California Air Resources Board

Assembly Bill (AB) 998 (Lowenthal, Chapter 821, Statutes of 2003, Health and Safety Code Sections 41998 and 41999), or the Non-Toxic Dry Cleaning Incentive Program (AB 998 Program), was established by the Legislature to provide financial incentives to dry cleaners within the State to transition from dry cleaning systems using perchloroethylene (Perc), an identified toxic air contaminant and potential human carcinogen, to non-toxic and non-smog forming systems. There are two components to the AB 998 Program. The first component provides a $10,000 grant to dry cleaners who replace a dry cleaning system that utilizes Perc as the dry cleaning solvent with a clean non-toxic and non-smog forming system. The second component is a requirement for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to establish a demonstration program to showcase these clean systems statewide. The complete text of AB 998 is provided in Appendix A.