AB 2722, as introduced, Burke. Transformative Climate Communities 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.
Existing law establishes the Strategic Growth Council and requires the council to identify and review activities and funding programs that may be coordinated to improve air and water quality, improve natural resource protection, increase the availability of affordable housing, improve transportation, meet the goals of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, encourage sustainable land use planning, and revitalize urban and community centers in a sustainable manner.
This bill would create the Transformative Climate Communities Program, to be administered by the council. The bill would appropriate $250,000,000 from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to the council to administer the program. The bill would require the council, in coordination with the California Environmental Protection Agency Assistant Secretary for Environmental Justice and Tribal Affairs, to award competitive grants to specified eligible entities for transformative climate community plans in disadvantaged communities, as defined. The bill would require the council to award at least 5 grants to execute existing, and at least 5 grants to undertake the development of, neighborhood-level transformative climate community plans that contribute to the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases and address specified project areas.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Part 4 (commencing with Section 75240) is added
2to Division 44 of the Public Resources Code, to read:
3
The Transformative Climate Communities Program is
8hereby created, to be administered by the Strategic Growth Council.
9The program shall fund the development and implementation of
10neighborhood-level transformative climate community plans that
11include multiple, coordinated greenhouse gas emissions reduction
12projects that provide local economic, environmental, and health
13benefits that are directly connected to communities most impacted
14by pollution and vulnerable to climate change. By making such
15comprehensive public investments, it is the intent of the Legislature
16that private resources can more effectively be catalyzed to support
17innovative community and climate transformation in disadvantaged
18communities.
(a) The council, in coordination with the California
20Environmental Protection Agency Assistant Secretary for
21Environmental Justice and Tribal Affairs, shall award competitive
22grants to eligible entities through an application process. An entity
23eligible includes any of the following:
24(1) A nonprofit organization.
25(2) A community-based organization.
P3 1(3) A faith-based organization.
2(4) A coalition or association of nonprofit organizations.
3(5) A community development finance institution.
4(6) A community development corporation.
5(7) A local agency that has a demonstrated partnership with a
6community-based organization engaged in the climate community
7plan.
8(b) The council shall award grants for transformative climate
9community plans located in disadvantaged communities, as
10identified pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code,
11that have a demonstrated need and demonstrate potential climate,
12economic, workforce, health, and environmental benefits.
13(c) The council shall award the following minimum number of
14grants to eligible entities in the following two categories:
15(1) At least five grants to execute existing, neighborhood-level
16transformative climate community
plans that have been developed
17through and maintain community engagement and that meet the
18criteria specified in this section.
19(2) At least five grants to undertake the development of
20neighborhood-level transformative climate community plans with
21community engagement and that meet the criteria specified in this
22section.
23(d) Transformative climate community plans shall contribute
24to the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases and address, at
25a minimum, three of the following project areas:
26(1) Renewable energy.
27(2) Commercial and residential weatherization and energy
28efficiency.
29(3) Green infrastructure and urban forestry.
30(4) Active transportation.
31(5) Low-carbon and public transit.
32(6) Affordable housing near transit.
33(7) Land use.
34(8) Water use efficiency.
35(9) Waste reduction.
36(10) Other appropriate areas, as determined by the council.
(a) The council shall endeavor to identify additional
38public and private sources of funding to sustain and expand the
39program.
P4 1(b) The council shall endeavor to identify and coordinate a
2network of technical assistance providers to assist in plan
3development, implementation, and project financing.
Two hundred fifty million dollars ($250,000,000) is
5hereby appropriated from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund,
6created pursuant to Section 16428.8 of the Government Code, to
7the Strategic Growth Council to administer the Transformative
8Climate Communities Program pursuant to Part 4 (commencing
9with Section 75240) of Division 44 of the Public Resources Code.
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