AB 2722, as amended, 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 forbegin insert the development and implementation ofend insert transformative climate community plansbegin insert that contribute to the reduction of emissions of greenhouse
gases and demonstrate potential climate, economic, workforce, health, and environmental benefitsend insert in disadvantaged communities, asbegin delete 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.end deletebegin insert defined, that have a demonstrated need for end insertbegin insertclimate, economic, workforce, health, and environmental benefits.end insert
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
P3 1Environmental Justice and Tribal Affairs, shall award competitive
2grants to eligible entities through an application process.begin insert To be
3eligible, an entity shall demonstrate multiend insertbegin insertstakeholder partnershipsend insert
4begin insert with local agencies, community-based organizations, labor groups,
5workforce investment boards, and other stakeholders, as
6appropriate.end insert Anbegin delete entityend delete
eligiblebegin insert entityend insert
includes any of the following:
7(1) A nonprofit organization.
8(2) A community-based organization.
9(3) A faith-based organization.
10(4) A coalition or association of nonprofit organizations.
11(5) A community development finance institution.
12(6) A community development corporation.
13(7) A localbegin delete agency that has a demonstrated partnership with a begin insert
agency.end insert
14community-based organization engaged in the climate community
15plan.end delete
16(b) begin insert(1)end insertbegin insert end insert The council shall award grants for transformative
17climate community plansbegin insert that contribute to the reduction of
18emissions of greenhouse gases andend insertbegin insert demonstrate potential climate,
19economic, workforce, health, and environmental benefitsend insert located
20in disadvantaged communities, as identified pursuant to Section
2139711 of the Health and Safety Code, that have a demonstrated
22needbegin delete and demonstrate potentialend deletebegin insert
forend insert climate, economic, workforce,
23health, and environmental benefits.
24
(2) The council shall award grants for both plan development
25and plan implementation. A plan or plan development shall
26demonstrate, or engage in planning to achieve, an integrated,
27innovative, cross-cutting project with multiple benefits provided
28directly in a disadvantaged community and shall demonstrate
29community engagement and leadership in all phases. A plan shall
30identify metrics to meet the overall goals of the Transformative
31Climate Communities Program and the desired long-term changes
32in the plan’s region.
33
(3) The council may award a grant over multiple years.
34
(c) In awarding grants, the council shall weigh economic,
35environmental, and health benefits equally with climate benefits
36resulting from greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
37
(d) (1) For purposes of this part, “economic benefits” means
38high-quality, well-paid employment opportunities for residents in
39the plan’s region, benefits for small businesses located directly in
40the relevant disadvantaged community, and benefits for minority-,
P4 1LGBT-, woman-, or disabled veteran-owned small businesses in
2the plan’s region.
3
(2) For purposes of this subdivision, “LGBT” means lesbian,
4gay, bisexual, or transgender.
5(c) The council shall award the following minimum number of
6grants to eligible entities in the following two categories:
7(1) At least five grants to execute existing, neighborhood-level
8transformative climate community
plans that have been developed
9through and maintain community engagement and that meet the
10criteria specified in this section.
11(2) At least five grants to undertake the development of
12neighborhood-level transformative climate community plans with
13community engagement and that meet the criteria specified in this
14section.
15(d) Transformative climate community plans shall contribute
16to the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases and address, at
17a minimum, three of the following project areas:
18(1) Renewable energy.
19(2) Commercial and residential weatherization and energy
20efficiency.
21(3) Green infrastructure and urban forestry.
22(4) Active transportation.
23(5) Low-carbon and public transit.
24(6) Affordable housing near transit.
25(7) Land use.
26(8) Water use efficiency.
27(9) Waste reduction.
28(10) Other appropriate areas, as determined by the council.
end delete(a) The councilbegin insert and all funded entitiesend insert shall endeavor
30to identify additional public and private sources of funding to
31sustain and expand the program.
32(b) The council shall endeavor to identify and coordinate a
33network of technical assistance providers to assist in plan
34development, implementation, and project financing.
Two hundred fifty million dollars ($250,000,000) is
36hereby appropriated from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund,
37created pursuant to Section 16428.8 of the Government Code, to
38the Strategic Growth Council to administer the Transformative
P5 1Climate Communities Program pursuant to Part 4 (commencing
2with Section 75240) of Division 44 of the Public Resources Code.
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