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 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 establishes the Strategic Growth Council, which consists of the heads of various state agencies and certain other members, 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 require the council to award competitive grants to specified eligible entities for the development and implementation of neighborhood-level transformative climate community plans that include greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects that provide local economic, environmental, and health benefits to disadvantaged communities, as defined. The bill would require the council to develop guidelines and selection criteria for the implementation of the program. The bill would require the California Environmental Protection Agency to provide assistance in performing outreach to disadvantaged communities and assessing the environmental justice benefits of project awards.
This bill would become operative only if AB 1613 of the 2015-16 Regular Session is enacted and becomes effective on or before January 1, 2017, and funding for the program is appropriated from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund pursuant to Section 3 of that act.
end deleteVote: majority. Appropriation: no. 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.
P3 1The program shall fund the development and implementation of
2neighborhood-level transformative climate community plans that
3include multiple, coordinated greenhouse gas emissions reduction
4projects that provide local economic, environmental, and health
5benefits to disadvantaged communities, as described in Section
639711 of the Health and Safety Code. By making such
7comprehensive public investments, it is the intent of the Legislature
8that private resources can be more effectively catalyzed to support
9innovative community and climate transformation in disadvantaged
10communities.
(a) The council shall award competitive grants to
12eligible entities through an application process. An eligible entity,
13including, but not limited to, a nonprofit organization, a
14community-based organization, a faith-based organization, a
15coalition or association of nonprofit organizations, a community
16development finance institution, a community development
17corporation, a local agency, a joint powers authority, or a tribal
18government, shall demonstrate multistakeholder partnerships with
19local agencies, community-based organizations, labor groups,
20workforce investment boards, and other stakeholders, as
21appropriate. The council shall award grants for projects that
22demonstrate community engagement in all phases.
23(b) (1) In awarding grants, the council shall make grant
24selections for plan development contingent on the implementation
25of one or more projects identified by the plan.
26
(2) In awarding grants, the council may give priority to plans
27and projects that cover areas that have a high proportion of census
28tracks identified as disadvantaged communities and that focus on
29communities that are most disadvantaged.
30(2)
end delete31begin insert(end insertbegin insert3)end insert The council may award a grant over multiple years.
32(c) In order to be eligible for funding under the program, a plan,
33and a project that implements a plan, shall demonstrate that it will
34achieve a reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases.
35(d) The California Environmental Protection Agency shall
36provide assistance in performing outreach to disadvantaged
37communities and assessing the environmental justice benefits of
38project awards.
39(e) Projects shall maximize climate, public health,
40environmental, workforce, and economic benefits.
(a) The council and all funded entities shall endeavor
2to identify additional public and private sources of funding to
3sustain and expand the program.
4(b) The council shall fund technical assistance providers to assist
5in application development and project development and
6implementation.
(a) Before awarding funds under the program, the
8council shall develop guidelines and selection criteria for plan
9development and implementation of the program.
10(b) In adopting guidelines and selection criteria, the council
11shall consider comments, if any, from local governments, regional
12agencies, and other stakeholders. The council shall conduct
13outreach to disadvantaged communities to encourage comments
14on the draft guidelines and selection criteria from those
15communities.
16(c) In adopting the guidelines, the council shall consider whether
17eligible plans and projects avoid economic
displacement of
18low-income disadvantaged community residents and businesses.
This act shall become operative only if Assembly Bill
201613 of the 2015-16 Regular Session is enacted and becomes
21effective on or before January 1, 2017, and funding for the program
22is appropriated from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund pursuant
23to Section 3 of that act.
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