New authority for air regulators in California

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LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 17: The downtown skyline is enveloped in smog shortly before sunset on November 17, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Earlier this month, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, southern California?s anti-smog agency, approved a $36 million program to reduce pollution from trucks operating at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. An estimated 12,000 diesel trucks travel to and from the ports each day, carrying freight through southern California metropolitan areas where their emissions are believed to increased risks of asthma and other illnesses among local residents and particularly children. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) — LA's downtown skyline in 2006. Many think we'll never look like that again, thanks to new authority given to air pollution regulators (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

This week Air regulators in California got a big boost from the state, as Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation that will give officials new authority to curtail polluters.

The law will go into effect January 1st and was sponsored by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. We spoke about it with Wayne Nastri, the Executive Officer of the SCAQMD.