California Air Resources Board

CARB invites you to participate in community meetings and an incentive funding workshop for the Community Air Protection Program.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB or the Board) staff invites you to participate in community meetings and an incentive funding workshop for the Community Air Protection Program (Program).  This Program focuses on improving public health in communities that experience disproportionate burdens from exposure to air pollutants. 

This initial series of community meetings and incentive workshops are part of our continued effort to build the Community Air Protection Program over the coming year.  These meetings will include discussions about approaches for consideration of additional communities, development of the updated incentive guidelines, and how we can continue to support effective program implementation.  CARB is working with community groups and air districts to plan additional meetings in other areas.  This outreach effort is complementary to current air district work with community steering committees and other outreach air districts will be doing as part of Program implementation.

Two types of events are planned.  For those who are unable to attend in person, CARB staff will also host a webinar as noted below.

en español

Community Air Protection Program Community Meetings

DATE: February 5, 2019
TIME:  6:00pm - 8:00pm
LOCATION:David Head Center, 10300 San Diego Street, Lamont, CA 93241

DATE: February 6, 2019
TIME:  6:00pm - 8:00pm
LOCATION: Visalia Senior Center, 310 N. Locust Street, Visalia, CA 93291

DATE: February 11, 2019
TIME:  5:00pm - 7:00pm
LOCATION:Van Buskirk Community Center, Multipurpose Room, 734 Houston Avenue, Stockton, CA 95206

DATE: February 27, 2019
TIME:  6:00pm - 8:00pm
LOCATION: Webinar. To register for webinar, please click below.

Register

Community Air Protection Funds Workshop (CAP Fund Workshop)

The workshop will provide the public an opportunity to participate in a more detailed and formal discussion about development of guidelines for Community Air Protection Incentive Funds related to additional categories of projects that would be eligible for these funds.  CARB staff is developing a proposal for Board consideration in April 2019.

The first two years of Community Air Protection Funds allowed for immediate actions to improve the air quality of the most impacted communities across the State.  These funds help owners of older high-polluting vehicles and equipment to replace them with newer models that have much lower emissions -- or zero emissions.  Grant funds may also be used for changes at local industrial facilities that reduce emissions of toxic or smog-forming pollutants, to build zero-emission charging stations, or to support local measures that air districts and communities identify through AB 617 Community Emissions Reduction Programs. 

Partnering with communities is essential to the success of these incentives, and both CARB and air districts are looking to the public to help identify funding priorities. 

CARB staff will host a CAP Fund Workshop and webinar at the location and dates below.  The Workshop will be run as a staff presentation with question and answer format.

DATE: February 6, 2019
TIME:  2:00pm - 4:00pm
LOCATION:Visalia Senior Center, 310 N. Locust Street, Visalia, CA 93291

DATE: February 27, 2019
TIME:  2:30pm - 4:30pm
LOCATION: Webinar. To register for webinar, please click below.

Register

Background – Community Air Protection Program

Assembly Bill (AB) 617 (C. Garcia, Chapter 136, 2017) was signed into law in July 2017.  CARB established the Community Air Protection Program to implement AB 617, which requires new community-focused action to reduce air pollution and improve public health in communities that experience disproportionate burdens from exposure to air pollutants.  This new program is evolving as we learn from our initial efforts and we welcome community members’ ideas and comments as we seek ways to improve air quality for burdened communities throughout California.  Collaborating with communities is essential to the success of this Program. 

On September 27, 2018, the Board selected ten communities for community emissions reduction programs, community air monitoring, or both.  The Board also approved the “Community Air Protection Blueprint” which contains detailed Program requirements (Blueprint).  This document includes:  processes and criteria for identifying and selecting impacted communities; statewide strategies to reduce emissions of criteria air pollutants and toxic air contaminants; and requirements for the development of community air monitoring plans and community emissions reduction programs.  AB 617 requires the Board to conduct an annual assessment of potential communities and the community meetings provide the opportunity for discussion on guiding principles and process.

To help clean up the air in burdened communities, the Legislature has also provided $495 million in grant funds over two years for incentive projects through local air districts.  Community Air Protection Funds are part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment-particularly in disadvantaged communities. 

These Community Air Protection Funds support early actions and advanced technologies to improve local air quality by reducing pollution from vehicles, equipment, and industrial sources.  As part of the initial Guidelines staff will propose guiding principles for Community Air Protection Funds based on the statutory direction in SB 856 and AB 1550 (Gomez, Chapter 369, 2016), and the policy direction in the Community Air Protection Blueprint approved by the Board in September 2018.

The proposed Guidelines for Community Air Protection Funds will also:

• Look for opportunities to address stationary sources of concern to affected communities through incentives. The staff proposal will include incentive guidelines for reducing emissions from chrome plating facilities.
• Include a school facilities incentive measure, to address the range of outdoor and indoor emission sources that affect schoolchildren. This incentive measure will include opportunities to upgrade equipment like cleaner buses, and infrastructure to support zero emission equipment.  It will also address air toxics present in classrooms, through the purchase of desks, cabinetry, and portable classrooms that have zero or ultra-low levels of formaldehyde. 
• Include an administrative framework patterned as appropriate after the Carl Moyer Program, to ensure continued program integrity, transparency, and accountability. This will incorporate by reference existing guidelines for mobile sources; include the Community Air Protection Funds Supplement to the Carl Moyer Program Guidelines. 

CARB staff will be available to discuss new incentive project opportunities being examined through guidelines scheduled for consideration by the Board this April. 

Additional Information

Meeting notices and community meeting materials will be available in Spanish.  Staff also welcomes additional meetings or phone calls to discuss the Program with stakeholders.  Meeting materials will be available before the Workshops and community meetings at the following website locations.

Community Air Protection Program

Community Air Protection Incentive Program

To receive meeting notices and email updates for the Community Air Protection Program, please subscribe below:

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For similar information on Community Air Protection Funds, please subscribe below:

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For further questions on community meetings, please email Ms. Monique Davis, Staff Air Pollution Specialist, or call (916) 322-7304. 

For further questions on workshops, please email Mr. Kyle Goff, Air Pollution Specialist, or call (916) 324-1988.

Special Accommodations Request

Consistent with California Government Code Section 7296.2, special accommodation or language needs may be provided for any of the following:

• An interpreter to be available at the meeting;
• Documents made available in an alternate format or another language;
• A disability-related reasonable accommodation.

To request these special accommodations or language needs, please contact Monique Davis at (916) 322-7304 as soon as possible, but no later than five business days before the scheduled meeting. TTY/TDD/Speech to Speech users may dial 711 for the California Relay Service.

Consecuente con la sección 7296.2 del Código de Gobierno de California, una acomodación especial o necesidades lingüísticas pueden ser suministradas para cualquiera de los siguientes:

• Un intérprete que esté disponible en la audiencia;
• Documentos disponibles en un formato alterno u otro idioma;
• Una acomodación razonable relacionados con una incapacidad.

Para solicitar estas comodidades especiales o necesidades de otro idioma, favor de contactar a Andrea Juarez al (626) 450-6158 lo más pronto posible, pero no menos de 5 días de trabajo antes de la junta programada. TTY/TDD/Personas que necesiten este servicio pueden marcar el 711 para el Servicio de Retransmisión de Mensajes de California.