AB 156, as amended, Perea. California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: disadvantaged communities.
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 prepare and post on its Internet Web site a specified report on the projects funded to benefit 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 of the Health and Safety Code is
2amended to read:
(a) The investment plan developed and submitted to
4the Legislature, pursuant to Section 39716, shall allocate a
5minimum of 25 percent of the available moneys in the fund to
6projects that provide benefits to communities described in Section
739711.
8(b) The investment plan shall allocate a minimum of 10 percent
9of the available moneys in the fund to projects located within
10communities described in Section 39711.
11(c) The allocation pursuant to subdivision (b) may be, but need
12not be, for projects included, in whole or in part, in the set of
13projects supported by the allocation described in subdivision (a).
14(d) The state board shall prepare and post on its Internet Web
15site a report on the projects funded pursuant to this section. The
16report shall include all of the following:
17(1) A general description of the project.
18(2) The location where the project will be implemented.
19(3) The estimated date of completion of each project.
P3 1(4) The amount awarded to each project.
2(5) The status of any moneys in the fund that are not awarded
3pursuant to this section and the reasons, if any, why those moneys
4have not been
awarded.
Section 39713.5 is added to the Health and Safety
6Code, to read:
(a) The investment plan developed and submitted to
8the Legislature pursuant to Section 39716 shall allocate from the
9available moneys in the fund technical assistance moneys to the
10state board to implement this section. That allocation of technical
11assistance moneys shall not be used to satisfy the requirements of
12subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 39713.
13(b) begin insert(1)end insertbegin insert end insertUpon an appropriation of moneys from the fund, the
14state board shall establish a comprehensive technical assistance
15program for eligible applicants assisting disadvantaged
16communities identified
pursuant to Section 39711 and other
17communities with median incomes at or below 80 percent of the
18statewide median income and that the state board determines
19require technical assistance. Eligible applicants include, but are
20not limited to, regional agencies and nonprofit organizations
21coordinating with local governments.
22(2) (A) The state board, in consultation with the California
23Environmental Protection Agency and agencies that administer
24programs using moneys appropriated from the fund, shall develop
25guidelines to implement this program consistent with this section.
26(B) The state board shall provide an opportunity for public
27
comment prior to finalizing the guidelines.
28(c) The program established pursuant to this section shall
29provide assistance to eligible applicants with any of the following:
30(1) Identifying state agencies with appropriate grant programs.
31(2) Developing competitive project proposals to apply for
32moneys available through state agencies or pursuant to this chapter.
33(3) Coordinating existing local programs to reduce greenhouse
34gas emissions with new programs receiving moneys pursuant to
35this chapter.
36(4) Conducting community outreach to residents of
37disadvantaged communities identified
pursuant to Section 39711
38and other communities with median incomes at or below 80 percent
39of the statewide median income and that the state board determines
40require technical assistance on consumer programs receiving state
P4 1or local moneys pursuant to this chapter or for other programs that
2reduce greenhouse gas emissions.begin delete The programs may include, but
3are not limited to, programs that also improve air quality, reduce
4residential and commercial water use, and increase residential and
5commercial energy efficiency.end delete
6(d) Technical assistance provided pursuant to this section shall
7promote programs that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and
8demonstrate a direct, meaningful benefit to
disadvantaged
9communities. Cobenefits of these programs may include, but are
10not limited to, improved air quality, improved water quality,
11improved public health, increased access to employment in clean
12energy, increased access to affordable housing and transit, reduced
13residential and commercial water use, and increased residential
14and commercial energy efficiency.
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