California Air Resources Board

Would have extended the sales and use tax exemptions to January 1, 2028 for zero-emission transit buses sold to public agencies that are eligible for the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) program. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Would have authorized an air district participating in Clean Cars 4 All (CC4A) to submit a disbursement request for additional funds to CARB if the district determines its balance of available funding is less than its total expenditures under the program over the prior 4 months. If there are sufficient funds available from funds allocated to CC4A to cover the request while retaining a specified reserve, CARB must issue the requested amount of funding to the air district within 60 days of submittal of the request. This bill was gut and amended to instead require the Attorney General to establish and maintain a specified program to build internal expertise in artificial intelligence. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. 

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Would have required CARB to publish a yearly assessment of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the transportation of oil in California from the point of origin to its point of destination in California, for oil produced out of state and in state. Would have also required the state board to post on its internet website a report on the air quality impact of potentially importing 5% to 10% of the State’s gasoline supply using tanker ships. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Would have required California State agencies under the direct authority of the Governor to adopt certain cybersecurity standards and methodologies outlined in President Biden’s Executive Order (EO) 14028 on “Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.” In particular, it would require adoption of a “Zero Trust” model for the State’s information technology security architecture. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Would have required CARB to ensure the Clean Cars 4 All program (CC4A) is available in all areas of the State including areas the local air district has not elected to participate in the program and requires CARB to manage the distribution of incentives to eligible residents of those areas. Would have required the performance analysis of the clean mobility options component to include an evaluation of the funding and targeted outreach to areas with the highest number of vehicles manufactured before 2004 or that are at least 20 years old. Would have also required CARB to consider the total value of vouchers deployed and metrics for retired vehicles in funding allocations to local air districts and delete the requirement to consider population. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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This bill would have prohibited a person under 12 years of age from operating an electric bicycle of any class, among other provisions. Was not heard in the Assembly Transportation Committee.

Would have required the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and the California Transportation Commission (CTC), on or after January 1, 2025, to the extent feasible, applicable, and cost effective, to incorporate the goals related to the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI) into program funding guidelines and planning processes, as specified. Would have required the California Transportation Plan (CTP) to include a financial element, and an analysis of how CalSTA, Caltrans, and CTC are achieving principles outlined in the CAPTI, the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA), and the federal Justice 40 initiative. Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Blakespear.

Summary

Would have required the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Energy Commission, and CARB, in consultation with all California balancing authorities and as part of a public process, on or before January 1, 2026, and subsequently as part of the SB 100 joint report, to issue a report to the Legislature that contains a clean energy infrastructure development plan setting out the infrastructure and processes necessary for the state to accomplish the state policy of supplying 90 percent of all retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers by December 31, 2035, as specified. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have authorized the California Energy Commission to exempt from thermal powerplant certification a thermal powerplant with a generating capacity of up to 150 megawatts if it is a data center backup generator that meets a variety of physical and environmental parameters and considerations, as specified. The bill would have required that the air quality impacts of these generators be mitigated, as determined by the appropriate air district as generators would largely be high-polluting diesel generators. Remains in the Assembly Rules Committee.

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Summary

Would have clarified that electric water heaters and appliances can be installed outside of mobile homes and other related provisions. This bill was sponsored by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to alleviate opinions from the Department of Housing and Community Development on the installation of these appliances. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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