By Ari Burack

May 21, 2008

The regional air quality management district approved a proposal today at a meeting in San Francisco that will impose fees on Bay Area businesses that emit greenhouse gases.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has proposed a “modest fee” for air pollution generated by stationary sources such as refineries, power plants and manufacturing facilities, according to district spokeswoman Lisa Fasano.

The fee will not be imposed on vehicles, she said.

The first-of-its-kind California program will charge 4.4 cents per metric ton of air pollution and will affect some 2,500 businesses in the nine-county Bay Area.

Fasano said average yearly fees will range widely, from under $1 for small companies to more than $50,000 for the biggest polluters. The vast majority of businesses are only expected to have to pay under $1.

The district will use the proceeds to further its own climate protection activities, Fasano said.