California Air Resources Board

Summary 

Would have directed CARB to work with the California Transportation Commission (CTC) and Department of Housing and Community Development to create guidance for the programming of projects that expand the physical footprint of a highway to address the impact on the highest 10% of CalEnviroScreen communities. The bill would have required that this guidance be incorporated into the programming cycle, starting January 1, 2028. The bill would have required CTC to "establish a target" to use 15% of annual funds for investments in zero-emission infrastructure, beginning in cycle starting after January 1, 2025, and increase that by 5% each year, until setting the goal of 50%. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary 

Would have required State agencies and departments to consider the use of more inclusive practices to advance equity and defined “equity” as addressing the disparities in opportunities and outcomes of underserved populations, and empowering and meeting the unique needs of diverse and underserved populations, to ensure that communities facing the greatest inequities are not left behind, in a fair and just way. Moved to the Senate Inactive File.

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Summary

Would have required the California Energy Commission, upon appropriation from the Legislature and in consultation with the California Public Utilities Commission, CARB, and the California Integrated Travel Project, to establish a competitive grant program to award moneys for projects that provide an eligible low-income resident with a payment card that may be used at any publicly available electric vehicle charging station. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required the California Energy Commission (CEC) to assess the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needed to support the levels of electric vehicle adoption required for the State to meet the goal of ensuring 100% of new cars and light trucks sold in California are zero-emission vehicles and evaluate the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needs of specified use cases to ensure an equitable deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The bill would have also required CEC to assess whether Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations are disproportionately distributed, whether drivers whose homes are located in rural or urban communities have disproportionate access to charging station infrastructure, whether homes have equal access to electrical panel capacity sufficient to support at-home charging, and whether charging station infrastructure necessary to fulfill the requirements of the California Clean Miles Standard and Incentive Program has been disproportionately distributed. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required the California Energy Commission (CEC) to equitably allocate money appropriated by the Legislature for hydrogen-fueling infrastructure to specifically prioritize rural communities and low-income communities. The bill also would have required CEC and CARB to jointly review and submit a report to the Legislature on the progress toward establishing this hydrogen-fueling infrastructure. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary 

Would have required, on or before July 1, 2026, that 60 percent of the funding allocated to California State Transportation Agency, California Department of Transportation, and California Transportation Commission be allocated for projects for priority populations and would have directed these agencies, among other things, to jointly develop a definition of “priority population” and, by July 1, 2025, jointly evaluate all new proposed projects by the criteria. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary 

Increases the priority population minimum investment amounts from the California Climate Investments from 25% to 50% for disadvantaged communities and from 5% to 15% for low-income communities. Was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

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Summary 

Would have required the air districts, in adopting a Community Emission Reduction Program, to consult with other relevant State agencies and would have required those agencies to implement and enforce measures assigned to them by CARB and the districts, as a part of the Community Emission Reduction Program, unless the agency found those measures infeasible at a public meeting of its governing body. The bill would have specified that Community Air Grants include, to the extent the Legislature appropriated funds specifically for this purpose, the option to provide the AB 617 community steering committees an allocation of funds to serve as a budget for administrative items, including, but not limited to, translation services, meeting venues, meeting coordination, training, and stipends, as authorized by the air district, for members of the committee. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary 

Requires State agencies and departments to consider the use of more inclusive practices to advance equity and defines “equity” as addressing the disparities in opportunities and outcomes of underserved populations and empowering and meeting the unique needs of diverse and underserved populations, to ensure that communities facing the greatest inequities are not left behind. Moved to the inactive file in on the Senate Floor.

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Summary

Authorizes the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency (CNRA Secretary) to enter into agreements with federally recognized California Native American tribes in support of tribal sovereignty with respect to cultural burning. The bill provides that, in deference to tribal sovereignty, the CNRA Secretary may agree, with regard to cultural burning, that compliance with State permitting or regulatory requirements is not required. The CNRA Secretary may enter into the agreement with such tribes related to the State Smoke Management Program only with concurrence of the Secretary of Environmental Protection. The bill does not provide authorization to enter or burn property without the permission of the landowner. In order to support these agreements, the bill also requires the CNRA Secretary to convene a cultural burn working group consisting of State agencies, California Native American tribes, local air districts, and local governments, with the goal of determining a framework to enable conditions conducive to cultural burning, including consideration of the role of a local air pollution control district in supporting the effort of cultural burning. The bill requires the working group to report its findings to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2025. The bill repeals these provisions on January 1, 2029. Was not heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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