Planning For
the FutureGRANTS AND PROGRAMS

BACK

3.1

/// Fig.3.1
Solar Charger

3.2

/// Fig.3.2
Aerial photo of Coffey Park
neighborhood devastated by
the Tubbs Fire

Resilient Residential Rebuild Project

The Air District Board set aside up to $3 million to be added to federal, state and county funds to aid wildfire recovery efforts in North Bay communities. Through the Resilient Residential Rebuild Project, the Air District is working to partner with local agencies to incentivize and encourage energy efficiency and improved air quality measures in the rebuilding of homes destroyed by the northern California wildfires.

CLIMATE PROTECTION GRanT PROGRAM

The goal of the Climate Protection Grant Program is to achieve significant GHG reductions by accelerating the implementation of the Air District’s Spare the Air, Cool the Climate 2017 Clean Air Plan. The grant program focuses on areas where the Air District’s Clean Air Plan complements communities’ objectives in local climate action plans. Grants will focus on reducing GHGs from energy use in existing buildings through energy efficiency and reducing natural gas use, and on new innovative strategies that hold promise for long-term GHG reductions in other sectors.

3.3

/// Fig.3.3
Solar rooftop
installation in
San Francisco

Three additional bills that inform the Air District’s work were signed into law:

AB 1274 (O’Donnell) extends the current smog check exemption on newer cars for an additional two years, with seven- and eight-year-old vehicles paying a fee to the Carl Moyer Program in lieu of a smog check, raising nearly $52 million annually for the Carl Moyer Program.
AB 1132 (C. Garcia) allows air pollution control officers to issue an emergency abatement order in cases of imminent and substantial public endangerment.
SB 1 (Beall) , adopts a range of new taxes and fees and blocks registration of trucks that are in violation of air quality regulations. Unfortunately, the bill also limits the ability of the California Air Resources Board to place further restrictions on heavy-duty vehicles subject to existing regulation.

FROM THE STATE CAPITOL 2017 Legislative summary

In 2017, air quality and climate were important topics in Sacramento with the GHG reducing cap-and-trade program, which was extended through the passage of AB 398 (E. Garcia). Subsequently, AB 398 prevented the adoption of the Air District’s Rule 12-16 due to the statewide provision limiting local air districts’ ability to regulate CO₂. Integral to the cap-and-trade bill extension was AB 617 (C. Garcia), which imposes new requirements on local air districts concerning new community air monitoring programs, comprehensive community emission reduction plans, Best Available Retrofit Control Technology for certain sources, and emissions inventories. The bill also raises the civil penalty ceiling to $5,000 per day for stationary source violations. The state-allocated funding to date ($4.8 million for the Bay Area Air District) is not adequate to cover the work mandated by the bill.

3.4

/// Fig.3.4
Methane
monitoring van

BASIN-WIDE METHANE STRATEGY

Given the importance and potential co-benefits of controlling methane, the Air District is implementing a comprehensive Basin-Wide Methane Strategy to reduce the region’s methane emissions.

Main efforts under the Methane Strategy include:

Updating the Air District’s methane emissions inventory.
Developing a rule (Regulation 12, Rule 1) to prohibit significant methane releases throughout the District.
Crafting a strategy to address methane emissions from the organic material recovery and waste sector.
Addressing methane and co-pollutant emissions from the oil and gas sector.

COMPOSTING FACILITY RULES

California organic waste diversion goals will nearly double organic waste processing in the Bay Area. The Air District is developing rules to improve tracking of organic waste while providing best management practices and control requirements for composting operations to improve accuracy of emissions inventory, strengthen compliance, and ensure consistency in permitting of these facilities.

Return

Planning Forthe FutureGRANTS AND PROGRAMS