California Air Resources Board

Summary

Would require State agencies administering competitive Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) grant programs to ensure preferential points for specified populations and provide an application period of at least three months. The bill would also require State agencies that administer competitive grant programs involving housing, forestry, urban greening, or planning to develop application scoring categories to account for differences among urban, suburban, and rural communities during the application review process.  In addition, the bill would add eight additional co-benefits for GGRF-funded projects and required the California Department of Finance to report on additional elements of GGRF grants in the California Climate Investments Annual Report, including information on applications that did not receive funding. Was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

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Summary

Would require the California Natural Resources Agency to prepare a comprehensive, statewide inventory of the natural resources of the State and establish treatment measures necessary to protect those resources, and to post its initial inventory and annual updates on its internet website on or before January 1, 2023. The bill is contingent on an appropriation from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. 

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Summary

Would prohibit the California High Speed Rail Authority from directly or indirectly using local, State, federal, or any other public or private funding to purchase, lease, operate, or maintain a passenger or freight train powered by a diesel engine or other type of fossil fuel combustion engine, and from enabling such a train to operate on authority-owned rail infrastructure designed for speeds in excess of 125 miles per hour, except as specified. Was not heard in the Assembly Transportation Committee. 

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Summary

Would have deleted the requirement that prescribed burns initiated at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention's request be on lands owned by a nonprofit organization or other public agencies. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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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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Summary

Would extend the funding committed by SB 901 (Dodd, Chapter 626, Statutes of 2018) for fire prevention and management projects by continuously appropriating $200 million to California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CAL FIRE) from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). Beginning in the 2021-2022 fiscal year and ending in the 2028-2029 fiscal year, $200 million from GGRF would be appropriated to CAL FIRE for (1) healthy forest and fire prevention programs and projects and (2) prescribed fire and other fuel reduction projects. Was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. 

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Summary

Among other things, the bill would continuously appropriate, from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, $480 million to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and $20 million to the California Conservation Corps for fire prevention activities, indefinitely extending existing law that allows the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to exempt certain forest management activities from obtaining approval from CAL FIRE for a timber harvesting plan. Forest management activities eligible for exemption include cutting or removing trees on property that reduces flammable materials and maintains a fuelbreak for 300 feet on each side of a habitable structure. This bill would also extend the distance of the fuelbreak to 500 feet. Finally, this bill would exempt certain forest health and fuel reduction activities from the California Environmental Quality Act. Was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

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Summary

Would require CARB to identify and make recommendations for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions of greenhouse gas and black carbon emissions from wildfires in each update to the Scoping Plan after January 1, 2022. The bill also states the intent to make a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund appropriation for wildfire mitigation and prevention. Was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

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Summary

Among other things, this bill would suspend the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund appropriation to the High‑Speed Rail Authority for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 fiscal years and would transfer those amounts to the General Fund to augment funding for K–12 education and to support full-time in-person instruction for all students. Was not heard in the Assembly Transportation Committee.

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Summary

Authorizes a local jurisdiction facing continuous violations of organic waste regulations adopted by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) pursuant to Senate Bill 1383 (Lara, Chapter 385, Statutes of 2016), to submit a notice of intent to comply to CalRecycle. If approved by CalRecycle, the jurisdiction is eligible for administrative civil penalty relief for the 2022 calendar year and a corrective action plan.

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