California Air Resources Board

SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is announcing an expansion of projects that are eligible for funding for its Community Air Protection Program, making it possible for more communities to apply for and receive assistance for proven solutions that reduce emissions and exposure to harmful pollutants.

The expanded list was announced in the recently launched 2024 Community Air Protection (CAP) Incentive Guidelines. The program brings residents and organizations together with local air quality district and CARB staff to implement community-driven solutions that tackle the specific environmental challenges each area faces. Projects such as community greening efforts that increase the urban canopy or bike and pedestrian infrastructure that increase access to zero-emissions mobility are now eligible for funding to address the environmental burdens that areas that are home to low-income Californians and communities of color disproportionately face.

The updated guidelines are the next implementation step following the October 2023 board approval of the Blueprint 2.0, a five-year strategic plan for the CAP program.

“By working directly with residents to put their ideas and vision into action, we now have data and proven examples on what works to tackle air quality challenges and address historic inequities,” said Chanell Fletcher, CARB Deputy Executive Officer of Environmental Justice, Tribal Affairs, and Border Relations. “Our updated guidelines make best practices available for air districts and communities to continue their efforts to improve air quality.”

The program - made possible by Cap-and-Trade funds - works by putting community members at the decision-making table to guide how incentive funds will be used to address local sources of pollution and emissions. The program has supported projects that replace dirty diesel engines for companies that operate in the community, installed air filters in places such as daycares and homes, and advocated for the rerouting of heavily trafficked truck corridors so they can avoid schools and homes. By expanding the types of eligible projects, the new guidelines build on the commitments made in Blueprint 2.0 to direct resources to the more than 60 communities that have been consistently nominated for the program but have not yet been selected. The expanded eligible projects include:

• Community Greening and Vegetative Barriers – Planting trees and creating vegetative barriers.
• Paving, Sidewalk, and Bike Path Projects – Enhancing bike and pedestrian infrastructure to encourage walking and biking over more polluting modes of transportation, which also reduces dust from unpaved roads.
• Local Agency Partnerships – Partnering with local agencies, like those that make land use and transportation decisions, to build capacity and increase engagement among the community, air district, and relevant local and regional agencies to inform exposure and emissions reduction strategies.
• Sensitive Receptors – Addressing indoor and outdoor air pollution sources to reduce exposure for individuals in or near sensitive receptors like homes, schools, and healthcare facilities. Examples include efforts that target school transportation options, awareness efforts on local air quality conditions or in the installation of air filtration systems.
• Alternatives to Agricultural Burning – Projects that reduce emissions from the open burning of orchard and vineyard removals by incentivizing chipping and soil reincorporation, land application, or other methods as alternatives.

Since 2017, more than $500 million of the $1.4 billion appropriated for the Program has been invested in ways to advance equity with almost 95% of the funds benefitting low-income or disadvantated communities. Expanding eligibility through the new guidelines will help CARB and air districts continue targeting areas of the state that will benefit from reduced exposure to pollutants.

CAP Incentives funds have supported over 5,400 projects and equipment, including almost 900 zero-emission technology projects, that will reduce over 22,400 tons of oxides of nitrogen, 1,520 tons of reactive organic gases, 910 tons of particulate matter, and 250,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions statewide. Over a third of those reductions have taken place in AB 617-selected communities, which are the most environmentally impacted places in the state, representing close to four million Californians.

More information is available at the Community Hub 2.0, a newly updated portal that showcases the actions and strategies, as well as funding and emissions reductions information about CAP Incentives projects in communities.

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