The air pollution of Southern California is nearly legendary. This is a region that has "smog alerts," and where the connection between air pollution and automobile usage is considered high and direct. If Southern Californians would drive less, analysts assume that air pollution in the region would lessen. To this end, a number of different programs have been undertaken to encourage Southern Californians to reduce their reliance on automobiles, with a particular emphasis placed on car pooling and telecommuting. This research examines research conducted on both of these issues, and considers what additional work might need to be done in order to understand the situation better.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is the government authority responsible for monitoring and reducing air pollution in Southern California. As Randall Lane documents the efforts of the SCAQMD, the agency is sometimes more concerned with particulars rather than with the broader issue of reducing air pollution (Lane 239).
Lane specifically reviews the implementation of Regulation 15, which mandated that employers having more than 100 workers would reduce the number of cars driven to their workplaces or face severe financial penalties. Fines could reach as much as $50,000 per day, and any challenges to rulings were appealed to the SCAQMD. Because of the difficulty in having the agency which imposed the fine overturn the fine, many companies simply paid the fines that were levied against them rather than take on the difficult task of fighting the decisions (Lane 239).
Companies invested considerable resources in working to achieve the results set out by Regulation 15. It was estimated that for each car taken off the road, more than $3,000 was invested. Some have argued that the money would have been better spent in removing older cars which cause more pollution (the money in question would be spent purchasing those vehicles); ...