regulations, reports, and test procedures.