Press Release: New Cellular Phone "#SMOG" Number Will Help Fight Air Pollution

For Immediate Release (C-12-97)
Contact: Communications Office (916) 324-9670
April 22, 1997

555 Capitol Mall, Suite 525
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 324-9670
FAX (916) 445-5563

SACRAMENTO--The California Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resources Board (ARB) announced today a new system allowing cellular telephone users to dial at no cost "#SMOG" from virtually anywhere in California and report gasoline-powered cars or pickup trucks that are spewing excessive tailpipe smoke.

"This is an opportunity for Californians to advance our leadership in achieving clean air by using new communication technologies," said Secretary for Environmental Protection James M. Strock at today's Earth Day Conservation Fair '97 event.

Strock noted that air pollution control programs have been one of California's great environmental success stories. "In 1970, the year of the first Earth Day celebration, there were 148 smog alerts in the greater Los Angeles area while the summer of 1996 saw just seven smog alerts," said Strock. "We're on the right track, but further improvement is needed. We need the public's help to identify the polluters."

Much of the air quality improvement comes from the ARB working to bring continuing refinements to the air pollution controls and fuels for gasoline-powered cars and light trucks. New cars being offered for sale today in California are more than 90 percent cleaner than the vehicles that drove those first Earth Day celebrants to their teach-ins and other environmental events.

Automobiles are so much cleaner today that a small group of vehicles, about 10 percent of the State's 24 million cars and light trucks, contribute about 50 percent of the air pollution that comes from gasoline-powered motor vehicles.

"With the public's help, we hope the new #SMOG service will help cut air emissions from that 10 percent of vehicles," said ARB Chairman John Dunlap, III. "Then we can all breathe a little easier."

The Statewide Smoking Vehicle Campaign will connect cellular telephone users to local air districts in the area they are calling from when they dial "#SMOG" on their cellular phones. An operator or automated system will ask the caller to give the license number of the smoking vehicle and the date, time and location where it was seen.

The owner of the smoking vehicle will then receive a letter encouraging repair of the vehicle. The program is voluntary and there are no fines or other penalties against those driving or owning smoking vehicles.

Some air districts are already running programs where toll-free telephone numbers can be called from any telephone to report smoking vehicles. The cellular phone companies do not charge for this service. Owners of the smoking vehicles are sent a letter asking them to voluntarily repair their vehicles. These districts report that about 40 percent of those receiving such letters send back forms showing they have had their vehicles repaired.

The #SMOG number is now available to cellular telephone users in the Sacramento and San Diego areas. It is expected to be running in the South Coast Air Quality Management District (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties) in the next few weeks and the entire State will be up and running by summer.

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