California Air Resources Board

Since 2017 the California Legislature has budgeted $704 million to support Assembly Bill (AB) 617 (C. Garcia, Chapter 136, Statutes of 2017) with incentives directed by local air districts to put advanced technologies to work for cleaner air in the California communities that are most heavily impacted by disproportionate levels of air pollution.

The Legislature designated the initial appropriation of $250 million in 2017 for immediate benefits in heavily impacted communities while the other aspects of AB 617 were created and implemented.  In order to ensure swift action, the Legislature directed that air districts must spend funds according to two existing mobile source incentive programs:  the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program, and the Proposition 1B Goods Movement Emission Reduction Program.  The Legislature allocated 95 percent of the funds to the three air districts with the largest disadvantaged community populations, and CARB worked with the California Air Pollution Control Officer’s Association (CAPCOA) to allocate the remaining 5 percent.  CARB conducted joint public meetings with the air districts as well as an additional public meeting in Sacramento, in order to seek guidance from community members as to how the Carl Moyer Program Guidelines could be modified quickly in order to best direct funds to the areas with the greatest need.  Air districts have been using the resulting Community Air Protection Funds Supplement to the Carl Moyer Program 2017 Guidelines since it was approved by the Board on April 27, 2018.

The Legislature appropriated an additional $245 million in 2018 and provided additional direction for new opportunities for stationary source incentives as well as community-identified projects consistent with Community Emissions Reduction Programs.  CARB worked with CAPCOA to distribute the funds to the air districts containing communities selected for air monitoring or emissions reduction programs pursuant to AB 617, and those with communities under consideration for future selection. 

The approved 2019 California State Budget contained another appropriation of $245 million for continued incentives to support the Community Air Protection Program, with Legislative direction matching the previous year’s appropriation.  The Legislature reduced that amount to $209 million in mid-2020 due to lower than expected Cap-and-Trade auction proceeds earlier in the year.