CAP Consultation Group - Reinvigoration

Goal 1, Priority Action 4 in Blueprint 2.0 commits the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to reinvigorate the Community Air Protection (Assembly Bill (AB) 617) Consultation Group to ensure an effective governing structure within the group in support of Community Air Protection Program (Program) implementation.

CARB released a request for Consultation Group member applications on September 16, 2024, seeking interested applicants to serve on the Consultation Group. The deadline for applications is November 15, 2024. CARB seeks applicants who are motivated to advise CARB on the community air protection process, reflect a diversity of views, represent the stakeholder categories called for in AB 617, and representatives of Consistently Nominated Communities. CARB is committed to ensuring that the Consultation Group is supported and operates in an open and transparent manner in compliance with the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. Consultation Group members and their alternates will be required to comply with CARB Advisory Committee Transparency Requirements outlined in Government Code section 87104.

The purpose of the Consultation Group is to advise CARB on the development and implementation of the statewide strategy Blueprint 2.0, for the Program whose mission is to reduce disparities in air quality in the most overburdened communities and enable equity and environmental justice by centering and prioritizing the most disproportionately impacted communities’ needs.

About the reinvigorated Consultation Group:

  • CARB Board-appointed advisory body of members represented by the stakeholder categories listed below that will provide advice to CARB on implementation of Program and Blueprint 2.0.
  • Subject to Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act(Gov. Code § 11120 et seq.) For all meetings of a quorum (majority) of Consultation Group members, CARB will issue a notice of agenda items released 10 days in advance of the meeting, the public must be allowed to attend and given an opportunity for public comment on agenda items, and CARB and the Consultation Group must meet all other procedural requirements of the Bagley-Keene Open Meetings Act. 
  • Co-chaired by up to two CARB Board members.
  • Represented stakeholder categories including but not limited to, those listed below:
  • Up to 3 meetings annually anticipated to begin in the summer of 2025. Consultation Group meetings will be held at the CalEPA Headquarters building in Sacramento or the CARB Headquarters Building in Riverside. Meeting formats may be in-person, or hybrid. Under current law all Consultation Group members may appear virtually subject to the requirements of the Bagley-Keene Open Meetings Act.
  • Consultation Group Members:
     
    • May serve up to 4 years.
    • Must comply with Government Code section 87104. Compliance means that Consultation Group members may not be a signatory, administrator, principal investigator, or co-principal investigator on a grant application or contract bid, or on any resulting contract or grant agreement, or letter of support, including CARB's Community Air Grants or the California Environmental Protection Agency’s (CalEPA) Environmental Justice Grants. Additionally, Consultation Group members will specifically be prohibited from making a formal or informal appearance before, or oral or written communication to CARB for the purpose of influencing a decision by CARB on a contract, grant, loan, license, permit, or other entitlement for use. More information is available on the CARB website (CARB Advisory Committee Transparency Requirements), and the CalEPA website (CalEPA Advisory Bodies and Conflicts of Interest: Gov. Code 87104 FAQ). 
    • Compensation for Eligible Consultation Group Members. All Consultation Group members, other than representatives from government agencies, are eligible for $100 in compensation per meeting and travel reimbursement ((Health & Saf. Code, § 39603, subd. (a)(2); Gov. Code, § 11564.5.)). Travel expenses will require prior CARB approval and will be based on current State government travel reimbursement rates.
      • Compensation and Reimbursement for Alternates. Alternates for compensation-eligible members will only receive compensation and travel reimbursement for Consultation Group meeting(s) if the Alternate attends a meeting on behalf of the Board approved Consultation Group Member who is unable to attend. Alternates will not receive compensation or travel reimbursements for Consultation Group meetings that they attend in addition to the primary Consultation Group Member.

For more information on how to apply the Consultation Group, please visit 2024 Request for Member Applications  webpage. The deadline for applications is November 15, 2024.

Questions or Need More Information? Please email: AB617CG@arb.ca.gov.