About the project
This interdisciplinary research project will evaluate the cost-effectiveness of San Joaquin Valley’s (SJV) Tune In & Tune Up (TI&TU) Program, currently California’s largest transportation-focused environmental justice initiative in terms of household participation. TI&TU provides SJV residents with free emission testing and vouchers for smog repair as needed at a
series of publicly-held events rotating across the SJV. From 2012 on, participation has increased and the program has distributed over $12 million in redeemed smog repair vouchers. The
Luskin Center for Innovation is currently completing a comprehensive study of program participation and a multivariate analysis of the factors influencing the incidence of repair. This project will build on their study to quantify the improved air quality and health benefits resulting from repaired TI&TU vehicles, using the most rigorous econometric and environmental health research methods available.
The project will:
– Determine the annual and cumulative health and monetary benefits of the TI&TU program based on five years of smog repair emission reduction data from 18,000 repaired cars
– Conduct a cost-benefit analysis and identify the factors (including socioeconomic status and vehicle characteristics) that influence the cost-effectiveness of this program
– Compare the effectiveness and distributional equity at a neighborhood scale to similar programs operating in California.
Based on the findings, researchers will suggest improvements to the TI&TU program, inform the development of grassroots programs being envisioned by policy makers across California, and reflect on progressive transportation policies aimed to improve both air quality and public health across the U.S.
Additional details:
Working on this project: Gregory Pierce