California Air Resources Board

Summary

Extends the sunset on the Road Usage Charge (RUC) Technical Advisory Committee until January 1, 2027, requires the State Transportation Agency to implement a RUC pilot program, as specified, to identify and evaluate issues related to the collection of revenue for a road charge program by January 1, 2023, and requires two reports to the Legislature, by 2024 and 2026 respectively.

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Summary

Requires the courts, until January 1, 2025, to resolve CEQA challenges within 365 days for up to seven transit projects in Los Angeles County that meet specific vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emission criteria.

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Summary

Reauthorizes the AB 900 program, which requires the courts to resolve CEQA challenges within 270 days for mega development projects that meet specified environmental requirements, and establishes a new category for housing developments between $15 and $100 million. Requires the Governor to make a net zero greenhouse gas determination on projects except those in the new housing category, authorizes the Office of Planning and Research to charge an applicant fee to cover costs to the Governor's Office to implement the program, and updates labor requirements.

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Summary

Contains statutory provisions necessary to implement the Budget Act of 2021. Related to CARB, establishes the Regional Early Action Planning Grants Program of 2021, to be developed and administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), in collaboration with the Office of Planning and Research (OPR), the Strategic Growth Council (SGC), and CARB to provide regions with funding, including grants. Eligible activities for transformative planning and implementation include, but are not limited to,  administering specified programs, providing jurisdictions and other local agencies with technical assistance, planning, temporary staffing, or consultant needs associated with updating local planning and zoning documents, accelerating infill development, planning and upgrading infrastructure, creating multimodal transportation communities, shifting travel behavior through reducing driving, and increasing transit ridership, each as specified. HCD, in collaboration with OPR, SGC and CARB shall review applications, and HCD shall award funds, as specified.

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Summary

Requires CARB, by July 1, 2023, to develop a comprehensive strategy to reduce cement sector emissions to net zero no later than December 31, 2045, and implement the strategy upon appropriation by the Legislature. The bill requires CARB to establish interim targets, and authorizes CARB to adjust the interim targets up or down, as specified. The bill requires CARB, in developing the strategy, to evaluate measures to reduce costs of implementing greenhouse gas reduction technologies for cement plants and take other actions, as specified.

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Summary

Requires CARB to include specified carbon dioxide removal targets as part of its Scoping Plan. The bill also requires the Natural Resources Agency to maintain a registry of carbon sequestration projects seeking funding. Finally, the bill requires the Natural Resources Agency, in coordination with CARB and other relevant agencies, to establish the Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy.

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Summary

Authorizes the regents of the University of California, subject to availability of funds, to establish the California-China Climate Institute, as specified, and in partnership with the Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development at Tsinghua University and other entities and institutions in China and California. The bill requires the institute to foster collaboration to inform and shape climate policy, and advance the goals of the Paris Agreement, advance joint policy research on major climate issues, support high-level dialogue on specific climate issues, and provide training to specified entities to advance climate and environmental policies.

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Summary

Requires the California Transportation Commission (CTC), in coordination with CARB, California Public Utilities Commission, California Energy Commission, and the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, to develop a Clean Freight Corridor Efficiency Assessment (Assessment) and incorporate the recommendations into their respective funding programs for freight infrastructure and technology. The bill also codifies existing CTC guidelines for eligible projects for the Trade Corridor Enhancement Program to include the Assessment's findings and requires the findings and recommendations to be included in the California Transportation Plan and the California Freight Mobility Plan. 

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Summary

Among other things, this bill requires the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, in consultation with CARB and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, to report to the Legislature by January 1, 2026, outcomes of the funds spent pursuant to Section 45 of SB 901 (Dodd, Chapter 626, Statutes of 2018), including an assessment of greenhouse gas emissions associated with wildfire and forest management activities. 

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Summary

Enacts the California Jobs Plan Act of 2021, which requires CARB to work with the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency to update the California Climate Investments Funding Guidelines by July 1, 2025 to ensure all applicants to grant programs that receive continuous appropriations from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) include fair and responsible employer practices and inclusive procurement policies. The bill also requires State agencies administering these GGRF funded programs to give preference to applicants that demonstrate a partnership with an educational institution or training program targeting residents of disadvantaged, tribal, and low-income communities. 

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