AB 1261: State Air Resources Board: greenhouse gas emissions: incentive programs.

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases, as well as implementing various regulatory and incentive programs to assist the state in reaching its greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals. Existing law, for example, establishes the Air Quality Improvement Program that is administered by the state board for purposes of funding projects related to, among other things, the reduction of criteria air pollutants and improvement of air quality. Pursuant to its existing statutory authority, the state board has established the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, as a part of the Air Quality Improvement Program, to promote the production and use of zero-emission vehicles by providing rebates for the purchase of new zero-emission vehicles.

This bill would require the state board to establish specified processes to assist the state in achieving its greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, including a process to identify any overlap among its incentive programs, as defined, that share the same objectives and a process to define, collect, and evaluate data on the behavioral changes that result from each of its incentive programs. The bill would require the state board to use the information collected pursuant to these processes to refine the greenhouse gas emissions estimates for its incentive programs in its annual reports to the Legislature, its funding plans, or any long-term planning documents or reports. The bill would require the state board to develop a process to define, collect, and evaluate data that will translate to metrics demonstrating the socioeconomic benefits that result from each of its incentive programs, and to use this data to make funding and design recommendations in its annual reports to the Legislature or funding plans, as provided. The bill would require the state board to contract with the University of California or the California State University to collect the information necessary to better isolate greenhouse gas emission reductions and socioeconomic benefits ascribed to its incentive programs. The bill would make the requirement for the state board to perform these duties contingent upon appropriation by the Legislature and would require the state board to complete certain of these duties within 3 years of receiving an appropriation from the Legislature for these purposes.