OU Alumna to Examine Air Quality

Patricia Robinson Byrd (Class of 1977) has been appointed to the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (SCAQMD) Hearing Board for the term of July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2013. She is the first African-American female to serve on the Hearing Board. SCAQMD is the air pollution control agency for all of Orange County and the urban portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties (California), the smoggiest region of the U.S.

The Hearing Board is a quasi-judicial panel authorized to provide relief from AQMD regulations under certain circumstances. The Hearing Board is authorized to hear: petitions by companies for variances; petitions for abatement orders; appeals by companies from the granting of permits, permit conditions, permit denials and suspensions; denials of emission reduction credits; denials of pollution control plans; and appeals by third parties.

Ms. Byrd received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama and a Master of Public Health degree with an emphasis in Environmental Health from Loma Linda University, and has more than 20 years of experience in the field of Environmental Health. In 2009, Ms. Byrd was the recipient of Assembly Member Bill Emerson’s Woman of Distinction award. She and her family have lived in the City of Riverside for more than 24 years.

For more information about the South Coast Air Quality Management District and a link to the Hearing Board, go to www.aqmd.gov .