California Air Resources Board

Summary 

Would have required CARB, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to ensure that beginning January 1, 2025, an additional incentive is awarded under any light-duty zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) incentive program to program participants who qualify as a gasoline or diesel superuser, as determined by CARB. Additionally, this bill would have required CARB, on or before January 1, 2025, to develop and implement a strategy for doing all of the following: (1) Identifying the drivers who use the most gasoline or diesel and are low income or moderate income; (2) Expediting the replacement of gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles of these drivers; (3) Identifying barriers that prevent gasoline or diesel superusers from accessing ZEV incentive programs; (4) Developing outreach protocols. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. 

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Summary 

Would have required CARB to ensure, when implementing the Clean Cars 4 All (CC4A) Program, incentives provided under the program are available and distributed in all areas where air districts have elected to not manage the distribution of these incentives. This bill would have also required CARB to prioritize vehicle retirement in areas with the highest percentage of people in disadvantaged and low-income communities. This bill would have required CARB to address the funding for targeted outreach in low-income or disadvantaged communities with the highest number of vehicles manufactured before 2004, or that are at least 20 years old that are driven most and have the poorest fuel economy. This bill would have required CARB, in allocating funding to local air districts participating in the program and to the portion of the program managed by CARB, to consider additional metrics relating to retired vehicles. 

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Governor’s Veto Message 

To the Members of the California State Assembly:  

I am returning Assembly Bill 2401 without my signature.  

This bill would require the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to make several changes to the Clean Cars 4 All (CC4A) Program, including but not limited to codifying a statewide CC4A program, potentially reallocating funds between statewide and air district-run programs, expanding reporting requirements, and prioritizing certain recipients who drive older vehicles in greater amounts in more pollution-burdened areas.  

The CC4A program has helped thousands of lower-income residents living in some of the most disadvantaged and air-polluted areas of the state replace their old higher-polluting vehicles with newer, cleaner vehicles. The program is designed to be consumer-focused, and its appeal is its ease of access and straightforward eligibility and participation requirements.  

Unfortunately, while the intent of this bill is laudable, the new application requirements it would impose on the CC4A program recipients are onerous and will discourage some of the lowest-income residents in California from participating. In addition, the new verification requirements would necessitate constant and costly monitoring by CARB of recipient driving patterns, further discouraging program participation and thereby preventing continued reductions in local air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from being realized. 

Sincerely, 

Gavin Newsom 

View Governor’s veto message here 

Summary 

Requires CARB to, upon appropriation by the Legislature, ensure that beginning January 1, 2025, an additional incentive is awarded under any light-duty ZEV incentive program to program participants who qualify as a gasoline or diesel superuser, as determined by CARB. Additionally, the bill requires CARB, on or before January 1, 2025, to develop and implement a strategy for doing all of the following: (1) Identifying the drivers who use the most gasoline or diesel and are low income or moderate income; (2) Expediting the replacement of gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles of these drivers; (3) Identifying barriers that prevent gasoline or diesel superusers from accessing ZEV incentive programs; (4) Developing outreach protocols. The bill also requires CARB to produce a biennial report beginning on January 1, 2025 which includes: (1) gasoline or diesel emissions reduced per dollar spent on ZEV programs; (2) impacts of ZEV incentive program spending in terms of quantifiable emissions reductions and transportation savings among low- to moderate-income individuals; (3) changes in annual gasoline and diesel use at local levels by census tract or ZIP Code. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary 

This bill requires, commencing January 1, 2035, 100% of all newly purchased or contracted schoolbuses of a school district, county office of education, or charter school to be zero-emission vehicles, where feasible. The bill authorizes local educational agencies, in order to comply with the aforementioned  requirement, to request a one-time extension for a term not to exceed 5 years if a local educational agency determines that the purchase or contracting of a zero-emission schoolbus is not feasible due to both terrain and route constraints, provided that certain conditions are met.

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Summary

Requires the California Building Standards Commission to convene a workshop every triennial rulemaking cycle on electric vehicle charging infrastructure standards. The workshop includes CARB and other relevant stakeholders.

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Summary

Requires the California Energy Commission to develop uptime recordkeeping and reporting standards for electric vehicle chargers and charging stations, as specified, and limits applicability to chargers and stations that receive State funding or ratepayer money.

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Summary

Would have required the California Public Utilities Commission, by January 31, 2022, to open an investigation into the root causes of demand response market failures and why demand response has not reached its potential and to make recommendations for policy changes aimed at ensuring those market failures are not repeated. Was not heard in the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee.

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Summary

Would have required CARB, by January 1, 2024, to develop a tool to calculate the average annual gallons of gasoline or diesel that a particular vehicle has used and ensure, when administering incentive programs for light-duty zero-emission vehicles, including but not limited to the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, Clean Cars 4 All, and the Clean Vehicle Assistance program, that incentives awarded under applicable programs be awarded based on the average annual gallons of gasoline or diesel that the applicant’s vehicle consumed. The bill also would have required incentive amounts to be set at a level that maximizes the displacement of gasoline or diesel and the reduction of emissions criteria pollutants per dollar spent. Additionally, the bill would have required, in order to ensure equity is prioritized, that incentive amounts be further modified to ensure that additional per gallon incentive payments are provided to an applicant of a ZEV incentive program if the applicant is either low or moderate income or resides in an under-resourced community. Finally, the bill also would have required, by January 1, 2024 and biennially afterwards, a legislatively mandated report that includes: (1) Actual gasoline or diesel and criteria emissions reduced per dollar spent on ZEV incentives under applicable programs; (2) The impacts of ZEV incentive spending in terms of quantifiable emissions reductions and transportation savings within under-resourced communities and among low- to middle-income individuals; and (3) The changes in annual gasoline and diesel use at local levels by census tract or ZIP Code. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required, beginning January 1, 2035, 100 percent of all newly purchased or contracted school buses of a local educational agency (LEA) to be zero-emission, where feasible. The bill would have defined an LEA as a school district, county office of education, or charter school. If a local educational agency determined that the purchase or contracting of a zero-emission school bus was not feasible due to both terrain and route constraints, the local educational agency would have been able to request a one-time extension for a term not to exceed five years from CARB. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required CARB, not later than January 1, 2025, to provide a report relating to indoor air quality to the Legislature, as specified. Moved to the Senate Inactive File.

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