AB 156, as amended, Perea. Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: technical assistance program.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation. Existing law requires the California Environmental Protection Agency to identify disadvantaged communities and requires the Department of Finance, in consultation with the state board and any other relevant state agency, to develop, as specified, a 3-year investment plan for the moneys deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Existing law requires the 3-year investment plan to allocate a minimum of 25% of the available moneys in the fund to projects that provide benefits to disadvantaged communities.
This bill would require the state board to establish a comprehensive technical assistance program, upon the appropriation of moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, for eligible applicants, as specified, assisting disadvantaged communities and other specified communities.
This bill would also require the department to include in the 3-year investment plan an allocation to the state board for that technical assistance program.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 39713.5 is added to the Health and Safety
2Code, to read:
(a) The investment plan developed and submitted to
4the Legislature pursuant to Section 39716 shall allocate from the
5available moneys in the fund technical assistance moneys to the
6state board to implement this section. That allocation of technical
7assistance moneys shall not be used to satisfy the requirements of
8subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 39713.
9(b) Upon an appropriation of moneys from the fund, the state
10board shall establish a comprehensive technical assistance program
11for eligible applicants assisting disadvantaged communities
12identified pursuant to Section 39711 and other communities with
13median incomes at or below 80 percent of the statewide
median
14income and that the state board determines require technical
15assistance. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to,
16regional agencies and nonprofit organizations coordinating with
17local governments.
18(c) The program established pursuant to this section shall
19provide assistance to eligible applicants with any of the following:
20(1) Identifying state agencies with appropriate grant programs.
21(2) Developing competitive project proposals to apply for
22moneys available through state agencies or pursuant to this chapter.
23(3) Coordinating existing local programs to reduce greenhouse
24gas emissions with new programs receiving moneys pursuant to
25this
chapter.
P3 1(4) Conducting community outreachbegin insert to residents of
2disadvantaged communities identified pursuant to Section 39711
3and other communities with median incomes at or below 80 percent
4of the statewide median income and that the state board determines
5require technical assistanceend insert on consumer programs receiving state
6or local moneys pursuant to this chapter or for other programs that
7reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The programs may include, but
8are not limited to, programs that also improve air quality, reduce
9residential and commercial water use, and increase residential and
10commercial energy efficiency.
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