A clear day looking north from Edenglen in the New Model Colony.

Even though air quality is a regional issue, Ontario has the opportunity to demonstrate its leadership by striving for the healthiest air quality possible and reducing pollution sources within the City.  Better indoor and outdoor air quality for Ontario and the air basin will improve the quality of life of residents, workers and visitors, decrease health care costs and make Ontario more prosperous by making the City a more desirable place to be. Most of the air pollution within Ontario is a result of the City’s location within an inland valley where the predominant wind pattern flows from Orange and Los Angeles counties and backs up against the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains. 

The City is home to major transportation goods movement infrastructure – Los Angeles/Ontario International Airport, major interstate highways, and three railway lines - which are major sources of air pollution. This combination of geographical factors and pollution sources contribute significantly to the region’s failure to meet several federal and state standards. 

The City of Ontario expects to double its population by 2030.  We intend to develop strategies to minimize the air quality impacts of this growth.  Of particular concern are the City’s future impacts on Global Warming which is caused by an accumulation of Greenhouse Gases (GHG).  The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 was the first legislation cutting global warming pollution in the United States. This legislation requires a cumulative reduction of GHG emissions by City operations and on a project by project basis.