California Air Resources Board

Summary

Among other things, establishes interim targets for the State’s 100 percent clean energy goal in 2045 and accelerates the date by which State agencies must achieve 100 percent clean energy use. This bill requires that CARB’s Scoping Plan workshops be held in non-attainment areas and requires the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Energy Commission, and CARB to create a joint report on electricity reliability.

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Summary

Requires CARB, by July 1, 2025, to develop a framework for measuring and then reducing the carbon intensity of the building materials used in the construction of new buildings, including those for residential uses. This bill requires CARB to develop a comprehensive strategy for the State’s building sector to achieve a 40 percent net reduction in greenhouse gases of building materials no later than December 31, 2035. The framework developed by CARB may include a tracking and reporting mechanism to initiate a market-based crediting program. This bill requires CARB to take certain specified actions to facilitate the achievement of these goals.

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Summary

Would have created the Environmental Justice Community Resilience Hubs Program (Program) and would have funded the Program by redirecting 5 percent of electrical corporation allocated allowance auction proceeds received under the Cap-and-Trade Program from annual climate credits that are currently provided to residential ratepayers. The Program would have funded building upgrade projects for owners of critical community institutions through competitive grants run by electrical corporations and administered by a third-party administrator. Was not heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required Strategic Growth Council to coordinate and convene at least two meetings each calendar year with specified State agencies, including CARB, and regional entities, to coordinate their implementation of sustainable transportation policies including vehicle miles traveled reduction goals, zero-emission vehicle deployment goals, transit goals, and active transportation goals. The bill would have required those State agencies and regional entities, on or before December 31, 2023, and each year thereafter, to collaboratively develop a summary of actions undertaken as part of the meetings and would have required the summary to be publicly available on the Strategic Growth Council’s internet website. Moved to the Assembly Inactive File.

Summary

Would have required a State agency that receives and disburses funds provided under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act or other federal recovery funds to consider projects’ potential impact on specified goals, including restoring frontline communities and rapidly accelerating achievement of environmental justice and climate goals, as well as uplifting vulnerable workers by prioritizing high road employers. The bill would have required State agencies to document how proposed projects meet or align with the specified goals and requires the Labor and Workforce Development Agency to establish an internet website where the public can track the expenditure of federal ARP funds by the State and how funded projects meet the specified goals. Was not heard in Senate Governmental Organization Committee.

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Summary

Would have revised AB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, by charging CARB with only the responsibility of regulating vehicular sources of greenhouse gas emissions in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The bill would have charged each local air district with the responsibility of regulating all sources, other than vehicular sources, of greenhouse gas emissions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within its jurisdiction. Was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

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Summary

Would have revised the definition of “eligible materials” in the Buy Clean California Act to delete mineral wool board insulation and additionally include gypsum board, insulation, carpet and carpet tiles, and ceiling tiles, among other things. Moved to Senate Inactive File.

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Summary

Would have required an owner or operator of a natural gas plant to develop, install, operate, and maintain, in accordance with guidance developed by the appropriate local air district, a fence-line monitoring system to measure and record methane concentrations at or adjacent to a natural gas plant. The bill would have required the local air district and the owner or operator of a natural gas plant to collect real-time data from these fence-line monitoring systems, provide that data to the public, and maintain records of that data. The bill would have required an owner or operator of a natural gas plant to report methane concentrations readings that exceed background levels to the local air district and requires the local air district to report those readings to Members of the Legislature representing the district in which the natural gas plant is located. The bill would have required the owner or operator of a natural gas plant to be responsible for the costs associated with the fence-line monitoring system. Was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

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Summary

Allows a private, nonprofit corporation that provides services to zero-emission transportation systems or facilities, including, but not limited to, finance, design, construction, operation, or maintenance, to enter into a joint powers agreement with a public agency to facilitate the development, construction, and operation of zero-emission transportation systems or facilities that lower GHGs, reduce vehicle congestion and VMT, and improve public transit connections. Requires that a board of directors govern the joint agency formed, board membership determined by the participating public agencies, and prohibits the representation of corporations on the board from exceeding 50 percent. The bill will be repealed on January 1, 2032.

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Summary

Would have established, until January 1, 2028, the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience to provide guidance, by January 1, 2024, to CARB for approving new guidelines for sustainable communities strategies (SCS) and would have required CARB to update the guidelines for SCSs to incorporate Collaborative suggestions by December 2025. The Collaborative would have been chaired by CARB and consisted of one representative of the California Transportation Agency, the California Housing Department, and the California Strategic Growth Council, along with 10 public members representing local and State organizations, as specified. Was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

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