California Air Resources Board

April 19, 2023

Workshop

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) invites you to participate in a virtual public workshop to discuss efforts to update the Funding Guidelines for Agencies that Administer California Climate Investments (Funding Guidelines). Topics that will be covered in this workshop include minimum program requirements for natural and working lands projects pursuant to Senate Bill (SB) 27 (Skinner, Chapter 237, Statutes of 2021), workforce standards pursuant Assembly Bill (AB) 680 (Burke, Chapter 746, Statutes of 2021), and additional potential updates to the Funding Guidelines. The upcoming workshop provides the public with an opportunity to provide feedback on draft supplemental guidance on SB 27 (additional details below), learn more about potential updates, and share early input. Administering agencies, local governments, technical assistance providers, non-profits, community-based organizations, tribes, businesses, farmers, individuals, and other stakeholders working on climate projects may be interested in attending. The workshop will be held via Zoom webinar at the following date and time:

DATE: May 8, 2023

TIME: 2:00 p.m – 4:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Virtual Workshop

Register for the workshop

The workshop presentation, agenda, and any additional supporting materials will be posted to the Funding Guidelines webpage prior to the workshop. This webpage also contains more information about the Funding Guidelines as well as a fact sheet and an event flyer.

How to participate

To participate in the workshop, please register any time before the event starts on May 8, 2023. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information to join the Zoom webinar either through a computer, digital device, or via phone line. The workshop will be conducted in English with live Spanish interpretation. During the workshop, participants will be able to ask questions and provide comments through the Zoom “raise hand” feature or via phone line.

Telephone Access Only

Call (215) 446-3649 or (888) 557-8511 (toll-free) and enter in the conference code: 5249307. The webinar ID is: 862 0587 9085 and passcode 123620. To ask a question or comment over the telephone, dial *9 to “raise your hand” and *6 to mute/unmute your phone line.

Please note that there is no in-person attendance option for this meeting.

Draft Funding Guidelines Supplement for California Carbon Sequestration and Climate Resiliency Project Registry Available for Public Comment

One element of the Funding Guidelines update that will be covered in the upcoming workshop is the Draft Funding Guidelines Supplement for California Carbon Sequestration and Climate Resiliency Project Registry (Supplement) pursuant to SB 27. SB 27 directs the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) to establish the California Carbon Sequestration and Climate Resiliency Project Registry (Registry) by July 1, 2023, for investments in natural and working lands. Projects that applied for California Climate Investments or other State funded programs that did not receive funding due to lack of available funds but otherwise meet CARB’s minimum program requirements are eligible to be listed on the Registry. The Supplement establishes those minimum program requirements to ensure carbon removal benefits.

View Draft Supplemental Guidance

This Draft Supplement is available for public comment until June 2, 2023. Comments can be sent to ggrfprogram@arb.ca.gov. CARB staff expects to release the Final Supplement in advance of CNRA’s regulation to establish the Registry in the coming year. Additional details about the Registry can be found on CNRA’s website.

Background on the Funding Guidelines

California Climate Investments is a statewide initiative 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 and low‑income communities. California Climate Investments projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero-emission vehicles, sustainable agriculture, recycling and much more. To learn more, visit the California Climate Investments website.

The Funding Guidelines apply across all California Climate Investments programs and provide guidance to administering agencies on developing their own guidelines and solicitations, estimating greenhouse gas emissions reductions and other project benefits, and tracking and reporting benefits, including benefits to priority populations. CARB released the initial Funding Guidelines in 2015 and revised them in 2018. CARB is now updating the Funding Guidelines to address recent legislation and incorporate lessons learned from program implementation since the last update. Updates fall into three areas:

1. SB 27: The Funding Guidelines will establish minimum program requirements for certain projects as one component of eligibility to be listed on the California Carbon Sequestration and Climate Resiliency Project Registry that the California Natural Resources Agency is developing pursuant to SB 27.
2. AB 680: CARB, in coordination with the California Workforce Development Board, will update the Funding Guidelines to provide guidance on the inclusion of certain workforce standards pursuant to AB 680.
3. Funding Guidelines Review: CARB is reviewing the Funding Guidelines to consider whether any updates are needed to clarify existing guidance or support broader programmatic goals.

In addition to these updates, California Climate Investments will launch an online Resource Portal to house existing and new resources and tools to complement the Funding Guidelines. Designed with an array of audiences in mind, example resources may include promising practices guides or checklists, additional guidance on collecting and reporting project information, and project case studies.

Contact

If you have questions about the workshop or the draft guidance on SB 27, please email ggrfprogram@arb.ca.gov. To receive regular updates about California Climate Investments, please sign up for the email list.

Please contact Valerie Carranza at valerie.carranza@arb.ca.gov as soon as possible, but no later than 10 business days before the scheduled event, if you require a special accommodation or language needs for any of the following: 

• An interpreter to be available during the workshop;
• Having documents available in an alternate format (i.e., Braille, large print) or another language;
• A disability-related reasonable accommodation.

TTY/TDD/Speech to Speech users may dial 711 for the California Relay Service.