Bay Area Air District Inspector Wins Prestigious Award

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 16 -- The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued the following news release:

The California Air Pollution Control Officers Association has recognized the outstanding accomplishments of Bay Area Air Quality Management District inspector Sal Rueda, as the recipient of the 2012 Rodney Swartzendruber Outstanding Inspector Award.

The award is given each year by CAPCOA's Enforcement Managers' Committee to three inspectors who work for the state's 35 air quality management districts. It recognizes inspectors who consistently demonstrate outstanding performance and who make significant contributions that benefit air pollution control efforts in an exemplary way.

"Over the past several years, Sal Rueda has played a significant role in the Air District's efforts to reduce diesel particulate matter near the Port of Oakland and to limit its negative health impacts on the West Oakland community," said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Air District. "Sal's dedication and focus, as well as his bilingual skills, have been instrumental to our success as he interacts with truckers and the regulated community on a daily basis."

Rueda, a senior air quality inspector and 13-year Air District employee, was recognized for his dedication to public service and his key role as the lead field inspector for the agency's mobile source enforcement program. In this capacity, he designed and coordinated inspection protocols for the twelve mobile source regulations in the Bay Area, which included establishing policies and procedures for inspecting sources such as transport refrigeration units, port drayage trucks, ocean-going vessels, and commercial vehicle idling. The Air District is the first in California to develop a comprehensive mobile source enforcement program.

During the two and a half years of the program, Rueda has been the lead on more than 6,000 mobile source inspections and 120 citations/violations. Due to these efforts, compliance rates at the Port of Oakland have risen to 99 percent for the drayage truck regulation and over 95 percent for other mobile source regulations.

Rueda has also been the lead field inspector for the Air District's asbestos program. In that role he coordinated efforts for asbestos remediation at the San Bruno fire that resulted when a PG&E pipe exploded. He also spent ten years in the refinery program, undertaking inspection activities at the major Bay Area refineries.

The Rodney Swartzendruber Award honors an air quality inspector who gave his life in the line of duty, and is presented to nominated inspectors who display exemplary dedication and performance in the pursuit of clean air. Davis resident Rueda is one of two recipients this year for service from a large air district.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (www.baaqmd.gov) is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area.

TNS 23SQ 121117-JF78-4111397 StaffFurigay