The Sacramento Emergency Clean Air & Transportation (SECAT) Program is a partnership between the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD) and the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG). The Program's goal is to reduce harmful emissions from on-road heavy-duty vehicles operating in the Sacramento region.

In 2000, the SECAT Program received $70 million to reduce emissions released from heavy-duty vehicles in the Sacramento Federal Ozone Nonattainment Area (Sacramento region - Appendix A) by providing incentives to offset the costs of purchasing lower-emission technologies. The SECAT Program received additional funding from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program in 2007.

This program was originally created by California Assembly Bill (AB) 2511 to help assure that the Sacramento region meet its commitments under the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for air quality attainment.

The goal of the program is to reduce the nitrogen oxide emissions in our air from heavy-duty vehicles to meet the 2013 federal 8-hour ozone standard. Because our federal transportation money is tied to the quality of our air, if we accomplish this goal, we'll be well on our way to securing the nearly $700 million in federal transportation improvements that will make it easier for everyone to get around the Sacramento region. That's good news for truck owners, fleet operators and regular drivers alike.

We need to disperse a total of $10 million by mid-2008.

Why Do We Need It?

Our region has to meet a 2013 federal deadline to clean up our air, which is the 7th worst in the nation. We might request an extension to 2019 to meet the standard. SECAT targets mobile sources because they account for more than 70 percent of the air quality crisis.

If we don't act now, not only do we risk losing $700 million from the federal government - which would greatly jeopardize the region's economy - but the human element would be devastating as well. We must continue to reduce cases of asthma, bronchitis and emphysema - diseases that hit children and the elderly especially hard.