Using a gridded spatial distribution, the Diesel PM Emissions indicator measures Diesel PM emissions in kg/day from on-road and non-road sources. Measurements are for a summer day in July of 2016. Data for this indicator were collected directly from CalEnviroScreen v4.0 at the census tract level. No additional calculations or adjustments outside of what was done for CalEnviroScreen were made for purposes of the EQI.

Rationale:

Transportation policies and investment decisions have significant public health and environmental impacts. Vehicle emissions from transportation activities have proven to cause adverse health effects. New transportation policies have encouraged electric vehicle technologies and implemented active transportation initiatives as real alternatives in addressing these issues.

Governor Newsom signed an Executive Order (N-79-20) on September 23, 2020, requiring that, by 2035, all new cars and passenger trucks sold in California be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). The Executive Order calls for eliminating new internal combustion passenger vehicles by 2035.

Passenger cars, light trucks, heavy-duty trucks, off-road vehicles, and the fuels needed to power them are responsible for more than half of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, posing a direct threat to the environment, the economy, and community health. Transportation projects that encourage alternative fuel and electric vehicles can reduce the adverse effects of transportation.