VIDEOCONFERENCE MEETING STATE OF CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD
ZOOM PLATFORM
THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 9:02 A.M.
JAMES F. PETERS, CSR CERTIFIED SHORTHAND REPORTER LICENSE NUMBER 10063
J&K COURT REPORTING, LLC 916.476.3171 APPEARANCES
BOARD MEMBERS: Liane Randolph, Chair Sandra Berg, Vice Chair John Balmes, MD Hector De La Torre John Eisenhut Supervisor Nathan Fletcher Senator Dean Florez Davina Hurt Gideon Kracov Senator Connie Leyva Tania Pacheco-Werner, PhD Barbara Riordan Professor Dan Sperling Diane Takvorian
STAFF: Richard Corey, Executive Officer Edie Chang, Deputy Executive Officer, Planning, Freight, and Toxics Chanell Fletcher, Deputy Executive Officer, Environmental Justice Annette Hebert, Deputy Executive Officer, Southern California Headquarters and Mobile Source Compliance
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STAFF: Edna Murphy, Deputy Executive Officer, Internal Operations Rajinder Sahota, Deputy Executive Officer, Climate Change and Research Craig Segall, Deputy Executive Officer, Mobile Sources and Incentives Ellen Peter, Chief Counsel Analisa Bevan, Zero Emission Infrastructure Specialist, Mobile Source Control Division(MSCD) Banpreet Bhambra, Air Resources Engineer, ZEV Infrastructure Section, Sustainable Transportation and Communities Division(STCD) Matthew Botill, Assistant Division Chief, Industrial Strategies Division(ISD) Carey Bylin, Air Resources Engineer, Energy Section, Project Assessment Branch, ISD Jennifer Gress, PhD, Division Chief, STCD Dana Grubaugh, Senior Attorney, Legal Office Vernon Hughes, Branch Chief, Community Assessment Branch, Office Community Air Protection(OCAP) Alex Huth, Air Resources Engineer, Technology Assessment Section, OCAP Alexandra Kamel, Senior Attorney, Legal Office Elise Keddie, Manager, ZEV Market Advancement Section, STCD Jessica Klobas, Air Pollution Specialist, Technology Assessment Section, OCAP Aron Livingston, Assistant Chief Counsel, Legal Office
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STAFF: Cassandra Lopina, Manager, Technology Assessment Section, OCAP Abigail May, Attorney, Legal Office Gabriel Monroe, Senior Attorney, Legal Office Heather Quiros, Assistant Division Chief, Enforcement Division(ED) Gretchen Ratliff, Air Pollution Specialist, Engine and Parts Enforcement Section, ED Deldi Reyes, Division Chief, OCAP Todd P. Sax, Division Chief, ED Elizabeth Scheehle, Division Chief, Research Division Lisa Yacoubian, Branch Chief, Vehicle Parts and Consumer Products Enforcement Branch, ED
ALSO PRESENT: Rachelle Abril, Distinguished Outreach Services Fariya Ali, Pacific Gas and Electric Shayda Azamian, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability William Barrett, American Lung Association Oscar Bashaw, PAR Electric Carsten Baumann, Richter and Schneider Electric Maureen Blanc, Charge Across Town Jofil Borja, Sacramento Regional Transit District Gilbert Botham, Gladstein, Neandross and Associates
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ALSO PRESENT: Courtney Buechert, Eleven, Inc. Faye Caswell, Modis, Inc. Chris Chavez, Coalition for Clean Air Matthew Chen, SEMA Connect Jon Costantino, Tradesman Advisors Carleen Cullen, Cool the Earth Nicole Culp, Core States Group Evan Edgar, California Compost Coalition Sohayla Eldeeb, Stanford Climate and Health Group Lauren Faber O'Connor, Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti Nora Fahmy Katrina Fritz, Stationary Fuel Cell Collaborative Arlene Galindo, Stockton Native Collective Ranji George Daritza Gonzalez, Los Angeles, County Supervisor Janice Hahn Mario Gonzalez, Centro La Familia Advocacy Services Andrew Haney, Bakersfield College Matt Holmes, Little Manila Rising Nailah Hubbard, Distinguished Outreach Services Tanya Hyde(phonetic), Khmer community Sara Jaramillo, Communities for a Better Environment Erick Karlen, Greenlots
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ALSO PRESENT: Ryan Kenny, Clean Energy Scott Kim, Signet EV, Inc. Matt Klopfenstein, Uber Tom Knox, Valley Clean Air Now Amy Kyle, PhD Jaycie Lake, Aim High Jennifer Lape, Ecology Action John Larrea, California League of Food Producers Cynthia Lau, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water Minh Le, County of Los Angeles Julia Levin, Bioenergy Association of California Kevin Maggay, SoCalGas Neha Malik Jose Marin, Valley Clean Air Now Julia May, Communities for a Better Environment Andrew Meredith, California State Building and Construction Trades Council Abby Mullet Graham Noyes, Low Carbon Fuels Coalition Amy Lilly, Mercedes-Benz Roger Lin, California Environmental Justice Alliance Mariela Loera, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability
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ALSO PRESENT: Mariela Lopez, Regeneraci n, Pajaro Valley Climate Action Gary Lucks, Beyond Compliance Adrian Martinez, Earthjustice Mark McLanahan, Pearce Renewables Jose Perez, Yolo County Transportation District Kelly Phillips, Symple Equazion Michelle Pierce, EV Nirvana George Pingarron, Dos Vinedos Organization Cynthia Pinto-Cabrera, Central Valley Air Quality Coalition Jonathan Pruitt, Catholic Charities Avanthi Puvvula, Stanford Climate and Health Group Tiffany Roberts, Western States Petroleum Association Erin Rodriguez, Union of Concerned Scientists India Rogers-Shepp, Stanford Climate and Health Group Evan Rosenberg, SRECTrade Laura Rosenberger Haider Harris Rosenblum, Los Angeles Business Council Emily Rotman, Southern California Association of Governments Jacob Ruff, Western Farm Workers Association Matthew Schrap, Harbor Trucking Association Dean Siegrist, Black and Veatch
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ALSO PRESENT: Mikhael Skvarla, California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance Jack Symington, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator(LACI) Sharifa Taylor Heather Tomley, Port of Long Beach Paula Torrado Plazas, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Los Angeles Kristen Torres Pawling, County of Los Angeles Melissa Vargas, Catholic Charities Esperanza Vielma, Café Coop Jon Walker, Lyft Nicole Wright, California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition
J&K COURT REPORTING, LLC 916.476.3171 INDEX PAGE Call to Order 1 Roll Call 1 Opening Remarks 2 Item 21-5-1 Chair Randolph 6 Executive Officer Corey 6 Mariela Loera 8 Motion 9 Board Discussion and Q&A 9 Vote 10 Item 21-5-2 Chair Randolph 11 Executive Officer Corey 12 Staff Presentation 14 Giovanni Palazzo 31 Ranji George 46 Kelly Phillips 48 Harris Rosenblum 49 Jose Perez 50 Andrew Haney 52 Evan Rosenberg 54 Rachelle Abril 56 Mario Gonzalez 57 Maureen Blanc 58 Jaycie Lake 60 Oscar Bashaw 61 Jennifer Lape 64 Jofil Borja 66 Courtney Buechert 68 Matthew Chen 70 Gary Lucks 72 Carleen Cullen 73 Daritza Gonzalez 75 Nailah Hubbard 76 Gilbert Botham 77 Kristen Torres Pawling 78 Nicole Culp 81 Jack Symington 82 Jon Walker 84 Michelle Pierce 86 Cynthia Lau 87 Mariela Lopez 89
J&K COURT REPORTING, LLC 916.476.3171 INDEX CONTINUED PAGE Chris Chavez 91 Mark McLanahan 93 Adrian Martinez 94 Lauren Faber O'Connor 95 Erick Karlen 97 Tom Knox 100 Minh Le 101 Dean Siegrist 103 Heather Tomley 105 Jacob Ruff 106 Jonathan Pruitt 108 George Pingarron 109 Nora Fahmy 110 Faye Caswell 111 Matt Klopfenstein 111 Amy Lilly 114 Jose Marin 116 Scott Kim 117 Emily Rotman 119 Arlene Galindo 121 Tanya Hyde 123 Esperanza Vielma 124 Board Discussion and Q&A 126 Motion 132 Vote 132 Afternoon Session 135 Item 21-5-3 Chair Randolph 135 Executive Officer Corey 135 Staff Presentation 136 Board Discussion and Q&A 159 Item 21-5-4 Chair Randolph 163 Executive Officer Corey 168 Staff Presentation 169 Martha Dina Arg ello 191 Thomas Helme 193 Sharifa Taylor 198 Paulina Torres 199 William Barrett 202 Julia Levin 205 Cynthia Pinto-Cabrera 208 John Larrea 210
J&K COURT REPORTING, LLC 916.476.3171 INDEX CONTINUED PAGE Item 21-5-4(continued) Kevin Maggay 213 Sara Jaramillo 215 Graham Noyes 217 Ryan Kenny 220 Fariya Ali 222 Matt Holmes 223 Julia May 227 Ranji George 228 Evan Edgar 231 Abby Mullet 234 Erin Rodriguez 235 Neha Malik 237 Shayda Azamian 238 Jon Costantino 241 Andrew Meredith 243 Matthew Schrap 245 Tiffany Roberts 247 Roger Lin 249 Nicole Wright 252 Mikhael Skvarla 254 Board Discussion and Q&A 256 Item 21-5-5 Chair Randolph 295 Executive Officer Corey 296 Staff Presentation 298 India Rogers-Shepp 311 Avanthi Puvvula 311 Sohayla Eldeeb 313 Katrina Fritz 314 Carsten Baumann 317 Christopher Chavez 319 Cynthia Pinto-Cabrera 321 Amy Kyle 323 Melissa Vargas 326 Julia May 327 Paula Torrado Plazas 329 Board Discussion and Q&A 331 Public Comments Laura Rosenberger Haider 334 Adjournment 337 Reporter's Certificate 338
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1 PROCEEDINGS 2 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Good morning. The June 24th, 3 2021 public meeting of the California Air Resources Board 4 will come to order. 5 Board Clerk Estabrook, please call the roll. 6 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you, Chair. 7 Dr. Balmes? 8 BOARD MEMBER BALMES: Here. 9 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Mr. De La Torre? 10 BOARD MEMBER DE LA TORRE: Here. 11 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Mr. Eisenhut? 12 BOARD MEMBER EISENHUT: Here. 13 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Supervisor Fletcher? 14 BOARD MEMBER FLETCHER: Fletcher here. 15 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Senator Florez? 16 BOARD MEMBER FLOREZ: Present. Here. 17 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Assemblymember Garcia? 18 Ms. Hurt? 19 BOARD MEMBER HURT: Present. 20 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Mr. Kracov? 21 BOARD MEMBER KRACOV: Here. 22 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Senator Leyva? 23 Senator Leyva? 24 Dr. Pacheco-Werner? 25 BOARD MEMBER PACHECO-WERNER: Here.
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1 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Mrs. Riordan? 2 BOARD MEMBER RIORDAN: Here. 3 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Supervisor Serna? 4 Professor Sperling? 5 Ms. Takvorian? 6 BOARD MEMBER TAKVORIAN: Here. 7 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Vice Chair Berg? 8 VICE CHAIR BERG: Here. 9 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Chair Randolph? 10 BOARD MEMBER SPERLING: And Dan Sperling -- Dan 11 Sperling here. 12 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 13 Chair Randolph? 14 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Here. 15 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Madam Chair, we have a 16 quorum. 17 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. It's great to be 18 meeting with everyone today. In accordance with Executive 19 Order N-08-21, we are conducting today's meeting remotely 20 with Zoom. We have organized the proceedings to mirror 21 our normal Board meeting as closely as possible, but 22 understandably there will be some differences. We request 23 your patience and understanding if any technical problems 24 arise. 25 You may notice that the background behind some of
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1 us is a little different today. Per CalOSHA's revisions 2 to the COVID-19 prevention emergency temporary standards, 3 and the Governor's Executive Order N-09-21, a handful of 4 us are participating from our Board Room at the 5 headquarters in Sacramento mask free. We have hope to 6 open up the Board room to the public in the near future, 7 but for now, we are still operating via Zoom. 8 Interpretation services will be provided today in 9 Spanish. If you are joining us using Zoom, there is a 10 button labeled interpretation on the Zoom screen. Click 11 on that interpretation button and select Spanish to hear 12 the meeting in Spanish. 13 (Interpreter translated in Spanish) 14 CHAIR RANDOLPH: I will now ask the Board Clerk 15 to provide more detail on today's procedures. 16 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you, Chair. Good 17 morning, everyone. My name is Katie Estabrook and I am 18 one of the Board Clerks. I will provide some information 19 on how public participation will be organized for today's 20 meeting. 21 If you wish to make a verbal comment on one of 22 the Board items or if you want to make a comment during 23 the open comment period at the end of today's meeting, you 24 must be using the Zoom webinar or calling in by telephone. 25 If you are currently watching the webcast on CAL-SPAN, but
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1 you wish to comment, please register for the Zoom webinar 2 or call in. Information for both can be found on the 3 public agenda. 4 To make a verbal comment, we will be using the 5 raise hand feature in Zoom. If you wish to speak on a 6 Board item, please virtually raise your hand as soon as 7 the item has begun to let us know you wish to speak. To 8 do this, if you are using a computer or tablet, there is a 9 raise hand button. If you are calling in on the 10 telephone, dial star nine to raise your hand. Even if 11 you've previously registered and indicated which item you 12 wish to speak on, please raise your hand at the beginning 13 of the item. And if you don't raise your hand, your 14 chance to speak will be skipped. 15 If you are giving your verbal testimony in 16 Spanish, please indicate so at the beginning of your 17 testimony and our translator will assist you. During your 18 comment, please pause after each sentence to allow for the 19 interpreter to translate your comment into Spanish. 20 When the comment period starts, the order of 21 commenters will be determined by who raised their hand 22 first. I will call each commenter by name and then 23 activate each commenter when it is their turn to speak. 24 For those calling in, I will identify you by the last 25 three digits of your phone number.
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1 We will not show a list of commenters, however I 2 will be announcing the next three or so commenters in the 3 queue so you are ready to testify and know who is coming 4 up next. Please note that you will not appear by video 5 during your testimony. 6 I would also like to remind everyone commenters, 7 Board members, and CARB staff to please state your name 8 for the record before your speak. This is important in 9 the remote meeting setting, and especially helpful for 10 those calling in to testify on an item. We will have a 11 time limit for each commenter. The normal time limit is 12 three minutes, though this could change based on the 13 Chair's discretion. 14 During public testimony, you will see a timer on 15 the screen. For those calling in by phone, we will run 16 the timer and let you know when you have 30 second left, 17 and then when your time is up. If you require Spanish 18 transport -- translation for your comment, your time will 19 be doubled. 20 If you wish to submit written comments today, 21 please visit CARB's send-us-your-comments page or look at 22 the public agenda on our webpage for links to send these 23 documents electronically. Comments will be accepted on 24 each item until the Chair closes the record for that item. 25 I would like to give a friendly reminder to our Board
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1 members and our CARB staff to please mute yourself when 2 you are not speaking to avoid any background noise. Also, 3 when you do speak, please speak from a quiet location. 4 If you experience any technical difficulties, 5 please call (805)772-2715 so an IT person can assist you. 6 This number is noted public agenda. 7 Thank you. I'd like to turn it back to Chair 8 Randolph now. 9 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. Before we begin the 10 first item on our agenda today, I wanted to take a moment 11 and welcome our newest Board member Senator Connie Leyva. 12 Senator Leyva fills the vacancy for the ex officio member 13 of the Senate, previously held by Senator Monning. Her 14 appointment brings us to the full Board of 16 members. So 15 we are very happy to have her. 16 The first item on the agenda is Item number 17 21-5-1, the Proposed South Coast PM10 Maintenance Plan SIP 18 Revision. If you wish to comment on this item, please 19 click the raise hand button or dial star nine now. We 20 will call on you when we get to the public comment portion 21 of this item. 22 Mr. Corey, would you please summarize the item? 23 EXECUTIVE OFFICER COREY: Yes. Thanks, Chair. 24 After the South Coast Air Basin met the federal 24-hour 25 PM10 standard in 2007 -- or 2007, CARB and the South Coast
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1 District submitted a maintenance plan and a request for 2 the basin to be designated to attainment. The maintenance 3 plan demonstrates that the area will remain in attainment 4 for ten years through 2023. 5 In 2013, U.S. EPA approved the PM10 maintenance 6 plan and designated them attainment for the PM10 standard. 7 Since that time, the South Coast has continued to maintain 8 attainment for the PM10 standard. Even so, the Clean Air 9 Act requires that areas redesignated to attainment submit 10 a second maintenance plan demonstrating the area will 11 remain in attainment for an additional 10 years, in this 12 case until 2033. 13 To meet this requirement, the District developed 14 and adopted the 2021 PM10 maintenance plan for the South 15 Coast Air Basin, which demonstrates that the South Coast 16 will remain in attainment of the PM10 standard through 17 2035. CARB staff also developed motor vehicle emission 18 budgets for the PM 10 maintenance plan as required by the 19 Clean Air Act. 20 CARB staff has reviewed the 2021 PM10 maintenance 21 plan and concluded that together with the emissions 22 budget, included in the CARB staff report, it meets the 23 requirements of the Clean Air Act. CARB staff recommends 24 the Board adopt the 2021 PM10 maintenance plan, and the 25 emissions budget in the CARB staff report, and direct
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1 staff to submit them to U.S. EPA as a revision to the 2 California SIP. 3 That concludes my summary for this item. 4 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. 5 We will now hear from the public who raised their 6 hand to speak on this item. Will the Board clerk please 7 call the commenters? 8 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes. We have one person 9 who has raised their hand to speak on this item. Mariela 10 Loera. Mariela, I have activated your microphone. You 11 can unmute yourself and begin. 12 MARIELA LOERA: Thank you. Hello. I am Mariela 13 Loera from Leadership Counsel. We are pleased to see that 14 the region has been able to maintain its attainment status 15 and are glad to see that this plan expects to continue 16 into 2035. However, it is missing key elements. We ask 17 that these maintenance plans be approved only after it 18 includes information on PM10 emissions from agricultural 19 plan -- from agricultural activities, like those that come 20 from the use of agricultural equipment and other 21 agricultural practices that increase fugitive dust. We 22 additionally ask that the plan should document discussions 23 and concerns raised by public, regarding PM10 emissions as 24 part of this. And as has been discussed publicly at 25 length in the development of our AB 617 CERP, we request
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1 that AQMD indicates in it's maintenance plan how the 2 District will strengthen existing rules and actions that 3 reduce PM emissions from open burning through Rule 444, 4 Salton Sea, and truck idling. 5 It is especially important considering that these 6 efforts stem from direct concerns that are voiced by the 7 community members in the ECB. 8 Thank you. 9 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. Madam Chair, 10 that concludes the list of commenters. 11 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. 12 I will now close the record on this agenda item. 13 Have all members of the Board had the opportunity 14 to review the resolution? 15 And do I have a motion and second to adopt 16 Resolution 21-13? 17 BOARD MEMBER FLOREZ: I move it. 18 BOARD MEMBER KRACOV: Second. 19 BOARD MEMBER RIORDAN: I'll second the motion. 20 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Okay. Clerk, would you please 21 call the roll. 22 BOARD MEMBER KRACOV: Chair? 23 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Yes. 24 BOARD MEMBER KRACOV: Hi. This is Board Member 25 Kracov from the South Coast.
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1 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Yes. 2 BOARD MEMBER KRACOV: Hi. Thank you very much 3 and this item came to our Board without too much 4 controversy. It's a straightforward item. Very much 5 appreciate the comments of Leadership Counsel. We are 6 working with them on the ECV 617 plan, which incorporates 7 and tries to address some of the elements that were just 8 mentioned. That plan is going to come to our Board later 9 this year, the CERP for the East Coachella 617. And we're 10 working with Leadership Counsel the best that we can on 11 the issues that were just mentioned and do support 12 approval of this item. 13 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. I appreciate that 14 context. 15 Okay. I think we're call to call the roll. 16 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Dr. Balmes? 17 BOARD MEMBER BALMES: Yes. 18 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Mr. De La Torre? 19 BOARD MEMBER DE LA TORRE: Yes. 20 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Mr. Eisenhut? 21 BOARD MEMBER EISENHUT: Yes. 22 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Supervisor Fletcher? 23 BOARD MEMBER FLETCHER: Fletcher, aye. 24 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Senator Florez? 25 BOARD MEMBER FLOREZ: Aye.
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1 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Ms. Hurt? 2 BOARD MEMBER HURT: Aye. 3 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Mr. Kracov? 4 BOARD MEMBER KRACOV: Yes. 5 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Dr. Pacheco-Werner? 6 BOARD MEMBER PACHECO-WERNER: Yes. 7 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Mrs. Riordan? 8 BOARD MEMBER RIORDAN: Aye. 9 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Supervisor Serna? 10 Professor Sperling? 11 BOARD MEMBER SPERLING: Aye. 12 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Ms. Takvorian? 13 BOARD MEMBER TAKVORIAN: Aye. 14 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Vice Chair Berg? 15 VICE CHAIR BERG: Aye. 16 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Chair Randolph? 17 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Yes. 18 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Madam Chair, the motion 19 passes 20 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. 21 The next item on the agenda is item number 22 21-5-2, Consideration of Electrify America's Cycle 3 23 Zero-Emission Vehicle Investment Plan. 24 If you wish to comment on this item, please click 25 the raise hand button or dial star nine now. We will call
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1 on you when we get to the public comment portion of this 2 item. 3 I look forward to hearing about the Cycle 3 plan 4 and how it aligns with the requirements of Appendix C of 5 the Volkswagen 2.0 liter partial consent decree, as well 6 as with Senate Bill 92 and Board Resolution 17-23 and 7 18-54. 8 After the staff presentation and public comment, 9 the Board will consider a resolution to approve or 10 disapprove, in whole or in part, the proposed Cycle 3 11 plan. 12 Mr. Corey, would you please introduce this item? 13 EXECUTIVE OFFICER COREY: Yes. Thank you, Chair. 14 Electrify America's Cycle 3 plan describes how Electrify 15 America, the subsidiary established by VW to implement the 16 ZEV investment commitment, proposes to invest its third of 17 four $200 million installments as required by Appendix C 18 of the 2.0 liter partial consent decree with Volkswagen. 19 Appendix C, the ZEV investment commitment, is one 20 component of Volkswagen, or VW's, 2016 settlement 21 agreement with CARB resulting from VW's use of illegal 22 defeat devices in its model years 2009 through 2016 2.0 23 liter and 3.0 liter diesel engines. 24 The ZEV investment commitment requires VW to 25 invest $800 million in California over four consecutive
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1 30-month periods to foster the increased availability and 2 use of ZEVs. These investments will support ZEV adoption 3 and raise ZEV awareness in California. Eligible projects 4 include ZEV fueling infrastructure, brand neutral consumer 5 awareness campaigns to increase ZEV awareness and grow the 6 ZEV market, projects that will increase access to ZEVs for 7 all California consumers, including those in communities 8 of concern and a second green city. The Board's authority 9 is limited to reviewing the ZEV investment plan for 10 adherence to the stated goals of the consent decree. 11 Today's presentation to the Board summarizes key 12 provisions of the proposed Cycle 3 plan, provides an 13 assessment of how well the plan aligns with the 14 requirements set forth in Appendix C of the VW 2.0 liter 15 partial consent decree, assesses the plan's consistency 16 with Senate Bill 92 and Board Resolution 17-23 and 18-54, 17 as well as highlights comments received from the public. 18 Directly following staff's presentation, we'll 19 hear from Giovanni Palazzo, President and CEO of Electrify 20 America. 21 I'll now ask Banpreet Bhambra of the Sustainable 22 Transportation and Communities Division to give the staff 23 presentation. 24 Banpreet. 25 (Thereupon a slide presentation.)
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1 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: Thank you, 2 Mr. Corey. Good morning, Chair Randolph and members of 3 the Board. Today, I will summarize Electrify America's 4 proposed Cycle 3 zero-emission vehicle, or ZEV, investment 5 plan, as well as staff's assessment of the plan. 6 --o0o-- 7 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: During my 8 presentation, I will first review the Volkswagen diesel 9 enforcement settlements, and Appendix C in particular, for 10 background, and Electrify America's progress in 11 implementing Volkswagen's ZEV investment commitment in 12 Cycle 1 and so far in Cycle 2. 13 I'll then provide a summary of Electrify 14 America's proposed Cycle 3 plan and provide a staff 15 assessment of how the proposed Cycle 3 plan aligns with 16 the requirements of the consent decree and is consistent 17 with other guidance. 18 Finally, I'll summarize the public comments 19 received on the Cycle 3 plan so far, provide staff's 20 recommendation to the Board for the approval of Electrify 21 America's proposed Cycle 3 plan, and invite Mr. Giovanni 22 Palazzo, CEO of Electrify America, to provide a 23 presentation. 24 Please note that this Board presentation is also 25 considered a report to the Board pursuant to Board
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1 Resolutions 17-23 and 18-54. 2 --o0o-- 3 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: In 2015, 4 CARB discovered that Volkswagen installed emission defeat 5 devices on nearly 600,000 Volkswagen and Audi diesel 6 vehicles sold in the United States. Approximately 85,000 7 of these vehicles were sold in California. These vehicles 8 produced emissions up to 40 times higher than allowed. 9 The settlement is comprised of the 2-liter engine, the 10 3-liter engine, and the California-only 3-liter partial 11 consent decrees, as well as a California-only penalty 12 agreement of approximately $154 million. 13 The 2-liter partial consent decree is comprised 14 of Appendices A, B, C, and D. Appendix A prescribes 15 requirements for buyback of Volkswagen vehicles. Appendix 16 B prescribes requirements for recall and repair of 17 Volkswagen vehicles for consumers who did not wish to sell 18 their vehicle back to Volkswagen. 19 Appendices A and B compensate and fix the subject 20 vehicles for owners and ensures no future excess emissions 21 from the vehicles. 22 Appendix C is the Volkswagen ZEV investment 23 commitment, which requires Volkswagen to invest $800 24 million over 10 years in California. 25 And finally, Appendix D provides CARB $423
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1 million to mitigate the past excess nitrogen oxide, or 2 NOx, emissions from the sale of Volkswagen diesel 3 vehicles, equipped with emission defeat devices, to 4 California consumers. 5 The total settlement funding for California 6 amounts to approximately $1.4 billion. This presentation, 7 focuses on Appendix C, the ZEV investment commitment. The 8 next slide identifies eligible Appendix C funding areas. 9 --o0o-- 10 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: Under the 11 ZEV investment commitment, Volkswagen must invest $800 12 million in California over 10 years to support increased 13 ZEV availability and use in the state. Allowable 14 investment categories identified in the consent decree are 15 presented here: ZEV infrastructure, which encompasses the 16 design, planning, construction, installation, operation, 17 and maintenance of ZEV infrastructure to support and 18 advance the use of ZEVs; public education and outreach 19 that builds and increases awareness of ZEVs; increasing 20 ZEV access through public exposure to ZEVs without making 21 consumers purchase or lease a ZEV at full price; and 22 lastly, Green City investments in two different Green 23 Cities, including ZEV car-sharing services, zero-emission 24 transit applications, and zero-emission freight transport 25 projects to improve access to clean transportation
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1 options, especially for low-income and disadvantaged 2 community members. Volkswagen created a subsidiary 3 Electrify America to carry out these investments. 4 --o0o-- 5 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: The 2-liter 6 partial consent decree establishes the following 7 requirements for Volkswagen's ZEV investment commitment. 8 The plan must serve regions and communities throughout the 9 State and describe how infrastructure built under the 10 settlement will be monitored and maintained. ZEV 11 infrastructure must be non-proprietary and ZEV awareness 12 campaigns must be brand neutral. 13 Finally, the plan must include a description of 14 all ZEV investments with an explanation of how each 15 investment meets one or more identified goals in Appendix 16 C, an estimated schedule in six-month intervals, and an 17 itemized projection of anticipated creditable costs that 18 adds up to a spend of $200 million within the 30-month 19 cycle time period. 20 --o0o-- 21 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: The 10-year 22 ZEV investment commitment began in January 2017 and will 23 conclude in December 2026 at the end of the fourth and 24 final ZEV investment plan. Cycle 1 concluded June 2019, 25 and Electrify America is currently implementing Cycle 2
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1 through the end of this year. Cycle 3, once approved, 2 will begin in January 2022. 3 --o0o-- 4 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: From this 5 table, you can see that CARB approved for Cycles 1 and 2, 6 $273 million in ZEV infrastructure investments, $44 7 million for the first Green City project, and $47 million 8 for public education, outreach, and marketing activities. 9 Funding for increasing ZEV access is incorporated into the 10 public education awareness and marketing activities as 11 well as the Green City investments. The remaining $36 12 million is for allowable operational expenses. 13 By the end of 2020, Electrify America had 14 completed Cycle 1 spending and had spent over 50 percent 15 of the allocated funds for Cycle 2. The following slides 16 present Electrify America's progress as of the end of 17 March 2021. Remember, that Cycle 2 does not end until 18 December 31st, 2021. 19 --o0o-- 20 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: This 21 graphic displays the status of Electrify America's ultra 22 fast charging station sites in California. As you can 23 see, 243 sites have permits submitted, 220 -- 225 sites 24 have permits complete or are in construction, 204 sites 25 have construction complete, and 175 sites are
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1 commissioned. 2 Electrify America has stated that more than 40 3 percent of the total sites in each stage of the site 4 development process are in low-income and disadvantaged 5 community sites. 6 --o0o-- 7 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: These maps 8 display Electrify America's infrastructure investments as 9 of quarter one, 2021 in the San Francisco and San Jose 10 metropolitan areas. The light blue shaded areas represent 11 disadvantaged and/or low-income communities census tracts. 12 Disadvantaged communities are identified as the top 25 13 percent most impacted census tracts in CalEnviroScreen 14 3.0. Low-income communities are defined as the census 15 tracts that are either at or below 80 percent of the 16 statewide median income or at or below the threshold 17 designated as low income by the California Department of 18 Housing and Community Development's 2016 State income 19 limits. 20 The low income definitions are per Assembly Bill 21 1550. The orange circle dots represent Electric America's 22 direct current fast charger station locations installed 23 under the Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 ZEV investment plans. 24 The green square dots represent Electrify 25 America's stations that are coming soon under the Cycle 1
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1 and Cycle 2 ZEV investment plans. The blue hatched areas 2 represent census tracts that contain Electrify America's 3 level two installations. 4 The blue circle dots represent public station 5 locations of other charging station providers as obtained 6 from the Alternative Fuels Data Center. 7 --o0o-- 8 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: These maps 9 display Electrify America's infrastructure investments in 10 the Los Angeles and Riverside metropolitan areas. As in 11 the previous slide, Electrify America's stations that are 12 commissioned and coming soon, as well as the level two 13 station census tracts are mapped over disadvantaged and/or 14 low-income census tracts along with other infrastructure 15 providers, public stations from the alternative fuels data 16 center station locater. 17 CARB staff will be posting an interactive map on 18 our website soon, so that the interested stakeholders may 19 study these station placements in more detail. 20 --o0o-- 21 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: Electrify 22 America has invested in public education awareness and 23 marketing as part of its Cycle 1 and 2 investment plans. 24 Recent investments include the Normal Now campaign, which 25 aim to address the publics fear of change and lack of
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1 exposure to ZEVs by showing how technology matures and 2 becomes mainstream. 3 A number of Electrify America sponsorships 4 support and advance ZEV awareness. These sponsorships 5 include: Veloz, including the Electric for All campaign 6 and the Incentive Assistant tool; STEM programs and 7 workforce development supporting the development of 8 ZEV-related training programs for students and workers; 9 and, a collaboration with EV Noire Mobility Intelligence 10 Consulting Group on the "Drive the Future California" 11 study aiming to identify electrification barriers for 12 diverse communities in California. 13 Electrify America also continued to provide 14 investments and support for community-based organizations 15 and ride and drive events. Lastly, Electrify America has 16 funded limited branded marketing to increase the longevity 17 and sustainability of its stations. 18 --o0o-- 19 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: The final 20 investment category is Green City. The Green City 21 investment is a concentrated investment in a selected city 22 across multiple project types aimed at demonstrating the 23 impact of widespread ZEV adoption. 24 The first Green City selected for this investment 25 during Cycle 1 was Sacramento. Projects implemented in
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1 Sacramento as part of the Green City initiative include: 2 Car Share programs such as: the GIG 3 point-to-point car share program, which consisted of 260 4 Chevrolet EVs; and, the Envoy return -- return-trip car 5 share program, which consists of 90 EVs located at 45 6 multi-unit dwelling communities. Both of these programs 7 have a majority of locations in disadvantaged and 8 low-income communities. 9 Another Green City project is the Causeway 10 Connection, which is a bus route from the University of 11 California, Davis campus to the UC Davis Medical Center 12 and downtown Sacramento operating 12 Proterra bus -- 13 electric buses and serving disadvantaged and low-income 14 communities. 15 And finally, the SmaRT Ride is an on-demand 16 service along the Franklin Boulevard corridor operating 17 three GreenPower EV Star microtransit electric shuttles. 18 Eighty-four percent of the service territory is in 19 disadvantaged and low-income communities. 20 By the end of 2020, Electrify America had set in 21 motion all programs and activities related to the Cycle 1 22 Green City. 23 --o0o-- 24 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: Concluding 25 Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 progress to date, staff reviewed the
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1 2020 annual report, which includes a third-party 2 reviewer's attestation to Electrify America's assertion of 3 creditable costs -- investments. The annual report 4 indicates that Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 investments are 5 reasonably on track for completion. 6 CARB staff also convened a virtual stakeholder 7 public meeting on May 25th, 2021 as directed in Board 8 Resolutions 17-23 and 18-54. This public meeting was held 9 to consult with stakeholders, including environmental 10 justice groups, labor organizations, automakers, electric 11 vehicle charging equipment companies, and others to inform 12 staff's report to the Board. 13 After brief presentations by CARB staff and the 14 Electrify America staff, comments were received on ZEV 15 infrastructure, ZEV education, outreach, and access, and 16 Green City. Many commenters commended Electrify America's 17 investments in disadvantaged and low-income communities, 18 as they have assisted in the adoption of ZEVs. Support 19 for the Green City program and investment in Veloz were 20 also highlighted. 21 Stakeholders also provided comments for further 22 improvement in Electrify America's investments including: 23 user experience and functionality at charging stations; 24 charging availability near multi-unit dwellings; prominent 25 signage to increase station visibility; transit and
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1 freight investments for priority communities; interest in 2 data collection and sharing, including station utilization 3 and vehicle types; and hydrogen investments. 4 CARB will discuss these comments with Electrify 5 America during continued monthly coordination meetings. 6 --o0o-- 7 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: Now, I'll 8 turn to summarizing Electrify America's proposed Cycle 3 9 investment plan. The proposed Cycle 3 plan would fund 10 allowable projects in approximately the following amounts: 11 $127 million for fueling infrastructure, $16 million for 12 ZEV awareness and eduction, $25 million for a second Green 13 City, $12 million for boosting station utilization through 14 branded marketing, and $20 million for allowable 15 operational expenses. 16 Let's take a closer look at these proposed 17 investments. 18 --o0o-- 19 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: The largest 20 piece of infrastructure spending, 70 to 100 million 21 dollars, is for metropolitan area charging. Electrify 22 America will continue to invest in six previously-approved 23 metropolitan areas from Cycles 1 and 2. Cycle 3 will 24 include five new metropolitan areas, Bakersfield, Oxnard, 25 Santa Maria, Stockton, and Visalia.
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1 The selection of these new metropolitan areas 2 took into account an assessment of charging needs, a 3 plug-in electric vehicle policy metric, a utility metric, 4 and a review of information Electrify America received 5 during its Cycle 3 national outreach process. 6 This infrastructure investment will allow 7 Electrify America to put in new stations and enhance, 8 upgrades, and continue operating existing stations. 9 --o0o-- 10 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: The second 11 largest piece of the infrastructure investment is 15 to 25 12 million dollars is to increase charging equipment density 13 and enhance existing investments made along those highways 14 and regional routes identified by Electrify America to the 15 plug-in electric vehicle traveling routes. 16 This would include building out infrastructure in 17 Northern California, including Eureka and North Tahoe, and 18 various routes in Southern California, including Joshua 19 Tree and Indio among others. 20 --o0o-- 21 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: Finally, 22 Electrify America proposes to invest in new infrastructure 23 investment areas including: six to ten million dollars for 24 transit, medium-duty, and heavy-duty fleet charging to aid 25 in conversion of these fleets to zero-emission technology;
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1 and two to four million dollars for hardware development 2 and capacity building through utilization of energy 3 management tools and infrastructure planning tools to 4 improve customer experience and station economics. 5 --o0o-- 6 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: I'll turn 7 now to Electrify America's proposed Cycle 3 public 8 awareness plans and marketing spend. Electrify America 9 proposes to continue to use both traditional and social 10 media to increase public's awareness of ZEVs and ZEV 11 benefits. Electrify America's Cycle 3 media efforts would 12 continue to be brand neutral and may feature battery 13 electric and fuel cell electric vehicles. Electrify 14 America also plans to address ZEV access through 15 incentives directed to vehicle electrification of 16 transportation network companies and education pathways 17 for passengers. 18 Electrify America would also use marketing to 19 boost station sustainability. This marketing would 20 communicate charging location, accessibility, charging 21 speed, quality customer experience, and corporate social 22 responsibility ensuring that the stations continue to be 23 viable and support California's ZEV market after this 24 investment period is over. 25 --o0o--
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1 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: A part of 2 the proposed Cycle 3 ZEV investment plan, Electrify 3 America proposes to invest $25 million in the proposed 4 second Green City, the Long Beach-Wilmington area. In the 5 second Green City, investments will focus on transit 6 buses, and medium-duty, and heavy-duty charging 7 infrastructure. These investments will aim to alleviate 8 emissions from transit buses and medium-duty and 9 heavy-duty vehicles that impact the predominantly 10 disadvantaged and low-income communities of the Long 11 Beach-Wilmington area. 12 Giovanni Palazzo will provide additional details 13 regarding the selection process for the second Green City 14 in his presentation. 15 --o0o-- 16 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: Staff 17 completed an assessment of the proposed Cycle 3 ZEV 18 investment plan for compliance with the requirements in 19 Appendix C introduced earlier in this presentation. 20 Staff's assessment also considered the proposed plan's 21 consistency with guidance provided in Senate Bill 92. 22 In June 2016, the Legislature, with the passage 23 of SB 92, required CARB to post investment plans for 24 public comment, hold a public hearing to consider approval 25 of investment plans, and report annually to the
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1 Legislature. 2 And the Legislature further stated that Electrify 3 America should, and Electrify America committed to report 4 implementation progress to CARB and strive to ensure that 5 at least 35 percent of its investments benefit low-income 6 and disadvantaged communities. 7 --o0o-- 8 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: Staff's 9 assessment of the proposed Cycle 3 plan also included 10 consistency with guidance provided in Board Resolutions 11 17-23 and 18-54. 12 The Board adopted Board Resolutions 17-23 and 13 18-54 when approving Electrify America's Cycle 1 and Cycle 14 2 plans respectively. The resolutions memorialized 15 Electrify America's commitments to: strive to ensure that 16 the -- that at least 35 percent of the plan's investments 17 benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities; include, 18 in its reports, an evaluation of heavy-duty hydrogen 19 opportunities; include, as part of contract-award 20 criteria, job creation and training estimates, especially 21 for minorty-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses; 22 provide hiring opportunities for qualified residents of 23 disadvantaged communities; implement projects so as to 24 ensure fair competition and in a transparent manner that 25 allows for public input; and, execute projects in a manner
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1 that ensures investments are self-sustaining and continue 2 to exist after the 10-year period of the ZEV investment 3 commitment. 4 --o0o-- 5 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: Staff's 6 analysis was posted publicly on June 23rd, 2021. In it, 7 staff concluded that based on a thorough review, the 8 proposed Cycle 3 plan complies with the requirements of 9 the consent decree and is consistent with the guidance of 10 both Senate Bill 92 and Board Resolutions 17-23 and 18-54. 11 I'd now like to summarize the comments that CARB 12 received during the public comment period on the plan. 13 --o0o-- 14 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: The public 15 comment period for the proposed Cycle 3 plan began on May 16 4th, 2021 and ended on May 28th, 2021. CARB received 49 17 comments during this comment period. Many comments 18 received were in support of the proposed plan. A few 19 comments submitted requested that funds be directed 20 towards smaller cities electrifying their transit fleets 21 and towards smaller dial-a-ride services that are 22 transitioning to ZEVs, which the commenter said is 23 consistent with what is mandated by the Innovative Clean 24 Transit Regulations that will require ZEVs and 25 infrastructure.
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1 Others requested greater disadvantaged community 2 investment ensuring investments actually serve 3 disadvantaged community residents. 4 A specific request for redirecting proposed metro 5 and community infrastructure funds to rural and 6 disadvantaged communities was submitted, and a request for 7 requiring roaming with other charging networks was also 8 submitted. 9 --o0o-- 10 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: CARB will 11 continue to monitor implementation by ensuring receipt of 12 quarterly and annual reports from Electrify America and 13 ensuring that the public reports continue to be publicly 14 posted. CARB will report annually to the Legislature as 15 required in SB 92. CARB staff will also evaluate the need 16 to convene additional meetings with electric vehicle 17 service providers and other stakeholders. 18 Finally, as required by the consent decree, an 19 independent third-party auditor will continue to provide 20 annual reports to CARB and will review Electrify America's 21 implementation and accounting records, conduct select 22 on-site audits, and review all expenses and recommend 23 approval of only those that are found to be creditable. 24 --o0o-- 25 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: In
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1 conclusion, CARB staff recommends that the Board adopt 2 Resolution 21-14 approving Electrify America's proposed 3 Cycle 3 ZEV investment plan. Approval of the plan will 4 allow Electrify America to continue its investments 5 providing benefits to California's air quality and for 6 current and future ZEV drivers. 7 This concludes my presentation. At this time, I 8 would like to invite Mr. Giovanni Palazzo, President and 9 Chief Executive Officer of Electrify America to address 10 the Board. 11 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: Thank you very much. I hope 12 you can hear me. 13 (Thereupon a slide presentation.) 14 STCD AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER BHAMBRA: Yes, we 15 can, Giovanni. 16 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: And I can see the present -- 17 thank you. Thank you very much. So we can start. 18 Chair Randolph, Vice Chair Berg, and fellow 19 members of the Board, I'm very happy and grateful of the 20 opportunity today to update regarding the tremendous 21 progress of Electrify America. And on the other side also 22 to allowing me in representation of the Electrify America 23 team to present Cycle 3 investment plan. So we can start. 24 Next slide. 25 --o0o--
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1 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: When I presented to this Board 2 in December 2018, actually Electrify America was just 3 getting started. At that time, we had three stations in 4 operation. It was about 16 single dispenser. And 5 actually, as you can see here from this chart, in the last 6 30 months, Electrify America has grown to be the largest, 7 the most technologically advanced, the fastest charging, 8 and the best performing open DC fast-charging station in 9 the United States. And I'm proud to say this is a world 10 away from where we were altogether in December 2018. 11 For this reason, I want to thank, once again, the 12 Board for the trust that you have seen and that you gave 13 us at that time to move forward. 14 Briefly regarding the national coverage that 15 you -- that you see here, we have 633 stations nationwide 16 as we speak. It's about 2,700 single dispensers, more or 17 less, 150 kilowatt and 350 kilowatt only, which is what 18 makes Electrify America a little bit special in the 19 market. We have a nationwide network with two 20 cross-country routes. And we are serving, as we speak, 46 21 countries and states nationwide. 22 Our goal is to reach 800 stations by the end of 23 the year. It sounds ambitious. It's ambitious, but we 24 believe we can make it happen. Despite the pandemic, the 25 team has been able to deploy and increase construction
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1 pace in an incredible way. So we believe that the target 2 is achievable. 3 On the next slide -- 4 --o0o-- 5 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: -- you see here we can deep 6 dive a little bit more into California. We have 188 7 stations as we speak. So from the three stations that we 8 had in December 2018, it's enough -- it's not enough of 9 course. It's never enough, I would say. So we are 10 planning to have 230 stations in operation by the end of 11 the year, which will account of about 900 single 12 dispenser. 13 Just to give you the magnitude of the efforts of 14 the team, only in Q1 2021 we opened stations in California 15 at a pace of two per week, which is unprecedented in the 16 oil industry, I would say even in Europe. 17 The next slide. 18 --o0o-- 19 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: I want to talk about network 20 performance, because we are not just the fastest growing 21 network in the U.S., but we are also the best in terms of 22 customer experience. We have the highest PlugShares core 23 of any other DC fast-charging network in the industry. 24 And I'm looking at the data right now, real-time data, if 25 you consider the overall 633 sites that we have opened
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1 nationwide, as we speak. Well, actually, 75 percent of 2 those are rated excellent on PlugShare, so between nine 3 and ten. 4 The good news is that the additional 20 percent 5 are rated very good, so between seven and nine. And, of 6 course, we are working hard as a team to move the highest 7 number possible of side into the -- into the excellent 8 category. For this reason, ten automakers already 9 selected Electrify America as the preferred network and 10 including you may have seen most recently we had Hyundai 11 and Mercedes-Benz joining us. 12 We also had built capacity to respond to customer 13 needs in a unique way I would say. We have state of the 14 art NOC, which is the network operations center. We have 15 an industry leading 24/7 customer call center. And then 16 the jewel, which is the center of excellence in Reston, 17 Virginia, which is where we test our newest technologies 18 like, for instance, plug-and-charge. Electrify America is 19 the only network in the U.S. which has plug-and-charge 20 already installed at every single dispenser. 21 Last, but not least, but very important point, 22 Electrify America's network has been recently recognized 23 as the EV Charging Infrastructure Best-In-Test award 24 winner by two different independent organizations. 25 Next slide.
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1 --o0o-- 2 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: Very important, and I remember 3 very well in December 2018 that this Board, the CARB 4 Board, was asking me and to Electrify America to ensure 5 that all the ultra fast charging network serves all 6 communities in California. And I am proud to say that we 7 are accomplishing that goals. As we speak, in fact, 96 8 percent of all Californians live within 25 miles of an 9 Electrify America station. And we have built station 10 across the state from El Centro to Crescent City, from 11 Lake Tahoe to San Ysidro. 12 And you have seen in the presentation of the 13 staff before, but I want to flag that once again, more 14 than 50 percent of all the stations that we have opened 15 are in low-income disadvantaged communities, 50 percent. 16 And we have spent throughout the end of 2020 only about 17 $90 million in stations in rural California, which is 18 again unprecedented in the industry before. 19 We have built more stations per capita in rural 20 California than in urban California. 21 Next slide. 22 --o0o-- 23 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: I want to celebrate quickly, 24 because many of you are based in Sacramento, of course. 25 And as you are aware, we made strong investment in
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1 Sacramento for our first Green City. And this service has 2 continued to thrive. I want to make just some examples. 3 As you know, we purchased 260 Chevy Bolts. And together 4 with GIG Care Share, we launched the nation's largest 5 free-floating electric car sharing service. A lot of 6 people in the city are using it massively, if you think 7 that these vehicles have now traveled more than three 8 million miles, three million miles. And also other 9 important data, in my opinion, is that utilization was up 10 57 percent from pre-pandemic levels in Q1, 2021. 11 Another service which was incredible and created 12 a lot of impact in the community was the SmaRT Ride. The 13 SmaRT Ride is an on-demand public transit shuttle service, 14 which is active in the Franklin Boulevard community. And 15 the -- we have seen tripling of ridership in the first 16 quarter. But interestingly enough, this was one of the 17 examples where actually this service showed an increase of 18 utilization during the pandemic. And why was this 19 happening? 20 This is happening because Sac RT used the service 21 to -- and the vehicles, of course, to facilitate food 22 delivery to seniors, for free rides to vaccines, and 23 voting. And actually in this way, they simply created a 24 new public service. 25 Also, important the Causeway Connection. You
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1 have seen a couple of pictures into the staff 2 presentation. Very quickly on this one, this is like an 3 investment that we need purchasing 12 California-built 4 Proterra buses to connect Davis to Sacramento. Highly 5 successful. And also, in this case, we are seeing a six 6 percent increase of utilization in Q1 2021. 7 On the other side, you know, Electrify America is 8 heavily investing into batteries -- Tesla batteries to 9 mitigate the impact of the grid of power, of course, on 10 the other side to mitigate demand charging cost that, as 11 you know, can really seriously damage our financials, and 12 with it the same in Sacramento as well, because we 13 invested in those months the StorageShares program to 14 really improve power grid resiliency, stability, and 15 reliability. 16 And last point for Green City 1 in Sacramento, 17 which is the bread and butter of Electrify America, we 18 built stations. So we have 14 public charging stations, 19 65 single dispenser, and Sacramento was the highest per 20 capita density investment of Electrify America nationwide. 21 If we can go on the next slide. 22 --o0o-- 23 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: Very briefly, I simply would 24 like to turn the content of Cycle 3 investment plan that 25 I'm going to present immediately, so we can go on the next
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1 slide. 2 --o0o-- 3 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: Thank you very much. 4 I'm talking about the national outreach efforts, 5 because before planning Cycle 3 investment plan, exactly 6 like we did in Cycle 1 and Cycle 2, we listened. We 7 listened to shareholders, stakeholders, customers, and, of 8 course, we did -- we did our homework. We received and 9 responded to more than 900 comments on our website. And 10 we did dozens of webinars. And, of course, you know, we 11 analyzed the data. 12 I can say that we identified four main 13 data-driven insights out of -- out of this work. They're 14 really guiding us through Cycle 3 investment plan. First, 15 we reconfirmed that there is a great demand for our core 16 business, which is ultra fast reliable public charging 17 station. 18 The second point equity, equity, equity. We 19 reconfirmed that the investment in low-income 20 disadvantaged communities is important, is real, and, of 21 course, we stay committed. 22 Third, we learned that, unlike in years past, and 23 this was the first time we saw it so strongly and 24 consistently, medium- and heavy-duty transit and freight I 25 operators are going electric. And they are in need of
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1 charging solutions. And last, but not least, we have 2 seen, also thanks to the great work of the CARB Board, and 3 I want to give you merit for this. 4 Texas and TNC fleets are going electric, and, of 5 course, they need reliable charging solutions, but they 6 also need measures to decrease the up-front cost to the 7 vehicles, which seem to be still tangible by year four for 8 the drivers. 9 On the next slide -- 10 11 --o0o-- 12 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: I want to talk briefly 13 regarding corporate social responsibility, because even 14 before we started writing the plan, we identified pillars 15 of our CSR. And you heard also in the staff presentation 16 that we have a very simple core mission, which is embedded 17 in our DNA. So we want to enable ZEV technology, so we 18 want to increase ZEV adoption. And, of course, we want to 19 physically move people that are driving ICE cars right now 20 to EVs and ZEV cars. And this simple, but very strong, 21 mission is driving us as a company. It's driving us in 22 terms of infrastructure investment, like you are seeing as 23 we speak, our marketing, and, of course, as you will see, 24 the Green City investment, which I'm very, very excited. 25 Of course, we also intend to be environmentally
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1 sustainable and carbon neutral. And I want to flag 2 something that is very important to me, to the whole team, 3 that all energy delivered to customers at Electrify 4 America's California stations is renewable. And we do 5 that by procuring direct from California producers. We 6 also intend to be inclusive and we ensure that our 7 investment, as you have seen, really create a benefit to 8 all the communities, including disadvantaged, 9 underrepresented communities, rural parts of California, 10 and those of less financial means. 11 And, of course, we make sure that diversity, 12 inclusion, equity they are part of what we do every day. 13 In our team, the way we talk, we work to each other, the 14 way we make business with our partners, and the way we 15 treat the shareholders. And we make sure that we have 16 these processes in place from hiring, to procurement, and 17 to education and awareness building activities, of course. 18 Next slide. 19 --o0o-- 20 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: Also here, you have seen the 21 overview from the CARB staff presentation regarding the 22 focus. Of course, we keep on building strong in two major 23 areas. This is where you need to be. Finally, after 20 24 years into this business talking about myself, we are 25 seeing adoption and sales kicking in. And now it's the
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1 right time to support EV drivers where actually the magic 2 is happening. 3 So on one side, of course, we keep on investing 4 on a highway, but now is the time to go deeply and 5 strongly into metro areas. As usual, like we did in Cycle 6 1 and Cycle 2, also we based and we ran a detailed 7 analysis on what we called a supply and demand gap. And 8 based on that, we identified newer communities to invest. 9 You have seen it before already just briefly, Bakersfield, 10 we have Ventura, we have Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, we 11 have Stockton, and Visalia. And, of course, like I told 12 you, we will continue to build along the highway 13 corridors. Of course, we want to shorten the gaps. We 14 want to fill in the gaps and reach new communities. We 15 have a simple goal, and the simple goal is that 16 Californian's, they need to have the confidence that they 17 can use their EV as the only or the primary car in the 18 household. 19 And the last topic I believe is coming very well 20 across, but I want to make sure you hear it loud and clear 21 from my side as well. We are going to make sure that at 22 least 35 percent of the investment goes into low income 23 and disadvantaged communities. 24 Next slide and I am going towards the end, of 25 course.
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1 --o0o-- 2 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: We will continue to invest in 3 our dual strategy, which is brand neutral education, on 4 one side, and awareness as well. We will develop a new 5 venue tool national marketing campaign like we did in 6 Cycle 2 with Normal Now. It was an impressive success. 7 Three hundred thirty-three million impressions enabled 8 only in California. And based on our analysis, 122 9 million of those only low-income disadvantaged 10 communities. 11 We will also continue to sponsor and support the 12 terrific job of the CBOs, the community based 13 organizations, Veloz, Valley CAN, EVNoire, Liberty Hill 14 Foundation, just to make a couple of -- a couple of 15 examples. 16 On this front, as you know, I volunteer since 17 more than two years now as Vice Chair of Veloz. I want to 18 mention briefly Valley CAN, because Tom Knox is doing a 19 fabulous job in really putting people into ZEV vehicles 20 and is working community by community, family by family. 21 And he helps more than 2,000 families switch from a gas 22 car to an EV since we have been working together, 2000 23 family when we're talking about the impact. 24 And why we do that? We do that, because on one 25 side Electrify America can be and has to be very impactful
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1 nationally, but, of course, CBOs can be more impactful 2 into the community locally. 3 Next chart is the Green City 2, maybe to my 4 opinion, personal opinion. 5 Next slide. 6 --o0o-- 7 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: Thank you very much. The 8 Green City 2, in my opinion, may be the most exciting 9 project within Cycle 3 investment plan. As you know and 10 you've heard, we are investing $25 million in the port 11 complex of LA, and Long Beach, and Wilmington. This area 12 is clearly disadvantaged community, because it has long 13 suffered from port pollution. And just consider that 14 there is a fleet of 15,000 trucks driving in and out of 15 the port every single day. Fifteen thousand trucks, 16 diesel of course, entering and moving into the port 17 complex areas every single day. 18 We want to clean these up. And we know that we 19 have the strong support from CARB. We know that we have 20 the strong support from the local government and 21 businesses, and we are going to make it happen. 22 We will invest into public, semi-public, and 23 fleet charging infrastructure on a grand scale. And it 24 means, of course, that we are introducing also innovative 25 technologies, like smart charging as we do already on a
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1 national level, and, of course, energy management, like we 2 do also. 3 On the next one, and I'm really coming to the 4 end. 5 --o0o-- 6 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: I want to show you quickly the 7 73 organizations that have written to CARB individually or 8 jointly to approve the plan presented today. It deals 9 with a tangible sign of the ability of Electrify America 10 to create trust in the entire industry, I believe. We 11 have 25 nonprofit organizations. We have 18 government 12 officials and agencies, 17 fellow charging industry and 13 energy companies, and, of course, last but not least, we 14 have eight automotive and mobility industry stakeholders. 15 So that was my -- we can go on the next chart. 16 And I just -- 17 --o0o-- 18 GIOVANNI PALAZZO: It's simple a thank you chart, 19 and regarding timeline and next steps. I want to thank 20 you, Chair Randolph, Vice Chair Berg, and members of the 21 Board for giving me -- giving us the possibility to 22 present our progress today. 23 If you find today that Cycle 3 investment plan is 24 consistent with the requirements of the consent decree, 25 which we believe is the case -- well, actually, it will
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1 allow us to get started immediately with these investments 2 in a way which is super effective. I want to say that 3 that was a little bit secret sauce between Cycle 1 and 4 Cycle 2, the ability that we had to start early the 5 process is bringing us where we are right now, when we 6 pass from three stations open in December 2018 to almost 7 190, as we speak. 8 So we want to keep on growing our network. We 9 believe this is a mission for us. We feel Electrify 10 America is the -- is the backbone of EV charging 11 infrastructure in the U.S. and in California, and we want 12 to do it at the best that the customers now have come to 13 expect. So thank you very much for your attention. Of 14 course, I'm here if you have any question. 15 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. We will now hear 16 from the public who raised their hand to speak on this 17 item. Will the Board Clerk please call the first few 18 commenters? 19 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thanks, Chair. We 20 currently have 40 people with their hands raised to speak 21 on this item. The first three speakers are Ranji George, 22 Kelly Phillips, and Harris Rosenblum. 23 Ranji, I have activated your microphone. You may 24 unmute yourself and begin. 25 RANJI GEORGE: Good morning, Board members. Can
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1 you hear me? 2 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes, we can. 3 RANJI GEORGE: All right. 4 RANJI GEORGE: My name is -- as a way of 5 introduction, my name is Ranji George. I was the South 6 Coast -- I lead the efforts of -- the ZEV efforts at South 7 Coast in the early nineties and the mid-nineties, for, 8 fuel cell technology, early nineties for batteries and in 9 the mid-nineties for the fuel cell technologies. And I 10 worked for Dr. Alan Lloyd. We had -- we were the first in 11 the country to introduce both batteries and later on the 12 fuel cell technologies as the ZEV technologies. 13 And what Dr. Alan Lloyd was committed was a 50/50 14 percent commitment to both ZEVs. It was not biased, 15 unfortunately as the current presenter has made, totally 16 towards battery technologies at the cost of fuel cell 17 technologies. Both are needed, because people have 18 different choices, and different needs. And I urge the 19 Board members to consider funding fuel cell technologies, 20 especially light-duty vehicles. 21 Right now, as we speak, there are 500,000 EVs. 22 And tens of thousands of charging stations for EVs, both 23 Level 3, Level 2 included. And whereas, there are only -- 24 just only 150 state fuel cell stations and that's being 25 built, and just 10,000 fuel cell vehicles. That's two
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1 percent -- two percent of the battery EVs. So it shows 2 the clear bias of ARB, and South Coast, and other agencies 3 towards battery technologies. 4 And that bias seems to be continuing in this 5 presentation, when in the last cycle, in the ZEV cycle 6 only five percent was given for hydrogen fuel cell 7 infrastructure. And right now, I don't see even a small 8 percentage for it. So urge you to give 50 percent to fuel 9 cell technology and 50 percent for battery technology. 10 Keep both technologies alive, because we don't want a 11 monopoly. And monopoly pricing may come up later on and 12 people will get hurt by those so concentration of power in 13 one company or one technology. So I urge you good, fair 14 competition between the two. It will be helpful. 15 Then the objection raised is, okay, CEC is 16 funding it. But even with CEC funding it, if you put -- 17 add together all the funding that's going into EV, fuel 18 cells continue -- it continues to have a very small -- 19 crumbs -- bread crumbs of funding. 20 So I urge you to put together a group of hydrogen 21 groups to give you feedback on how to proceed further. 22 Otherwise, this bias will continue into the future. 23 Thank you for letting me share my deep concerns 24 about this proposal. 25 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you.
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1 Kelly Phillips, I've activated your microphone. 2 You can unmute yourself and begin. 3 MS. PHILLIPS: Good morning. And thank you, 4 Chair and Board members. As you already know, yes, I am 5 Kelly Phillips. I'm the founder of Symple Equazion. And 6 we are a CBO in Merced, California. We are a 7 three-pronged nonprofit working with disadvantaged and 8 low-income youth. And we're a three-pronged organization. 9 And all of our mission statements are centered around 10 healthy communities and sustainable living. 11 Over the years, we have worked so closely with 12 Valley CAN to promote their vehicles and air quality 13 programs in our community. And Electrify America's 14 financial support has meant that we've had a lot of 15 opportunities to help with outreach to engage some of the 16 local residents and to replace their old cars with ZEV 17 vehicles. We have seen that this is truly, truly, truly a 18 win-win for organizations and our members to learn skills. 19 Our youth are really learning about what it means 20 to be sustainable, what it means to eliminate your carbon 21 footprint, what zero emissions mean. And so we strongly 22 support and encourage you to please, please support 23 Electrify America's Cycle 3 proposal. 24 Thank you. 25 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. Our next
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1 speaker is Harris Rosenblum. And I want to remind 2 everyone if you'd like to speak on this item, please raise 3 your hand in Zoom or dial star nine. 4 After Harris, we have Jose Perez, Andrew Haney, 5 and Evan Rosenberg. 6 Harris, I have activated your microphone. You 7 can begin. 8 HARRIS ROSENBLUM: Hello. Thank you for the 9 opportunity speak today. My name is Harris Rosenblum on 10 behalf of the Los Angeles Business Council. We are an 11 organization with over 500 members who represent business 12 and civic leaders from all industry sectors. Our members 13 are focused on innovative public policy and that 14 strengthens our economy and improves quality of life for 15 all of us. We focus on trailblazing the way to a 16 stronger, more equitable Los Angeles. And one of the 17 important ways we get there is through the rapid 18 transition to zero-emission vehicles in all communities 19 and across all segments of the transportation sector. 20 Electrify America's network of ultra fast 21 charging stations will help us get there. They will help 22 enable electric cars to serve as primary vehicles without 23 range limits, while supporting those who may have longer 24 commutes or live in multi-unit dwellings. 25 We are especially excited to see a focus in the
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1 plan on heavy-duty vehicle applications and the selection 2 of the Long Beach/Wilmington community as the next Green 3 City. Electrifying heavy-duty checks, including in and 4 around the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, is exactly 5 what we need to help strengthen our economy and improve 6 quality of life for all of us, especially those facing 7 disproportionate impacts in and around the ports and along 8 goods movement corridors. 9 These investments will create and sustain jobs in 10 and round LA, and sport our leading environmental efforts, 11 including accelerating the transition to heavy-duty 12 zero-emission vehicles and leading up to the Olympics. 13 On behalf of the Los Angeles Business Council and 14 their 500 member businesses, I urge the Board to approve 15 the Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan. 16 Thank you. 17 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 18 Jose Perez, you may unmute yourself and begin. 19 JOSE PEREZ: Thank you. And I appreciate the 20 opportunity to speak today on behalf of this item. My 21 name is Jose Perez and I'm speaking again on behalf the 22 Yolo County Transportation District. And the District 23 does support this Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan 24 and respectfully requests the CARB Board consider 25 approving it today, so that the investments can begin to
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1 help the State and the region. 2 Yolo County Transportation District administers 3 transit and transportation services projects in Yolo 4 County, including services connecting with Sacramento and 5 Solano counties. We are an existing partner -- we are in 6 an existing partnership with Electrify America. We are 7 one of the two transit services that jointly operates the 8 Causeway Connection that was referenced earlier in the 9 earlier presentations and our district, customers, and the 10 region have directly benefited from that partnership. 11 Electrify America helped fund and implement that 12 Causeway Connection, which was the first jointly operated 13 zero-emission battery electric bus service, that Causeway 14 Connection. And that provided additional links between 15 Davis and Sacramento supporting important economic, 16 employment, medical health, recreational resources, and 17 opportunities. 18 Electrify America's support also included the 19 design and installation of the necessary charging 20 infrastructure that we needed to make sure these vehicles 21 were available and reliable in solidifying their 22 availability for that zero-emission bus service for public 23 use and benefit. We support Electrify America's plan and 24 continues the investments in ultra fast charging. Our 25 chargers that were installed were the 350 kilowatt
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1 charging, which allowed for the rapid refueling of our 2 zero-emission vehicles to make sure that they can stay out 3 in service to the maximum extent possible. 4 The investment plan we feel strongly encourages 5 these investments will create and sustain jobs, support 6 our leading environmental efforts. It's ultimately going 7 to be a net benefit to the state and to the regions where 8 these -- where this plan is being implemented. Having 9 been one of the earliest benefit -- benefiting agencies of 10 the Cycle 1 investments, our District is happy to support 11 spreading the wealth, and spreading the joy, and getting 12 some of these benefits to other regions throughout the 13 state. 14 And so again, I thank you for the opportunity to 15 speak. And we do support this plan and hope that the 16 Board does consider approving it today and supports -- so 17 that the investments can begin as soon as possible. 18 Thank you. 19 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 20 Andrew Haney, I have activated your microphone. 21 You may unmute yourself and begin. 22 ANDREW HANEY: Good morning, everyone. I thank 23 you for this opportunity to be able to address the Board 24 and to be able to highlight Kern County and Bakersfield 25 College. I am a professor at Bakersfield College in
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1 Bakersfield, California, over automotive technology. 2 Bakersfield and Kern County is known throughout 3 the State as being one of the largest solar and wind 4 energy producers in the County. And as such, we are also 5 seeing the writing on the wall, back in 2015, for the 6 electrification of vehicles. 7 We've been working very closely with the Valley 8 CAN organization and receiving benefits from them to be 9 able to grow a vehicle maintenance program for electric 10 vehicles, as well as many other organizations that have 11 given us grants to be able to expand our program. 12 We're in partnership with our new car dealers 13 association here in town and many other partners, Kern 14 COG, and other organizations. We see the need for 15 education in this area as being very impactful in our 16 communities. It seeks to pull in the disadvantaged 17 communities and gives them an outlet of education that 18 they did not otherwise have to be able to seek employment. 19 There's a need for employment and there's going 20 to be a need for employment in the areas of repairing the 21 charging stations to repairing the vehicles. So great 22 opportunities. It's exciting to see the efforts that 23 Electrify America has put forth. And we're excited to see 24 the funding for education and to be able to expand that. 25 There's definitely a need as well in The education area
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1 for train the trainers to teach the educators of the new 2 technologies and the emerging technologies to be able to 3 be on hand. 4 So this funding that we see in this plan is great 5 to see. We're excited to see it and we hope to continue 6 the partnerships with all the organizations to continue 7 the education and to continue to assist our disadvantaged 8 communities and give them opportunities that they did not 9 otherwise have. 10 So I yield my time back. Thank you. 11 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 12 Our next speaker will be Evan Rosenberg. After 13 Evan will be Rachelle Abril, Mario Gonzalez, and Maureen 14 Blanc. 15 Evan, I have activated your microphone. You may 16 unmute yourself and begin. 17 EVAN ROSENBURG: Thank you. Good morning. My 18 name is Evan Rosenberg. I'm the Senior Manager for 19 Business Development at SRECTrade, speaking in strong 20 support of Electrify America's Cycle 3 California ZEV 21 investment plan. SRECTrade is a technology-driven energy 22 platform and services provider that helps provide 23 equitable access to complex regulatory markets. As one of 24 the largest third-party managers of environmental 25 commodities in the United States, our goal is to
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1 accelerate the adoption of clean energy and clean fuels 2 while minimizing the time, cost, and risk associated with 3 achieving financial return and compliance. 4 We've partnered with Electrify America to deliver 5 100 percent renewable energy to their growing portfolio of 6 EV charging stations in California. Our partnership 7 ensures that every Californian charging their vehicle at 8 an Electrify America station drives away in a truly 9 zero-emission vehicle. Together, SRECTrade and Electrify 10 America are enabling deep decarbonization of the 11 transportation sector. 12 The Cycle 3 ZEV investment plan will allow for 13 continued deployment of charging stations supplied by 100 14 percent renewable energy bringing the state closer to 15 achieving its emissions goals to combat climate change and 16 improve air quality. We strongly urge the Board to 17 approve this plan, so that more Californians will have 18 access to charging stations supplie3d by 100 percent 19 renewable energy. 20 Thank you. 21 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 22 Rachelle Abril, you may unmute yourself and 23 begin. 24 RACHELLE ABRIL: Good morning. My name is 25 Rachelle Abril. Chair and Board members, I'm with the
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1 Mentoring Odd Jobs Organization, a CBO of Merced, 2 California. We provide leadership opportunities, work 3 experience training for local youth in disadvantaged -- 4 in -- and low-income communities to help bring positive 5 activity. 6 We transport all youth to and from learning 7 sites. We are committed to helping our young people 8 advocate for healthier community with cleaner air and less 9 carbon pollution. We have partnered Valley CAN since 10 2012, staffed their events where our youth direct traffic 11 and help with customer service. 12 Electrify America building over the past three 13 years has really increased the numbers of events in 14 Merced, where local residents can qualify and replace 15 their older unreliable cars with cleaner plug-in vehicles. 16 This creates a win-win for MOJO and Merced County 17 residents. Our members gain valuable work experience with 18 Valley CAN. Our community reduces harmful vehicle 19 exhaust. We are grateful for Electrify America funding 20 and we respectfully urge the CARB Board to approve this 21 Cycle 3 plan. Thank you. 22 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. Mario 23 Gonzalez, I have activated your microphone. You may 24 unmute yourself and begin. 25 MARIO GONZALEZ: Thank you, Chair and Board
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1 members. My name is Mario Gonzalez with Centro La Familia 2 Advocacy Services in Fresno, California. Since 1972, 3 Centro La Familia has helped thousands of Fresno County 4 residents through life-changing programs to provide 5 support, resources, outreach, and education. Our 6 non-profit organization assists families and individuals 7 through targeted, culturally sensitive, and bilingual 8 programs that promote health and wellness, strengthen 9 families, help victims of domestic violence, sexual 10 assault, and human trafficking, and encourage civic 11 engagement. 12 For years, we have worked with -- very closely 13 with Valley CAN to help our members solve the 14 transportation challenges. And we've seen firsthand how 15 replacing older, unreliable vehicles with newer and more 16 efficient plug-in electric vehicles can transform the 17 lives of victims and survivors as long -- as well as our 18 community members. 19 We at Centro La Familia full understand that 20 clean transportation allows clients to access day-to-day 21 necessities rapidly and efficiently. Electrify American 22 funding has allowed Valley CAN to dedicate more time and 23 energy to helping our customers, our families to get into 24 electric vehicles. This has been a valuable partnership 25 for us. We strongly support Electrify America's Cycle 3
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1 plan. 2 I yield my time. 3 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. Maureen 4 Blanc. After Maureen, we have phone number ending in 893, 5 Oscar Bashaw and Jennifer Lape. 6 Maureen, I have activated your microphone. You 7 may unmute yourself and begin. 8 MAUREEN BLANC: Thank you, Chair Randolph and 9 CARB Board members. This is Maureen Blanc. I'm Director 10 at Charge Across Town. We're a nonprofit helping to move 11 Californians to clean electric transportation through 12 experiential events, outreach, education program, and 13 social media marketing campaigns, ultimately to influence 14 behavioral change. 15 We want to commend Electrify America for Cycle 1 16 and Cycle 2 to expand access to ZEVs in low-income and DAC 17 communities. And we're excited to see the renewed 18 investment in Cycle 3 as well. 19 Through Electrify America's funding, we have 20 greatly expanded our reach and capacity across California. 21 Electrify America has been a reliable partner that 22 provides urgently needed funding to scale-up these proven 23 programs to expand access to ZEVs in DAC and low-income 24 communities. 25 Over the past two years, in partnership with
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1 Valley CAN, which we've heard a lot from this morning, we 2 have hosted dozens of brand neutral ZEV ride-and-drives in 3 the Central Valley. This has resulted in DAC residents 4 being able to have a hands-on experience with these cars, 5 which are mostly used and affordable. 6 Additionally, it's allowed us to employ students 7 from local community colleges. We've trained them on EV 8 issues and rebate programs, provided multilingual support 9 as they staffed and ran these ride-and-drive events. Our 10 activities have been very effective, as we heard earlier 11 from Giovanni. Over 2,000 customers at our ride-and-drive 12 events in the San Joaquin Valley have ended up replacing 13 their vehicle, nearly 70 percent of them with a ZEV. 14 In 2020, we also received a grant with DriveClean 15 Bay Area. With the pandemic and in-person events on hold, 16 Electrify America supported our efforts to produce virtual 17 video ride-and-drives and educational testimonial videos 18 of the EV driving experience. 19 Electrify America is a supportive partner. It's 20 allowed us to multiply our ability to give hands-on 21 expirational[SIC] education in DACs in the Central Valley 22 and in the Bay Area. We encourage you to support 23 Electrify America's Cycle 3 investment plan. 24 Thank you and I yield back my time. 25 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you.
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1 We have a phone number ending in 893. If you can 2 please state your name for the record and you may begin. 3 I believe you will need to press star six in 4 order to unmute yourself on the hone line. 5 JAYCIE LAKE: Good morning. My name is Jaycie 6 from Aim High, a community group in Merced that empowers 7 disenfranchised and homeless young women to achieve a 8 sustainable living and self-sufficiency through education, 9 learn life skills, and support services. 10 One of the most important tools that we can 11 provide our clients is safe and reliable transportation 12 that they need to get to and from work, school, and other 13 essential tasks. Without safe and reliable 14 transportation, it is extremely difficult to break the 15 cycle of homelessness. This is why we work closely with 16 Valley CAN to help our clients with smog repairs needed to 17 renew vehicle registration, and even to replace older 18 unreliable cars with newer and very affordable plug-in 19 electric vehicles. 20 Electrify America funding has really expanded 21 Valley CAN's ability to help our members for which I am 22 grateful. I urge you to approve their Cycle 3 proposal 23 based on the results we've seen from Electrify America 24 funding since 2019. 25 Thank you.
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1 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. Could I ask 2 you to state your name one more time for the record? 3 JAYCIE LAKE: Jaycie Lake. 4 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Jaycie? 5 JAYCIE LAKE: Yes. 6 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Okay. Thank you. 7 JAYCIE LAKE: You're welcome. 8 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Next we have Oscar 9 Bashaw. Oscar, I have activated your microphone. You can 10 unmute yourself and begin. 11 Oscar, it looks like you've unmuted yourself, but 12 we are not able to hear you. 13 There is a call-in number that's projected on the 14 screen -- oh, go ahead 15 OSCAR BASHAW: Yes. Can you hear me now? 16 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes, we can. 17 OSCAR BASHAW: Good morning. My name is Oscar 18 Bashaw. And I'm the Vice President of the Civil Gas and 19 Electric for the Western Region for PAR Electrical 20 Contractors. I'm based in Hemet, California, and I have 21 called California my home for 58 years. 22 And I thank you for allowing PAR to speak today. 23 We also support the Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan 24 and urge the California Air Resources Board to approve it 25 today, so that our investments can continue.
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1 You have heard already how the $200 million 2 investment will bring our State closer to achieving its 3 emotion -- emission goals to combat climate change and 4 improve air quality. We are excited about continued 5 investment in the ultra fast charging that can recharge a 6 car at approximately 20 miles of range per minute, serving 7 customers and automakers. 8 I would like to offer additional perspective with 9 respect to employment opportunities here in California. 10 PAR is a nation -- a national leader in all aspects of 11 outside electrical construction. PAR offers a full range 12 of construction services and solutions of substations, 13 overhead lines, underground distribution lines, and 14 transmission projects. 15 We also participate in electric vehicle charging 16 station builds, and with maintenance, and start-up, and 17 associated communications, we have a right -- a range of 18 energy services, and emergency storm restorations, and 19 assessments, engineering, recruitment, and construct 20 projects. 21 PAR is a local company with a national presence 22 employing more than 2,350 employees throughout the United 23 States. And we have 900 of those employees living in 24 California. 25 The Cycle 3 investment would create and sustain
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1 jobs in -- around the Los Angeles area and support the 2 city's leading environmental efforts, including 3 accelerating the transition to heavy-duty zero-emotion -- 4 emission vehicles. Allow PAR to -- is a proud member of 5 the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, a 6 partner with multiple organizations supporting our 7 best-in-cost craft-skilled workforce our. PAR has forged 8 a strong partnership with the IBEW, and we are proud to 9 say that more than 90 percent of our workforce is union. 10 As a key partner with Electrify America, PAR has 11 performed critical electric construction projects and 12 services throughout the State of California. Electrify 13 America investments, it is creating jobs and is exactly 14 what we need to help strengthen our economy and improve 15 quality of life for all of us, especially those facing 16 disappropriate impacts in and around the PORT And along 17 the goods move corridor. 18 PAR is committed to California and adopting 19 zero-emission vehicles. And we are prepared to build and 20 associate -- 21 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. Your time is 22 up. 23 OSCAR BASHAW: Thank you very much. 24 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 25 Our next --
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1 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Madam Clerk? 2 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes. 3 CHAIR RANDOLPH: I just wanted to indicate that 4 we'll be closing the sign-up queue for speakers at about 5 10:35. So if you have haven't already raised your hand to 6 get in the queue, please do so within the next five 7 minutes. 8 Thank you. 9 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. Our next 10 speaker will be Jennifer Lape. After Jennifer, we have 11 Jofil Borja, Courtney Buechert, and Gary Lucks. And I 12 apologize if I mispronounced any of your names. Jennifer, 13 I have activated your microphone. You can unmute yourself 14 and begin. 15 JENNIFER LAPE: Thank you, Chair Randolph and the 16 CARB Board for the opportunity to speak on this item. I 17 am Jennifer Lape, Director of Fund Development for Ecology 18 Action. We are a CBO based in Santa Cruz, California. 19 And our mission focuses on rapidly reducing greenhouse gas 20 emissions nationally. We provide low-carbon solutions to 21 communities, governments, and businesses that help address 22 emissions from the energy and transportation sectors. 23 In Cycle 2, Ecology Action was awarded an 24 Electrify America grant to conduct marketing, outreach, 25 and education in low-income and disadvantaged communities
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1 on the central cost, from Santa Cruz County to Ventura 2 County. 3 Our pro -- our project is called ZEVs Para Todos, 4 ZEVs for everyone. Highlights from our ZEVs Para Todos 5 successes to date include: 6 We enrolled 320 central coast residents in our 7 ZEV purchase guidance program, which works hand-in-hand to 8 take individuals through the purchase process, of which 9 192 of these participants are low and moderate income; 10 We have educated 731 participants, of which 50 11 percent are low and moderate income by conducting EV 12 webinars, and another 661 people have registered and have 13 received the webinar training; 14 We have recruited, built capacity, and trained 24 15 volunteer community-based EV ambassadors to work within 16 these communities to encourage the transition to a ZEV 17 vehicle; 18 And lastly, our marketing has reached 146,000 19 people to give them individual impressions and engagement 20 around ZEV vehicles and the affordability and ease to make 21 that transition. To date, 44 of our participants have 22 purchased ZEV vehicles. 23 This EV equity effort is coordinated with other 24 regional CBOs and state groups allowing us to meet -- to 25 reach more low-income and disadvantaged community members
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1 through on-line management, education and engagement, 2 tracking systems. All of this made possible with 3 Electrify America funding. 4 We have also been able to hire and build capacity 5 for up and coming ZEV professionals through hiring 6 bilingual and bicultural outreach coordinators for this 7 program. 8 Ecology Action was also awarded a grant to 9 undertake ZEV STEM curriculum education for fourth to 10 eighth graders in the Central Coast. 11 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: That concludes your time. 12 Thank you. 13 Our next speaker is Jofil Borja. I've activated 14 your microphone. You may unmute yourself and begin. 15 JOFIL BORJA: Thank you very much. Good morning, 16 Chair and Board members. My name is Jofil Borja 17 representing Sacramento Regional Transit District. 18 While Sac RT also experienced ridership loss at 19 our light rail, our buses, and microtransit on-demand, our 20 ADA complimentary service and community shuttles remained 21 highly used including our Franklin microtransit service, 22 which Electrify America give us -- gave us the opportunity 23 to begin. 24 We adjusted our service boundaries to ensure that 25 community service members are covered. In fact, during
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1 the height of the pandemic, instead of cutting services, 2 we increased headway and vehicle availability to 3 accommodate the demand. These EV vehicles were a key to 4 the success. 5 Many in our on-demand transit zones used the 6 shuttles for essential travel, such as doctor visits, 7 work, and groceries for many front-line essential workers 8 who were unable to stay in the shelter-at-home orders. 9 We became social service providers including food 10 delivery for seniors and families. We changed our 11 micro-service areas to incorporate the county's vaccine 12 distribution sites. We covered new groceries stores to 13 alleviate food deserts. We provided free rides for the 14 vaccines, also transported homeless individuals to warming 15 centers, provided free rides for voting, continued free 16 rides for students, including TK to 12, and even used our 17 EV shuttles to help promote the census. 18 Building on the success of Electrify America's 19 investment, Sac RT continues to be a change-maker in our 20 community. And we recently worked with our local utility 21 district, that is SMUD, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, and 22 other private partners to further grow EV adoption in 23 Sacramento. We'll use the success of this blueprint to 24 celebrate Justice Tuesday, when we announce our plug-in 25 event, announcing the launch of high speed public charging
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1 in our Power Inn light rail station for both public 2 fleets, private users, and synergies with first and last 3 mile e-mobility options, such as scooters and bikes. 4 Our partnership with CARB, Electrify America, and 5 other organizations are a testament of what we can truly 6 do together to adapt, innovate, and encourage lasting 7 change for the environment, economy, and equity. And now 8 as we're looking at Cycle 3, Sacramento is excited to 9 continue this partnership, continue the successes, and 10 thank you all for your continued support in helping the 11 Sacramento region and California rebound back even 12 stronger. 13 Thank you very much for your help and we wish you 14 all continued success as we make California a more 15 inclusive, sustainable, and welcoming community for future 16 generations to come. 17 Thank you very much. 18 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 19 Courtney Buechert, I have activated your 20 microphone. You may unmute yourself and begin. 21 COURTNEY BUECHERT: Members of the Board, thank 22 you very much for the opportunity to speak today. My name 23 is Courtney Buechert and I'm the CEO of Eleven, an 24 advertising agency based here in California with offices 25 in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Eleven has been lucky
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1 enough to work closely with Electrify America since 2 December of 2018 as the creative arm behind the brand 3 neutral campaign known as Normal Now. 4 Since launching in August 2019, Normal Now has 5 been very successful at delivering on its awareness and 6 education goals. This has been evidenced by many 7 performance indicators, including a greater than nine 8 percent increase in familiarity with ZEVs and a greater 9 than 10 percent increase in consideration for ZEVs among 10 our target audience. It's also helped to reduce certain 11 perceived barriers to ZEV ownership such as range anxiety 12 by nearly two percent. 13 Your approval of Electrify America's Cycle 3 14 investment plan for California will mean the continuation 15 of our combined efforts to drive education and awareness 16 in this very important market through the successful 17 Normal Now work. 18 As a California-based company that is built on 19 human capital, this investment plan will also support 20 local jobs at Eleven and with our production vendors 21 throughout California to help create ongoing advertising 22 materials. 23 On behalf of my colleagues at Eleven and my 24 partners at Electrify America, I fully support this 25 investment plan and ask the Board to grant its approval.
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1 Thank you. 2 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 3 Our next speaker will be Gary Lucks. After Gary, 4 we have Matthew Chen, a phone number ending in 373, and a 5 phone number ending in 173. 6 Matthew, I have activated your microphone. You 7 may unmute yourself -- I'm sorry, you may unmute yourself 8 and begin. 9 MATTHEW CHEN: Thank you for the opportunity to 10 speak today. My name is Matthew Chen and I am speaking on 11 behalf of SemaConnect. SemaConnect is a leading 12 developer, manufacturer and provider of plug-in 13 zero-emission infrastructure, including commercial grade 14 charging systems and comprehensive network services. 15 We strongly support the Cycle 3 California ZEV 16 investment plan and respectfully recommend that the Board 17 approve it so investment can begin. We support Electrify 18 Americas's plan, because it continues investment in ultra 19 fast charging, which complements our own level two 20 charging stations for residential, commercial, and 21 multi-family properties. 22 As you may know, ultra fast chargers can recharge 23 a car at approximately 20 miles of range per minute, 24 serving both customer and automaker needs. Since 25 Electrify America began deploying ultra fast chargers in
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1 2018, many automakers have brought to the U.S. market new 2 models that are capable of faster charging, including 3 Hyundai, Ford GM, Audi and Lucid. 4 Electrify America also is focused on the customer 5 experience through industry best practices, such us 6 installing credit care readers on it's Signet chargers. 7 Electrifying heavy-duty vehicles, including and 8 around the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles is what we 9 need to help strengthen the economy in California and 10 improve the quality of life for all of us, especially 11 those who face disproportionate impacts in transportation 12 corridors. 13 These investments will create and sustain jobs in 14 and around LA and support California's environmental 15 policy leadership by accelerating the transition to 16 heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles. 17 Thank you again for the opportunity to speak On 18 behalf SemaConnect, I ask the Board to approve the Cycle 3 19 California ZEV investment plan. 20 I yield my time. 21 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 22 And Gary, I apologize for the skipping over you. 23 I have activated your microphone, so you can unmute 24 yourself and begin your comment. 25 Gary, are you able to unmute yourself and begin?
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1 GARY LUCKS: Good morning. My name is Gary 2 Lucks. And I am the principal attorney with Beyond 3 Compliance. Beyond Compliance is a California-based 4 environmental compliance and environmental consulting firm 5 committed to helping companies maintain environmental 6 compliance. And we guide companies to shrink their 7 ecological footprint while reducing carbon footprints and 8 electrifying corporate fleets. 9 We are a net Electrify America partner with a 10 team of California permit expediters and environmental 11 attorneys committed to obtaining electric vehicle permits 12 in California throughout the state with a number of 13 jurisdictions. 14 Electrify America's investment is creating green 15 jobs and expanding the green economy. We support their 16 plan, because it continues investment in ultra fast 17 charging and with the Governor's Executive Order calling 18 for the phase-out of the internal combustion engine by 19 2035 and other auto manufacturers like GM falling in line 20 and Volvo with even a more ambitious time frame, 21 California will need to greatly expand its electric 22 vehicle charging infrastructure. 23 The Cycle 3 investment will create and sustain 24 green jobs and -- around California and support our 25 leading environmental efforts, including accelerating the
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1 transition to electric vehicles. 2 On behalf of Beyond Compliance, I urge the Board 3 to approve the Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan. 4 Thank you and I yield my team. 5 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 6 Next, we have a phone number ending in 373. 7 Please unmute yourself and state your name for the record 8 before you begin. 9 CARLEEN CULLEN: Yes. Hi. This is Carleen 10 Cullen, C-u-l-l-e-n. And I am the founder and Executive 11 Director of Cool the Earth and Drive Clean Bay Area, 12 nonprofit initiatives. I also served as then 13 Governor-elect Gavin Newsom's policy advisor for 14 electrifying transportation in California in 2017 and '18. 15 The mission of Drive Clean Bay Area is to engage 16 consumers in switching to clean transportation with an 17 emphasis on ZEVs and e-mobility options. And our primary 18 message is to help drivers commit to making their next car 19 electric. 20 I'm speaking here today in support of Electrify 21 America's Cycle 3 plan. It's clear from the rapid changes 22 in the ecosystem in the ZEV world in California and the 23 United States, that there are many advancements in terms 24 of charging infrastructure, rates of speed, the reduction 25 of cost of ZEVs. And one of the primary issues is that
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1 consumers have not been able to keep up with the rapid 2 change. The Drive Clean collaboration is a data driven 3 collaboration of 75 organizations. And we work to engage 4 and support drivers every step of the way in making their 5 transition. 6 Our collaboration is comprised of cities, NGOs, 7 utilities, and more recently we've launched co-branding 8 national initiatives with the League of Women Voters of 9 the United States and the International Rotary. 10 With the support of Electrify America's Cycle 2 11 plan, we have partnered with Acterra and Charge Across 12 Town, created and delivered a new ZEV families program for 13 low-income and disadvantaged communities. This is a full 14 funnel program, which includes awareness, engagement, test 15 drives, and then ongoing communication to make sure that 16 when there are new incentives, new updates to the charging 17 network items, such as new smart chargers for MUDs that 18 the people we've engaged with can be become aware of 19 these. 20 We are data driven. We've have 6,000 new 21 contacts, 25 percent are in LIC and DAC communities. 22 Three hundred drivers have converted to ZEVs as a direct 23 influence of our program and 42 percent have committed to 24 making their next car electric. 25 So we firmly support Electrify America's Cycle 3
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1 funding and we look forward to expanding the efforts to -- 2 for a clean California. 3 Thank you. 4 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 5 Our next speaker is phone number ending in 173. 6 After that, we will have Daritza Gonzalez, Gilbert Botham, 7 and Kristin Torres. 8 Daritza, I have activated your microphone. You 9 may unmute yourself and begin. 10 DARITZA GONZALEZ: Thank you. My name is Daritza 11 Gonzalez and I am speaking on behalf of L.A. County 12 Supervisor Janice Hahn. Supervisor Hahn represents the 13 Fourth District in LA County, which includes both Long 14 Beach and Wilmington. So we're calling in for this item 15 for our communities. Both ports of LA and Long Beach have 16 admitted their commission to transition to zero-emission 17 vehicles by 2030. And this funding will definitely help 18 escalate that to much better youth. And we look forward 19 to seeing how Electrify America is going to work with the 20 cities to enhance their plans and their transition. 21 The county board of supervisors have approved our 22 county sustainability plan, which also has ambitious goals 23 in zero-emission vehicles. Just last -- a couple months 24 ago, the Board approved a zero-emission vehicle 25 infrastructure plan. And we look forward to working with
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1 Electrify America to ensure that we are including 2 equipment and infrastructure that is needed in these 3 communities. So we are very supportive of this plan. 4 Thank you. 5 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 6 And a phone number ending in 173, I've activated 7 your microphone. You may unmute yourself and please state 8 your name for the record before you begin. 9 PASTOR NAILAH HUBBARD: Hi. I am Pastor Nailah 10 Hubbard. That's spelled N-a-i-l-a-h. And I want to say 11 thank you, first of all, Madam Chair and Board members. 12 I'm representing Distinguished Outreach Services of Merced 13 California. And we are a community-based organization 14 that delivers resources to families that most need the 15 help in Merced, but particularly those families that 16 traditionally don't qualify or fall just outside of 17 qualifications for traditional services. 18 We work closely with Valley CAN to ensure that 19 our constituents are able to access all available vehicle 20 incentives. We want you to know that we greatly 21 appreciate how Electrify America's Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 22 funding has allowed Valley CAN to expand their events and 23 their outreach in Merced. We have been able to increase 24 our ability to encourage our community members to replace 25 older cars with affordable and more reliable used plug-in
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1 vehicles. 2 And based on this experience, we are really in 3 strong support of Electrify America's Cycle 3 plan. I 4 believe that's my time and I thank you for yours. 5 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 6 Gilbert Botham, I have activated your microphone. 7 You may unmute yourself and begin. 8 GILBERT BOTHAM: Good morning, Chair, Vice Chair, 9 members of the BoardMy name is Gil Botham and I'm a Senior 10 Associate at Gladstein Neandross and Associates, a leading 11 clean transportation and energy consulting firm. 12 We are here to support Electrify America's 13 investment into the zero-emission sector. We are at a 14 critical turning point for the electrification of the 15 medium- and heavy-duty transportation industries. These 16 industries play a vital role in the U.S. economy. 17 We need big market players like Electrify America 18 to make bold moves that motivate fleets to gain confidence 19 in this emerging market. It is well documented that high 20 capital costs in the nascent market deters firms from 21 switching from diesel to battery electric. Even for large 22 market players, charging infrastructure is a critical gap 23 in the industry. 24 We were able to identify these gaps bridging us 25 closer to our zero emission goals. Electrify America's
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1 investment in the Cycle 3 plan takes a big step forward in 2 helping to support the fleet electrification needs. With 3 this project, Electrify America will also invest into 4 education and outreach, while supporting disadvantaged 5 communities, along with the revival of their Green City 6 program. 7 With millions of dollars already invested through 8 Electrify America's efforts, we believe that the approval 9 of the Cycle 3 plan is critical in meeting the emission 10 abatement goals of Electrify America and the State of 11 California. 12 Thank you. 13 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 14 Our next speaker will be Kristen Torres Pawling. 15 After Kristen will be Nicole Culp, Jack Symington, and Jon 16 Walker. 17 Kristen, I've activated your microphone. You may 18 unmute yourself and begin. 19 KRISTEN TORRES PAWLING: Good morning, Madam 20 Chairs, and members of the Board. My name is Kristen 21 Torres Pawling and I'm the Sustainability Program Director 22 for the County of Los Angeles Chief Sustainability Office. 23 I'd like to thank the Board for the opportunity to express 24 our support this morning. 25 I am here to state the county staff and echo
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1 Supervisor Hahn's appreciation for the Board's leadership 2 in shepherding a process for the Electrify America Cycle 3 3 investment plan that focused on pollution reduction, 4 stakeholder engagement, and place-based solutions. We are 5 here to highlight our support for the investment plan and 6 selection of the Long Beach-Wilmington community as the 7 next Green City. 8 The Long Beach and Wilmington Community is a part 9 of the nation's goods movement system. The investment 10 proposed in that community is essential and emblematic of 11 the kind of approach that we at the County need to realize 12 our goals and that we also believe is needed for achieving 13 State goals. 14 I'll just quickly expand on some of the goals 15 mentioned by Supervisor Hahn's office. In 2019, our board 16 adopted the nation's most ambitious regional 17 sustainability plan. It included aggressive air quality 18 targets, such as reducing childhood asthma prevalence, and 19 even lowering on-road diesel PM emissions by 80 percent 20 below 2017 levels by the year 2025. We also set a goal of 21 a fossil fuel free Los Angeles. 22 We not only established these ambitious regional 23 goals, but we centered equity in our approach, meaning we 24 identified the need to start first with the places most in 25 need. That's why an investments in -- an investment
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1 plan spending $25 million in transit and heavy-duty 2 charging in a community like Long Beach-Wilmington is so 3 neatly aligned with our goals. 4 This kind of approach requires not only 5 government investment and regulation, but private sector 6 action targeted to rectify past public policy and private 7 sector choices that left place like Long Beach and 8 Wilmington with disproportionately poor health outcomes. 9 We also recognized the racial equity aspects of 10 air quality in our region, where these poor health 11 outcomes are more likely to be borne by people of color. 12 We are -- also recently adopted a zero-emission vehicle 13 fleet purchasing policy, where all new county fleet 14 vehicle purchases, regardless of vehicle class, are 15 required to be zero-emission, where a model is 16 commercially available that meets operational needs. 17 Between action like ours and the action before 18 you today, we are together sending a signal that it's time 19 to take transit and heavy-duty EV charging seriously, and 20 that communities like Long Beach and Wilmington are the 21 perfect place to advance reach change. 22 We respectfully urge approval of the Cycle 3 23 plan. Thank you. 24 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 25 Nicole Culp, I have activated your microphone.
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1 You may unmute yourself and begin. 2 NICOLE CULP: Thank you for the opportunity to 3 speak today. My name is Nicole Culp and I am speaking on 4 behalf of Core States Group. We urge the California Air 5 Resource Board to approve the Cycle 3 California ZEV 6 investment plan. Core States Group is a diverse team of 7 approximately 300 engineering and constructions -- 8 construction employees nationwide, with over 50 in 9 California. 10 Based mainly in California, our energy team of 11 dedicated engineering and construction staff has a wide 12 expertise in ZEV charging stations, battery energy 13 storage, combined heat and power, and commercial solar. 14 This team has designed and built nearly 80 EV charging 15 stations across the state of California. 16 We support approving Electrify America's plan, 17 because it continues investment in the rapid deployment of 18 ultra fast charging stations across California. It will 19 maintain the pace of construction and job creation that 20 are the hallmark of Electrify America's investment to 21 date. 22 Core State Group is proud to be one of Electrify 23 America's design and build general contractors in 24 California. We oversee the station construction from 25 start to finish with meticulous project management and
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1 successful contracting with experienced licensed 2 subcontractors. 3 Currently, we have ten stations under 4 construction in California right now. Electrify America's 5 investment is creating jobs in California. We have over 6 50 employees in California and we have contracted with 7 approximately 20 California-based subcontractors. 8 At Cores States, we strongly believe that 9 successful project development and execution comes from 10 partnering with our experienced staff and well-qualified 11 extremely experienced vendors and subcontractors, which 12 lowers risk and cost. 13 Thank you again for the opportunity to speak. On 14 behalf of Core States Group, we urge the Board to approve 15 the Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan. 16 Thank you. 17 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 18 Our next speaker is Jack Symington. Jack, I have 19 activated your microphone. You may unmute yourself and 20 begin. 21 JACK SYMINGTON: Hi. Thank you. My name is Jack 22 Symington. I am here representing the Los Angeles 23 Cleantech Incubator, LACI, and its Transportation 24 Electrification Partnership. Thank you, Chair, for the 25 opportunity to provide public comment on Electrify
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1 America's Cycle 3 investment plan. LACI and the 2 Transportation Electrification Partnership strongly 3 supports Electrify America's Cycle 3 investment plan, in 4 particular, the selection of the Wilmington-Long Beach 5 community for the Green City program in the Cycle 3 6 investment plan. 7 LACI and TEP have been working with the City of 8 Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, the San Pedro Bay 9 ports and our partners to accelerate adoption of 10 zero-emission trucks serving our nation's busiest port 11 complex. Through this outreach, planning grants, and 12 advocacy, LACI and the Transportation Electrification 13 Partnership are dedicated to ensuring that the San Pedro 14 Bay ports achieve 40 percent zero-emission drayage trucks 15 by 2028. 16 Transformative investment in charging 17 infrastructure, as outlined by Electrify America in their 18 Cycle 3 investment plan, is crucial to reaching this 19 necessary target for -- on the way to get 100 percent zero 20 emissions by 2035 per the Port's Clean Air Action Plan and 21 Governor Newsom's Executive Order N-79-20. 22 Electrify America's comprehensive approach to 23 transportation electrification investment will support 24 this goal for Los Angeles County, while sparking 25 deployments across the state as well. This investment
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1 could not be more timely, as manufacturers, fleets, 2 policymakers, and community are all aligned on the need to 3 act immediately and forcefully to achieve the State's 4 climate goals and regional air pollution goals. 5 Electrify America's investments are also creating 6 economic opportunities for many stakeholders throughout 7 California. Vendors responding to an Electrify America 8 2020 survey identified more than 1,000 California workers 9 who have been a part of Electrify America projects from 10 July to December 2020, 62 percent of whom lived in 11 low-income and disadvantaged communities. 12 We respectfully urge you to find Electrify 13 America's Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan as 14 consistent with requirements and to keep California not 15 only at the forefront but also as a leader in the fight 16 against climate change. 17 Thank you. And I yield my time. 18 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 19 Our next speaker is Jon Walker. After Jon, we 20 will have Michelle Pierce, Espe Vielma, and Mariela Lopez. 21 Jon, I have activated your microphone. You can 22 unmute yourself and begin. 23 JON WALKER: Good morning. My name is Jon Walker 24 and I'm the Electric Vehicle Policy Manager at Lyft. 25 Thank you for the -- for allowing me to speak
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1 today in full support of Electrify America's Cycle 3 2 California ZEV investment plan. This significant $200 3 million investment in California over 30 months will bring 4 the State closer to achieving its emission goals to combat 5 climate change and improve air quality by transitioning to 6 zero-emission transportation including for drivers of 7 transportation network companies. 8 At Lyft, we've committed to reaching 100 percent 9 electric vehicles on our platform by 2030, and efforts 10 like this one by Electrify America will help propel us 11 toward our goal. We are also supportive of working and 12 working towards the goals of the California Clean Miles 13 Standard which will require large-scale infrastructure 14 projects like this one. Scaling EVs will have a 15 transformational impact on both society and environment, 16 and Lyft is uniquely positioned to help ensure that their 17 benefits are distributed equitably, to historically 18 underserved communities, where nearly half of all our 19 rides in California start or end. 20 That's why the plan's metro-oriented charging 21 station investment is so important. It will be made to 22 support electrification transitions for shared mobility 23 drivers of car-share, taxis, and transportation network 24 companies, where today charging solutions are often not 25 readily available. This is important because emission
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1 savings from electrifying a TNC vehicle are over three 2 times as high as electrifying an average California 3 vehicle, according to a study from UC Davis. 4 This is due to the high usage of TNC vehicles. 5 Electrify America's efforts will help Lyft attain its 6 ambitious 2030 goals of a hundred percent EVs on the Lyft 7 platform. This will allow Lyft to make electric vehicles 8 more widely available to those who drive on its platform, 9 most of whom identify as a minority, and many of whom hail 10 from disadvantaged communities. We respectfully urge you 11 to approve Electrify America's Cycle 3 California ZEV 12 investment plan. 13 Thank you very much. 14 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 15 Michelle Pierce, I have activated your 16 microphone. You may unmute yourself and begin. 17 MICHELLE PIERCE: Good morning. Thank you for 18 letting me speak this morning. My name is Michelle Pierce 19 and I represent EV Nirvana. I support the Electrify 20 America Cycle 3 ZEV investment plan. It is a robust plan 21 that brings Green City investment to Southern California. 22 I live in the Inland Empire region of Southern 23 California and it has some of the worst air pollution in 24 the country. Specifically where my apartment is, there is 25 a lot of truck traffic -- heavy-duty truck traffic. And
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1 creating a Green City at a point where a large percentage 2 of the trucks start or end their journey will hopefully 3 reduce air pollution in my neighborhood. 4 I do want to add a couple of points regarding 5 equity. Although the DC fast charging infrastructure is 6 very needed and very important, equity in disadvantaged 7 communities would benefit from installation of affordable, 8 convenient, level two charging inside neighborhoods. 9 Providing apartment dwellers access to the ability to 10 charge their electric vehicle overnight at a cost that is 11 much lower than DC fast charging and within walking 12 distance to where they live is very important. 13 And my last point is please prioritize 14 maintenance on the existing DC fast chargers, especially 15 the ones that are remote. 16 Thank you. 17 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 18 Espe Vielma, I have activated your microphone. 19 You may unmute yourself and begin. 20 Espe, it looks like you are joined from two 21 devices. Okay, it looks like one of them muted, so you 22 can go ahead and begin. 23 CYNTHIA LAU: Good morning, Chair and Board 24 members. My name is -- 25 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Espe, it's a little
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1 difficult to hear you. Are you -- can you get closer to 2 the device. 3 CYNTHIA LAU: Okay. So good morning, Chair and 4 Board members. My name is Cynthia Lau. I am here -- 5 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: I'm sorry. We're still 6 not able to hear you. It sounds very distant. 7 CYNTHIA LAU: Is that better? 8 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Okay. One more time. 9 CYNTHIA LAU: Hello. 10 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: That's a bit bitter. It 11 sounds like there might be feedback, if you're joined on 12 multiple devices. 13 CYNTHIA LAU: Okay. Hold on. 14 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Okay. Go ahead. 15 CYNTHIA LAU: All right. Does this sound better? 16 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes, it does. Thank you. 17 CYNTHIA LAU: Good morning, Chair and Board 18 members. My name is Cynthia Lau and I am representing the 19 Environmental Justice Coalition for Water. As part of our 20 mission to educate, empower, and nurture our communities, 21 who serve as a public advocate for environmental justice 22 issues setting the stage to continuously transform systems 23 and institution to achieve equitable opportunities and 24 outcome for water justice, we strongly support efforts to 25 make electric vehicles more widely available in
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1 disadvantaged communities. 2 The work that electrify America has been 3 supporting, which has allowed Valley CAN to work alongside 4 our mission and effort, has made a real impact in our 5 work. We are grateful for this partnership, so we 6 strongly support Electrify America's Cycle 3 plan in hopes 7 that this work can continue. 8 Thank you. And I yield my time. 9 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 10 Next, we have Mariela Lopez. After Mariela, we 11 have Christopher Chavez, Mark McLanahan, and Adrian 12 Martinez. 13 Mariela, you may unmute yourself and begin. 14 MARIELA LOPEZ: Hi. Good morning. Thank you for 15 the opportunity to speak today. My name is Mariela Lopez 16 and I am speaking on behalf of Regeneraci n, Pajaro Valley 17 Climate Action. We support the Cycle 3 California ZEV 18 investment plan and urge the California Air Resources 19 Board to approve it today, so investment can begin. 20 Regeneraci n is a non-profit organization in the 21 Pajaro Valley centered around environmental justice with 22 our mission of helping create more resilient communities 23 that can live in harmony with our environment, by creating 24 a more equitable and sustainable future. 25 We support the -- we support Electrify America's
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1 plan, because it continues investment in ultra fast 2 charging. Ultra fast chargers can recharge a car at 3 approximately 20 miles of range per minute serving 4 customers and automaker needs. Since Electrify America 5 began deploying ultra fast chargers in 2018, many 6 automakers have brought to the United States market new 7 models that are capable of faster charging. 8 Electrify America has also focused on customer 9 experience. We are proud to have work with them to deploy 10 plug and charge capability, and ZEV awareness, access, and 11 education. Electrify America's investment is creating 12 jobs. For Regeneraci n, it has created the position that 13 I currently hold as a Transportation Justice Coordinator, 14 where I am able to work one-on-one with community members 15 and help them find the resources available to them for 16 their transportation needs, more specifically, help bridge 17 the access low income to middle class individuals have to 18 electric vehicles. 19 These investments will help create and sustain 20 jobs in and around California and support our leading 21 environmental efforts including accelerating the 22 transition to heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles. 23 Again, on behalf of Regeneraci n, I urge the 24 Board to approve the Cycle 3 California ZEV investment 25 plan and I thank you for the opportunity to speak.
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1 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 2 Christopher Chavez, you may unmute yourself and 3 begin. 4 CHRISTOPHER CHAVEZ: Yes. Good morning, Board 5 members. My name is Chris Chavez and I am the Deputy 6 Policy Director at Coalition for Clean Air. We support 7 the Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan and urge the 8 California Air Resources Board to approve it today. 9 Despite California's long-standing climate 10 leadership, the State faces significant air quality 11 challenges. California dominates the list of most 12 polluted cities in the American Lung Association's State 13 of the Air Report. Multiple air basins in the state fail 14 to meet federal and State air quality standards. In 15 addition to not being in attainment for ozone, the air in 16 communities near goods movement corridors is plagued by 17 highly toxic diesel particulate matter, DPM, a known 18 carcinogen. 19 The Cycle 3 ZEV investment plan will continue to 20 expand access to zero-emission vehicles in California by 21 further building out ultra fast light-duty charging 22 infrastructure, support electrification of the medium- and 23 heavy-duty sectors, and invest in brand-neutral education 24 efforts. All these will be vital in helping California 25 meet its electric vehicle deployment commitments, as well
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1 as its obligation to reduce greenhouse gas and health 2 harming emission. 3 We recommend the Cycle 3 ZEV investment plan 4 continue exceeding the precedent set under AB 1550, which 5 requires at least 35 percent of GGRF revenues to be spent 6 in disadvantaged communities. We also recommend that 7 Electrify America to work directly and -- with and solicit 8 guidance from TNC drivers, particularly low-income drivers 9 in helping them transition to zero-emission vehicles in 10 pursuance of CARB's Clean Miles Standard Rule. 11 Lastly, we also encourage CARB, South Coast AQMD, 12 and Electrify America to work collaboratively in 13 implementing the Green City program in Wilmington and Long 14 Beach. Wilmington, Carson, and West Long Beach is an AB 15 617 community. And the goods movement corridors in the 16 region run through multiple AB 617 communities. 17 I comment Electrify America for their initial 18 efforts to work with the local AB 617 community steering 19 committee, which I am a member of. 20 Thank you again for this opportunity to speak. 21 On behalf of Coalition for Clean Air, I urge the Board to 22 approve the Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan. 23 Thank you. 24 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 25 Next, we have Mark McLanahan. I have activated
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1 your microphone and you may unmute yourself and begin. 2 MARK McLANAHAN: Good morning. Thank you, Chair 3 Randolph and members of the Board. This is Mark 4 McClanahan. I am the CEO of Pearce Renewables. We are a 5 California based fuel service field service company that 6 provides nationwide service for mission-critical energy 7 infrastructure, including EV charging, batt4ery energy 8 storage, wind, and solar. 9 Electrify America investment plans and its 10 mission to build out their charging network infrastructure 11 will support the continued adoption of zero-emission 12 vehicles within California and around the country, and 13 will bring valuable high-paying jobs to California. 14 Pearce shares its mission of EV adoption and is a strong 15 supporter of Electrify America's Cycle 3 plan. 16 A foundational element of the program is the fast 17 charging stations, which support private vehicle and 18 public bus transit, as well as heavy- and medium-duty 19 fleet and port transportation electrification. 20 Pearce has highly skilled technicians to maintain 21 this type of infrastructure and plans to keep these great 22 jobs in California. CARB's commitment to programs like 23 this from Electrify America and others like it create 24 important environmental and economic opportunities within 25 California. Pearce alone, for example, has over 365
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1 employees in California along with over 75 subcontractors 2 to deliver field services to all our customers. 3 We greatly appreciate your continued support of 4 this investment plan, which makes California the national 5 lead in EV adoption and a leader in the fight for cleaner 6 healthier air. 7 Thank you. 8 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 9 Our next speaker will be Adrian Martinez. After 10 Adrian, we have Lauren Faber O'Connor, Erick Karlen, and 11 Tom Knox. Adrian, I have activated your microphone. You 12 may unmute yourself and begin. 13 ADRIAN MARTINEZ: Hi. Good morning, Chair 14 Randolph and members of the Board. Thank you for the 15 opportunity to present on this item. You know, I often 16 find it odd when we're discussing the investments related 17 to the VW scandal. I think at its core, we like the 18 public investments in zero emissions, the job creation and 19 whatnot, but we must remember that these funds came from a 20 wrong to Californians and folks throughout the country. 21 And it also kind of highlights that -- highlights the 22 perils of combustion-based vehicles and the cheating that 23 can go along with those vehicles. 24 So even though we're excited about the 25 advancements in zero emissions and the work of Electrify
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1 America to advance zero-emission vehicles in charging and 2 education, we can -- we've got to keep in mind the -- you 3 know, the core of how we got here. 4 I'm here today to support the focus on zero 5 emissions in Wilmington and Long Beach. There's been a 6 lot of debate in the harbor area over the last decade and 7 a half with groups like Earthjustice and our partners 8 pushing for zero-emission solutions for the ports. We're 9 glad to see that Electrify America and the California Air 10 Resources Board are going to prioritize zero emissions in 11 the harbor. That's what Earthjustice and our partners 12 have been calling for for decades. And we're glad to see 13 that this will continue the focus here and in other 14 regulations and strategies to get to a zero-emission truck 15 fleet and zero-emission cargo handling equipment. 16 Overall, we support moving forward with this 17 investments -- with these investments. Thank you. 18 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 19 Lauren, I have activated your microphone. You 20 may unmute yourself and begin. 21 LAUREN FABER O'CONNOR: Hi. Good morning, 22 everyone and good morning to the esteemed members of the 23 Board. My name is Lauren Faber O'Connor. I'm the Chief 24 Sustainability Officer for the City of Los Angeles and 25 Mayor Garcetti's office. It's really wonderful to see so
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1 many of you. 2 I'm speaking here today on behalf the Mayor in 3 strong support of Electrify America's Cycle 3 investment 4 plan, specifically the Green Cities proposal. I first 5 want to thank CARB staff for their extraordinary work all 6 things related to the VW settlement and the consent decree 7 and how incredible it is to fast forward to today and see 8 the benefits really accruing across the state, and how 9 your work with Electrify America is sparking, no pun 10 intended, important investments on zero-emission 11 technologies, upstream and downstream, on pollution 12 reduction, community benefits, and jobs. And I can say 13 that, because we're seeing it firsthand in Los Angeles. 14 Now, the Mayor set a goal for a completely 15 zero-emission bus fleet for our LA DOT by 2028 and LA 16 Metro, one of the largest transit agencies in the country, 17 is not far behind at 2030. 18 And between them, we've got already 300 electric 19 buses purchased and a few dozen operating on the streets 20 of LA today. So having an additional partner on charging 21 makes a real difference to our timelines and makes our 22 investments go further. 23 And as you know, the Ports of LA and Long Beach 24 are both adopting a clean truck fee this year. And 25 Electrify America's bullishness and resolve on heavy-duty
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1 charging is exactly the market signal that's needed in the 2 region in this important inflection point on ZE trucks, as 3 Adrian rightly pointed out. 4 Finally, you know, I thankfully do not need to 5 inform any of you of the air quality crisis faced by the 6 communities in Wilmington and Long Beach, but I do want to 7 recognize the involvement of many of the community leaders 8 and early input on the Green Cities proposal and 9 commitment to ongoing engagement. 10 The strength of Electrify America's investments 11 is really thanks to these organizations mobilizing to make 12 sure there's a shared vision for equitable outcomes and 13 promoting access and affordability, and workforce 14 development, and really sharing -- seeing real local jobs. 15 The Mayor is ready to commit the force of 16 multiple city departments and leverage partnerships to 17 complete high-impact projects. And we hope that you'll 18 (inaudible) region through the investment proposal under 19 consideration today. 20 Thank you. 21 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 22 Erick Karlen, I have activated your microphone. 23 You may unmute yourself and begin. 24 ERICK KARLEN: Thank you. And good morning, 25 Board members. I'm Erick Karlen, Senior Policy and Market
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1 Development Advisor at Greenlots. Greenlots is a leading 2 provider of EV charging software service and 3 infrastructure based in Los Angeles. And we support 4 Electrify Americas's Cycle 3 California ZEV investment 5 plan and appreciate the significant planning and 6 stakeholder outreach that went into this. This 7 investment, including in transit in heavy-duty 8 applications will play an important role in moving the 9 State closer to achieving its zero-emissions goals, while 10 directly supporting job creation. 11 Indeed, significant infrastructure investment is 12 needed to meet the need for over 1.5 million shared 13 chargers by 2030 for light-duty vehicles as the Energy 14 Commission's AB 2127 report recently found. Importantly, 15 the plan continues to prioritize rural, disadvantaged, and 16 low-income communities for investment to help address 17 significant equity challenges and ensure that all 18 communities can access charging and benefit from the 19 transition to electric vehicles. 20 As part of this, Greenlots strongly supports 21 Electrify America's decision to invest 25 million in the 22 Green City program in the Long Beach and Wilmington 23 community, home to the nation's busiest port complex and 24 served by a fleet of over 18,000 drayage trucks, and is 25 classified as an extreme nonattainment area under the
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1 Clean Air Act. 2 I also want to emphasize that in addition to 3 creating an important backbone network of foundational 4 charging infrastructure, Electrify America has really 5 played a key and important role, and industry stewardship 6 role in developing a positive driver experience by 7 investing in open standards based hardware and software, 8 facilitating credit card payments, plug and charge, and 9 supporting network roaming. 10 Electrify America, Greenlots, and the industry as 11 a whole are supporting increasingly higher expectations 12 for equipment up-time and overall operations maintenance. 13 As an example, in addition to consistently reliable 14 network uptime, Greenlots has developed Greenlots Care, a 15 robust equipment uptime operations and maintenance service 16 offering that create -- that provides for over 98 percent 17 equipment uptime. 18 So Greenlots appreciates Electrify America's 19 comprehensive approach to transportation electrification 20 investment and we encourage the Board to approve this 21 investment plan today. 22 Thank you. 23 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 24 Our next speaker will be Tom Knox. After Tom, we 25 have Minh Le, Dean Siegrist, and Heather Tomley.
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1 Tom, I have activated your microphone. You may 2 unmute yourself and begin. 3 TOM KNOX: Good morning, Chair and Board members. 4 Thank you. My name is Tom Knox Valley CAN. Big thanks to 5 Giovanni for the recognition this morning. But I've got 6 to say, the real credit goes to the Valley CAN team and 7 really to the CBO partners, some of whom we've heard from 8 this morning, who are the ones who really make the -- our 9 outreach work in communities around the San Joaquin 10 Valley. The extra capacity that Electrify America has 11 given us over Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 to do deeper outreach, 12 to do deeper engagement with these communities has really 13 helped to get ZEVs into these communities. 14 As soon as low-income residents see for 15 themselves the reliability, the low cost of zero-emission 16 vehicles, they immediately are major evangelists. I think 17 we've hit a point now where there is a feedback loop of, 18 you know, this great experience with ZEVs going through 19 these communities, and I think we'll just see these 20 results improve as we go. What we've really learned from 21 Electrify America though over the last three years is the 22 value of data of really analyzing our data to improve 23 programs constantly. 24 We've learned from Electrify America their 25 technical assistance that there's ways to improve our
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1 business model, there's ways to be more data driven to 2 constantly improve our program, so that the CBOs can be 3 more effective, so that the customers can have a smoother 4 process. That's where we think we've seen a real 5 permanent improvement in the way that we can reliably have 6 DAC residents respond to the program, to qualify in very 7 high numbers, and come out of the experience with very 8 high satisfaction, which then they share with their 9 friends and neighbors, and that feedback loop continues. 10 So we really, really appreciate the capacity 11 building of Electrify America, the lessons we've learned 12 from them, and the support they've given us to strengthen 13 and broaden our community network. 14 And then I have to also acknowledge the Valley 15 Air District whose support makes the Clean Cars 4 All 16 Program possible in San Joaquin Valley. So thank you to 17 everyone involved for all the success. And I'll just 18 close with we strongly support the Cycle 3 plan and urge 19 CARB Board to approve it. 20 Thank you. 21 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 22 Minh Le, I've activated you microphone. You may 23 unmute yourself and begin. 24 MINH LE: Good morning, Chair Randolph and 25 members of the CARB Board. My name is Minh Le and I'm
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1 speaking here in several different capacities, including 2 for my main role as the General Manager for Energy and 3 Environmental Services for the County of Los Angeles. I'm 4 also speaking today as LA County's representative on the 5 Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee, 6 the MSRC. 7 I would like to lend the County's full support 8 behind this Cycle 3 investment plan that will further the 9 state in our region's goals around transportation 10 electrification. The LA County Board of Supervisors 11 adopted a very ambitious sustainability plan in 2019 that 12 has a vision of transitioning to a fossil fuel free 13 region. Given that LA is considered by many to be the car 14 culture capital and much of the imported goods into the 15 United States that arrive by shipping pass through our 16 region, making progress in LA is an important step in 17 shifting the nation and the world to reducing emissions 18 from the transportation sector. 19 We are especially supportive of The designation 20 of the Long Beach-Wilmington area as a second Green City. 21 In particular, electrifying heavy-duty and public transit 22 vehicles is critical to improving air quality along the 23 710 corridor. 24 I also want to lend support for investments 25 across the state on workforce development, especially in
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1 disadvantaged communities that can provide skills based 2 training to expand the EV infrastructure, installation, 3 and maintenance workforce. The County has a number of 4 partnerships to focus on these workforce development 5 activities, including with the California Conservation 6 Corps, the California Energy Commission, Cerritos 7 Community College, LADWP, and IBEW to help ensure that as 8 we expand EV infrastructure across our region, we do so 9 with an eye towards advancing equity in our workforce. 10 However small, these are critical investments in our 11 communities. 12 On behalf of the County of Los Angeles and my 13 colleagues from Supervisor Hahn's office and our Chief 14 Sustainability Office said earlier, we would like to lend 15 our full support for Electrify America's Cycle 3 16 investment plan. 17 Thank you. 18 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 19 Dean Siegrist, I have activated your microphone. 20 You may unmute yourself and begin. 21 Dean, you should have a prompt to unmute yourself 22 and then you may begin. 23 DEAN SIEGRIST: Thank you. Thank you for the 24 opportunity to speak today. My name is Dean Siegrist, 25 speaking on behalf of Black and Veatch. We support the
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1 Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan and urge the 2 California Air Resource Board to approve the plan, so 3 investment can begin and the momentum that has been 4 established in Cycles 1 and 2 continues. 5 Black and Veatch is an engineering and 6 construction firm that has built -- been building critical 7 human infrastructure for more than a hundred years. Over 8 the last decade, we have been designing and constructing 9 DC fast charging infrastructure across North America. We 10 are proud to report that we have built over 250 Electrify 11 America sites in California and are currently working to 12 add an additional 36 locations before the end of the year. 13 We support Electrify America's plan to continue 14 investment in ultra fast 150 and 350 kW charging, which is 15 much needed infrastructure as more OEMs bring vehicles 16 that are capable of even faster charging. Electrify 17 America's investment is creating jobs. To support the 18 program, we hire local subcontractors in California to 19 build the infrastructure, while supporting the work with 20 local management and engineering, leveraging our multiple 21 offices across the state of California. 22 We are pleased to see the efforts to support 23 electrifying heavy-duty vehicles, including in and around 24 the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The vehicles are 25 now becoming more readily available and will require this
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1 additional charging infrastructure. 2 These investments create and sustain jobs in and 3 around LA and support our leading environmental efforts, 4 including accelerating the transition to heavy-duty 5 zero-emission vehicles. 6 Thank you again for the opportunity to speak and 7 on behalf of Black and Veatch, I urge the Board to approve 8 the Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan. 9 Thank you. 10 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 11 Heather Tomley will be our next speaker. And 12 after Heather, we will have Jacob Ruff, Jonathan Pruitt, 13 and a phone number ending in 630. 14 Heather, I have activated your microphone. You 15 may unmute yourself and begin. 16 HEATHER TOMLEY: Good morning. My name is 17 Heather Tomley and I'm the Managing Director of Planning 18 and Environmental Affairs at the Port of Long Beach. And 19 I thank you for the opportunity to provide brief comments 20 to the Board today. 21 I wanted to share our support for Electrify 22 America's Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan. The 23 Port of Long Beach, together with our neighbor, Port of 24 Los Angeles have adopted goals to get to zero emissions 25 for terminal equipment by 2030 and on-road trucks by 2035,
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1 in order to improve air quality and public health and to 2 fight against climate change. 3 Significant investment and infrastructure to 4 support heavy-duty zero-emission vehicle operations, 5 especially over the next few years, will be critical in 6 achieving those goals. In particular, we want to express 7 our appreciation and support for the second Green City 8 recommendation in the plan for the Long Beach-Wilmington 9 area, identifying a targeted investment in the largely 10 disadvantaged communities near the ports. This 11 demonstrates an important and an essential investment 12 where it is most needed. 13 We therefore express our support and urge you to 14 move forward with the Cycle 3 investment plan today to 15 continue investments in this critical zero-emission 16 infrastructure. Thank you very much for your time. 17 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 18 Jacob Ruff, I have activated your microphone. 19 You may unmute yourself and begin. 20 JACOB RUFF: Thank you, Chair Randolph and Board 21 member. Hopefully, you all can hear me. I am Jacob Ruff, 22 Operations Manager of Western Farm Workers Association. 23 WFWA is all volunteer independent membership association 24 of farm workers and other low-income workers in the San 25 Joaquin Valley.
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1 Since 1983, we've organized seasonal and migrant 2 farm workers to fight the root cause of our poverty 3 conditions. We organize a free-of-charge self-help 4 benefit program to meet survival needs, so we can fight to 5 change the government policies that perpetuate poverty. 6 Consistent with our campaign to demand that the federal 7 government implement the 2030 sustainable development 8 goals, in particular Goal 7, ensure access to affordable, 9 reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. Valley 10 CAN has organized tune-in and tune-up events at the San 11 Joaquin County fairgrounds. 12 And since 2015, our members gained access through 13 those events to smog repairs that they could not otherwise 14 afford. When 2018 wildfires put farm workers lives in 15 danger, due to poor air quality, Valley CAN sponsored our 16 N-95 mask distributions to farm workers and other workers 17 who work outdoors and needed protective equipment. 18 Electrify America's Cycle 3 plan would advance 19 the sustainable development goals and benefit farm workers 20 and other low-income workers by increasing access to clean 21 car options in one of the regions with the dirtiest air in 22 the nation. We urge the California Air Resources Board to 23 approve this plan on behalf of Western Farm Workers 24 Association. 25 Thank you.
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1 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 2 Jonathan Pruitt, I have activated your 3 microphone. You may unmute yourself and begin. 4 JONATHAN PRUITT: Good morning, Chair, Board, 5 CARB staff, and the public. My name is Jonathan Pruitt. 6 I am the Environmental Justice Program -- or I'm the 7 Environmental Justice Program Coordinator at Catholic 8 Charities Diocese Stockton providing our huge support for 9 Stockton and the other sites in the proposed Cycle 3 plan. 10 Stockton has been working hard for the past five 11 years to slowly transition to a green economy and bring 12 investments back to our underserved communities. With the 13 support of the Transformative Climate Communities grant 14 from the Strategic Growth Council, the AB 617 Community 15 Air Protection Program, CARB, and the Sustainable 16 Transportation Equity Program from CARB, this grant from 17 Electrify America will streamline Stockton's 18 infrastructure for electric vehicles and EV charging 19 stations. We look forward to its implementation to the 20 port. 21 Thank you. 22 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 23 Next, we have a phone number ending in 630. And 24 then a phone number ending in 336, Nora Fahmy and Faye 25 Caswell.
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1 Phone number ending in 630, I have activated your 2 microphone. Please state your name for the record and you 3 may begin. 4 GEORGE PINGARRON: Hello. My name is George 5 Pingarron. I am calling on behalf of Dos Vinedos 6 Organization of Stockton. We are a community group that 7 helps deal with -- helps deliver badly needed benefits to 8 the neighborhoods with the greatest challenges. We have 9 worked for many years with Valley CAN to help our members 10 solve problems with their vehicles. And we have seen how 11 Electrify America's support has given Valley CAN a lot 12 more ability to help with smog repairs and even with 13 replacing older cars with used plug-in electric vehicles. 14 This type of funding is really making the 15 difference for our members, so we urge you to approve 16 Electrify America's Cycle 3 plan, so that this partnership 17 can continue. 18 Thank you. 19 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you, George. 20 Could you please spell your last name for the 21 record. 22 GEORGE PINGARRON: P as in Paul I-n-g-a-r-r-o-n. 23 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you so much. 24 Our next speaker is phone number ending in 336. 25 Please state your name for the record and you may begin.
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1 And you will need to press star six, I believe, on your 2 phone in order to unmute yourself. 3 It doesn't look like on -- from our end that 4 you've been able to successfully unmute, so I will come 5 back to you shortly and try again. 6 Nora Fahmy, I have activated your microphone. 7 You may unmute yourself and begin your comment. 8 NORA FAHMY: Thank you. Hi. Good morning. 9 First, thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My 10 name is Nora Fahmy. I would like to thank -- to thank 11 LACI for giving me the chance to learn more about the 12 green technology and APC Fellowship Program and the chance 13 to join charging station internship. 14 I would like to talk more about what I have 15 learned during the APC Fellowship Program. I learned how 16 to make a web application from that front-end, back-end, 17 and database. And now I'm working for charging stations 18 as front-end engineer and internship program. I'm working 19 in designing, coding, and testing phases to make a mobile 20 application from scratch. I would like to join a company 21 which working in the green technology field. Finally, I 22 would like to thank Electrify America for Cycle 2 23 investment in LACI APC Fellowship Program and kindly 24 support Cycle 3 zero-emission vehicle investment plan. 25 Thank you.
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1 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 2 Faye Caswell, I have activated your microphone. 3 You may unmute yourself and begin. 4 FAYE CASWELL: Good morning, and thank you for 5 the opportunity to speak today. My name is Faye Caswell. 6 I'm the National Account Manager of Electrify America with 7 Modis, which I am speaking on behalf of. 8 Modis delivers cross-industry expertise in 9 technology and digital engineering, consulting, talent 10 services, and skill to enable digital transformation 11 acceleration innovation. 12 We support the Cycle 3 California ZEV investment 13 plan and urge the California Air Resources Board to 14 approve it today so investment can begin. We support 15 Electrify America's plan because it continues investment 16 in ultra fast 150-kilowatt and 350-kilowatt charging. We 17 are partnered with Electrify America and is very focused 18 on customer service -- or customer experience. We are 19 proud to have worked with them to deploy plug and charge 20 capability and credit card readers on every public DC fast 21 charger on Electrify America network and our teams work 22 24/7 to identify and address technical and engineering 23 challenges on the Electrify America network and bring 24 about rapid resolution. 25 In December 2020, the Electrify America fast
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1 charging network was rated number one by Charged Electric 2 Vehicle Magazine and received its Best-in-Test award. 3 We're very proud of the role that Modis' technical team 4 has played in making Electrify America's network the best 5 in the industry. 6 In addition, Electrify America's investment is 7 creating important jobs at Modis and within the community, 8 which is incredible -- which has an incredible diverse 9 workforce. Modis is working to close diversity gaps and 10 develop technology and engineering teams that are broadly 11 represented of the American workforce. We feel strongly 12 that diversity enhances performance and efficiency while 13 also encouraging innovation. 14 Thank you again for the opportunity to speak. On 15 behalf of Modis, I urge the Board to approve the Cycle 3 16 California ZEV investment plan. 17 Thank you and I yield my time back. 18 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 19 I'm going to come back to the phone number ending 20 in 336. It looks like you might be joined twice and so 21 I'm going to activate both. Please unmute yourself and 22 try to test your microphone. 23 Unfortunately, we can't hear you and you're 24 called in. If there's a possibility for you to refer to 25 the public agenda and try in through Zoom, but
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1 unfortunately I'm not able to see that you're unmuted on 2 your end. You're able to be unmuted from our end, but we 3 can't see it on yours. 4 So with that, I'm going to go to our next few 5 speakers will be Matt Klopfenstein, Amy Lilly, and Jose 6 Marin. 7 Matt, I have activated your microphone. You may 8 unmute yourself and begin. 9 MATT KLOPFENSTEIN: Thank you. Good morning, 10 Chair and Board members. Matt Klopfenstein on behalf of 11 Uber here speaking in support. We are very pleased to 12 support Electrify America's Cycle 3 California ZEV 13 investment plan. 14 This significant $200 million investment in 15 California over the -- over the next 30 months will bring 16 the state closer to achieving its emissions goals, to 17 combat climate change, and improve air quality. 18 Importantly, the plan continues to prioritize 19 rural, disadvantaged, and low-income communities for 20 investment to ensure that all communities can access 21 charging and benefit from the transition to EVs. 22 As it relates to the rideshare industry, which 23 will be working to comply with the most aggressive 24 electrification and GHG reduction targets in the world 25 under CARB's recently adopted Clean Miles Standard Policy,
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1 the Cycle 3 package would enable EA to better -- to better 2 provide funding for vehicle supply via purchase and 3 deployment of electric taxis, TNC vehicles, and fleets, et 4 cetera, which Uber has found to be a key barrier to most 5 low- and middle-income drivers. 6 In particular, Uber's pilot programs and data 7 suggests that short-term rental and lease offerings for 8 EVs presents the best value to prospective drivers and 9 therefore the best potential for growth of EV passenger 10 miles on our platform. 11 Electrify America would certainly not be alone in 12 supporting TNC drivers under this. Last year, Uber made a 13 global commitment to full electrify our rideshare platform 14 by 2040, along with $800 million in resources to help 15 drivers make a fair transition. 16 With all that said, we respectfully urge that you 17 find that EA's Cycle 3 California investment plan is 18 consistent with the requirements and support them. 19 Thank you very much. 20 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 21 Next, we have Amy Lilly. Amy, I have activated 22 your microphone. You may unmute yourself and begin. 23 AMY LILLY: ThanK you for the opportunity to 24 speak today. My name is Amy Lilly and I am speaking on 25 behalf of Mercedes-Benz U.S.A. MB U.S.A. supports
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1 Electrify America's Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan 2 and urges the California Air Resources Board to approve it 3 today, so that investment can begin. We're excited to 4 launch the Mercedes-Benz EQS in the United States later 5 this year and we'll continue our efforts towards a 6 transformative shift to electric vehicles throughout the 7 decade. 8 We support Electrify America's plan, because it 9 continues investment in ultra fast 150-kilowatt and 10 350-kilowatt charging. Ultra fast chargers can recharge a 11 car at approximately 20 miles of range per minute 12 addressing one of the key hurdles to EV adoption. 13 Electrify America has also focused on the customer 14 experience. It is very important to us that our customers 15 have a positive charging experience. We're impressed by 16 Electrify America's customer service and unique 17 attributes, including compatibility with our Mercedes me 18 Charge network and also our plug-in charge capability. 19 In summary, Mercedes-Benz U.S.A. is committed to 20 bringing EVs to the market. However, we know that we need 21 chargers in every California community in order to enable 22 EV adoption. Electrify America's investment is going to 23 help us reach that goal and that will benefit the economy, 24 the environment, and the people of California. 25 Thank you again for the opportunity to speak. On
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1 behalf of MB U.S.A., I urge the Board to approve Electrify 2 America's Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan. 3 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 4 Our next speaker will be Jose Marin. After Jose, 5 we have Scott Kim, a phone number fending in 689, and then 6 Ed Merrick. Jose, I have activated your microphone. You 7 may unmute yourself and begin. 8 JOSE MARIN: Thank you. Good morning, Madam 9 Liane Randolph, Chair, and distinguishable Board members. 10 My name is Jose. I do the community engagement and 11 outreach for Valley CAN and really wanted to express my 12 feel on the Cycle 1, Cycle 2 plan that we have been a part 13 of through our partnership with Electrify America. And 14 this partnership has really allowed us to collaborate 15 deeper with communities across the San Joaquin Valley. 16 Valley CAN is known for establishing those 17 relationships throughout the eight counties of valley. 18 And this support has really enabled us to deepen the 19 resources and services to these communities. So just in 20 short, I wanted to give you a broad overview of that and 21 appreciate the support throughout this time, and encourage 22 you to approve this new Cycle 3 zero-emission vehicles 23 investment plan. 24 Thank you. And I look forward to hearing 25 positive outcome of this meeting.
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1 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 2 Scott Kim, I have activated your microphone. You 3 may unmute yourself and begin. 4 SCOTT KIM: Good morning, Chair and Board 5 members. I thank everyone for giving me an opportunity to 6 speak today. 7 My name is Scott Kim, Global Sales Manager at 8 Signet EV. And I'm speaking on behalf of Signet EV today. 9 For those who are not very familiar with Signet, we are 10 one of the largest manufacturers of DC fast charging 11 hardware based in South Korea, and have been working very 12 closely with Electrify America since 2017 for both Cycle 1 13 and 2 investments, and now hoping to support the Cycle 3 14 California ZEV investment plan as well. 15 We have delivered about 1,780 ultra fast chargers 16 to Electrify America so far and delivering 280 more in 17 this year. That is more than 2,000 ultra fast chargers in 18 total. We support Electrify America's plan, because it 19 will continue investment in ultra fast 150-kilowatts and 20 350-kilowatt charging. These ultra fast chargers can 21 recharge EVs at approximately 20 miles of range per minute 22 serving customers and automakers' needs. 23 Since Electrify America began deploying ultra 24 fast chargers in 2018, many automakers could have brought 25 to the United States market new models that are capable --
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1 capable of much faster charging such as Hyundai, Ford, 2 General Motors, Audit, and Lucid. 3 Second, Electrify America has always set a much 4 higher standard on customer experience and they are really 5 providing the best charging experience to EV drivers 6 becoming the best EV charging infra -- infrastructure 7 model for the global markets, even for Korean market as 8 well. We are very proud to have worked with them to 9 deploy plug and capabilities and hassle free credit card 10 readers on every single Signet charger on the Electrify 11 America network. 12 And last, but not least, Electrify America's 13 investment is also creating jobs. Signet leverages a 14 global supply chain creating jobs around the world, 15 including in the United States and California. Even 16 though we have been gaining efficiency and lowered the 17 cost of chargers by using a single production line in 18 Korea, we are planning to develop U.S.-based manufacturing 19 facilities along with the partnership with Electrify 20 America. And it is part of our long-term planning. 21 Thank you again for the opportunity to speak 22 today. On behalf of Signet, we urge the bold -- Board to 23 approve the Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan. 24 Thank you. 25 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you.
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1 Next, we have a phone number ending in 689. I 2 have activated your microphone. You may unmute yourself 3 and begin. 4 EMILY ROTMAN: Hi. My name is Emily Rotman. I 5 am planner with and representing the Southern California 6 Association of Governments, otherwise known as SCAG. We 7 want to express support for approval of Electrify 8 America's Cycle 3 California ZEV investment plan. This 9 plan is an important 200 million investment that will 10 bring the state and the SCAG region closer to achieving 11 our emissions goals to combat climate change and improve 12 air quality by transitioning to zero-emission 13 transportation. 14 SCAG is the largest metropolitan planning 15 organization in California, in the United States, 16 including six counties and serving approximately 19 17 million people within 197 jurisdictions. 18 Accelerating transportation electrification is a 19 key strategy of our regional transportation plan and 20 sustainable communities strategy, known as Connect SoCal. 21 Investments in transportation electrification are critical 22 for meeting our greenhouse gas emission reduction targets 23 under SB 375. 24 The Cycle 3 ZEV investment plan will expand 25 access to zero-emission vehicles by further building out
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1 ultra fast charging infrastructure in metropolitan areas 2 and along highway corridors, supporting transit, and 3 medium- and heavy-duty fleet charging, and sponsoring the 4 ZEV education and training of other organizations. 5 Importantly, the plan continues to prioritize 6 rural, disadvantaged, and low-income communities for 7 investment ensuring that the charging benefits from the 8 transition to electric vehicles are equitably distributed. 9 Electrify America's investments will help support 10 implementation of Connect SoCal and our ongoing 11 electrification initiatives in Southern California, such 12 as training and outreach for AB 1236 permit streamlining 13 for EV charging stations, an electric vehicle charging 14 station suitability analysis, a last mile freight grant 15 program, a regional rail electrification analysis, and a 16 medium- and heavy-duty zero-emissions roadmap. 17 Additionally, SCAG supports the proposed $25 18 million investment in a Green City program to the Long 19 Beach-Wilmington community, home to the nation's busiest 20 port complex and served by a fleet of more than 18,000 21 drayage trucks. 22 This targeted investment to support 23 electrification of transit and medium- and heavy-duty 24 vehicles in the SCAG region will advance CARB's priorities 25 to quickly transition buses and drayage trucks to ZEVs and
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1 measurably reduce pollution in the communities that are 2 classified as extreme non-attainment under the Clear Air 3 Act -- Clean Air Act. 4 Thank you for the opportunity to provide 5 supportive comments on behalf of SCAG this morning. 6 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 7 Next, we will hear from Ed Merrick and then John 8 Jon Walker. 9 Ed, I have activated your microphone. You may 10 unmute yourself and begin. 11 Ed, I'm sorry. It looks like the version of Zoom 12 that you are using is not allowing me to activate you to 13 speak, so if you could try calling in. The phone number 14 is listed on the screen. 15 Sorry about that. 16 And that concludes the list of commenters. 17 However, there's a few folks that are listed under someone 18 who has already spoken. 19 So Espe, if there's someone else that is under 20 this name, I want to just give you the opportunity to test 21 your micro, if it is somebody else that's just used the 22 same log-in. 23 ARLENE GALINDO: Hello? Hi. This is Arlene 24 Galindo. Good morning, Chair and Board members. I'm with 25 the Stockton Native Collective, a group that is dedicated
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1 to supporting indigenous communities within San Joaquin 2 County. Our organization places a high value on reducing 3 the air and water pollution that is destroying the former 4 natural beauty of our ancestral lands. 5 One of the biggest needs of our members is to 6 have clean and reliable transportation throughout the 7 valley in order to access better paying jobs and continue 8 education. We certainly appreciate how Valley CAN has 9 partnered with us and our counterparts for many years to 10 make it easy for our members to qualify for smog repairs 11 and even to replace their older dirty cars with affordable 12 used plug-in vehicles. 13 Switching to electric vehicles is a game changer 14 for our members, as they don't have to constantly use 15 expensive gasoline and their cars aren't spewing poisonous 16 exhaust. Electrify America funding has helped Valley CAN 17 to be able to work more with our members in a wide 18 capacity. We'd like to see this partnership with Valley 19 CAN continue, so we respectfully request that CARB Board 20 approve Electrify America's Cycle 3 plan. 21 Thank you very much. 22 And then we also have a few other members that we 23 work with that are on the line to speak, Café Coop, the 24 Khmer Group, and Empowering Young Voices. Thank you. 25 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. If the next
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1 person would like to speak, it looks like your microphone 2 is already unmuted. 3 GEORGE PINGARRON: This is George Pingarron. I'm 4 speaking on behalf of Brandy Spencer with Empowering Young 5 Voices. 6 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Okay. George, thank you. 7 We already -- we're only having everyone speak once. If 8 there's somebody else in that group that has not already 9 spoken, then they can go ahead be begin. 10 TANYA HYDE(PHONETIC): Can I go ahead and speak 11 on behalf of the Khmer Group? 12 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: I'm sorry. It's hard to 13 hear you whoever is speaking now. 14 TANYA HYDE(PHONETIC): (Inaudible) 15 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Can you try one more 16 time? 17 TANYA HYDE(PHONETIC): 336. 18 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Okay. That's a little 19 bit better. 20 TANYA HYDE(PHONETIC): Okay. Thank you, Chair 21 and Board members. My name is Tanya Hyde and I am 22 representing the Khmer community, which is just one part 23 of a very large and diverse Southeast Asian community in 24 San Joaquin County. As a relatively new community, we are 25 always seeking to build partnerships that can help to
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1 expand our member's ability to establish deeper roots and 2 contribute to each other's success. One issue that has 3 been an ongoing challenge is clean and efficient 4 transportation. We work closely with Valley CAN to help 5 our members clean up their valley -- vehicle emissions and 6 replace their gas-powered cars with more efficient 7 electric vehicles. I have seen firsthand how 8 Electric[SIC] America financial support has made Valley 9 CAN more able to help out our members. 10 I urge the CARB Board to approve the Electrify 11 America's Cycle 3 plan, so that this partnership can 12 continue. Thank you. 13 Is there an opportunity for Café Coop and Todos 14 Unidos Stockton to speak. They're also here with us 15 today. 16 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Great. Thank. We'll go 17 ahead and start the clock again for them, if they can just 18 make sure to state their name up front, that would be 19 great. 20 ESPERANZA VIELMA: Hello. Good afternoon. Can 21 you hear me? 22 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes. We can. 23 ESPERANZA VIELMA: Okay. Thank you, Chair and 24 members. My name is Esperanza Vielma. I am the Executive 25 Director and founder of Café Coop, a co-op and the first
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1 one -- nonprofit incubator in San Joaquin County. We work 2 with our communities of color and micro-business 3 start-ups, and small businesses. We serve the Stockton 4 area and San Joaquin County. 5 Electrify America funding has made a real 6 difference for us as it has allowed Valley CAN to work 7 with us to replace our member's older cars with plug-in 8 electric vehicles. 9 Now, that we've seen how inexpensive and 10 convenient the electric vehicles are, Café Coop is hoping 11 to adopt electric vehicles for all of our outreach for 12 water quality, climate change, and COVID vaccinations in 13 our hard-to-reach rural communities. 14 We want to expand this partnership, so we 15 respectfully urge the CARB Board to approve Electrify 16 America's Cycle 3 plan. 17 Thank you. 18 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 19 Okay. Ed Merrick, I've activated your 20 microphone. You may unmute yourself and begin. 21 All right. It doesn't look like that's working 22 unfortunately still, Ed. We will come back to you. You 23 can also go onto our website to send us your comments, if 24 you have written comments that you'd like to submit. 25 And Chair Randolph, that concludes the list of
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1 commenters for the item. 2 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. 3 Mr. Corey, are there any issues raised in the 4 comments that you want to address? 5 EXECUTIVE OFFICER COREY: Chair, no additional 6 comments. The third cycle investment plan comports with 7 the consent decree and we recommend approval. 8 CHAIR RANDOLPH: All right. I will now close the 9 record on this agenda item. If any Board members have 10 questions or comments, please click the raise hand symbol. 11 Board Member Riordan. 12 BOARD MEMBER RIORDAN: Thank you, Madam Chair. 13 First, let me just say I very much appreciate the third 14 cycle of this investment plan. And I believe it is a good 15 one and certainly will support it. And particularly, I 16 want to draw attention to this naming of Wilmington and 17 Long Beach as the second Green City location. I think 18 that's very important for the Southern California area. 19 And while I've said that, I just would like to 20 encourage Electrify America and our staff in the fourth 21 cycle -- I'm already thinking about the fourth cycle. I'd 22 like you to perhaps consider the San Bernardino and 23 Riverside areas where the existing warehouse exists. 24 These trucks that are going to be electrified are going to 25 be traveling to and from those warehouse sites. Many of
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1 these warehouse sites are in or near communities of low 2 income and color. And I think we would be doing a great 3 service to both the industry and the truckers, and to the 4 communities, by providing opportunities for charging, so 5 that these truckers can go back and forth easily. 6 I don't know the range that trucks will have, but 7 I think it would be smart to have the ability to charge 8 both at the port and at the locations where the goods are 9 going to be located. 10 So I would just encourage you in that fourth 11 cycle to look at that, make it a round trip sort of 12 charging opportunity for our truckers. 13 Thank you, Madam Chair. 14 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. 15 Dr. Pacheco-Werner. 16 BOARD MEMBER PACHECO-WERNER: Hi. Yes. Thank 17 you, Chair. Thank you to staff for working on the 18 analysis. And my only comment is that I hope that we can 19 see more of these partnerships with educational 20 institutions to strengthen the workforce for this 21 infrastructure and, you know, more broadly zero-emission 22 vehicles as well, as I -- as we've seen the Bakersfield 23 College in the San Joaquin Valley. The Bakersfield 24 colleges, Electrify America partnership, I hope that we 25 can see more of those in the future as well.
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1 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. 2 Supervisor Fletcher. 3 BOARD MEMBER FLETCHER: Thank you. Thank you, 4 Chair and thank for the presentation from Electrify 5 America and all the folks who called in to lend your 6 support to this. I would just like to encourage all the 7 folks that are a part of Electrify America, as we move 8 forward in San Diego, is we've made pretty significant 9 investments as well in charging infrastructure. We have 10 ensured the EVITP certification process. I think as 11 we're -- as we're building out this system and network, we 12 want to make sure we're doing it right. We also want to 13 make sure we're contributing to good jobs. And so we have 14 found down here that to be a wonderful certification 15 process to ensure we get good well trained, skilled folks 16 that are doing the installations. And I think that would 17 be a -- something that I would -- I would really encourage 18 you to take a look at in moving forward with what you do 19 surrounding that. 20 That's it. Thank you. 21 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. 22 Board Member Hurt. 23 BOARD MEMBER HURT: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, 24 staff, and Electrify America, Mr. Giovanni Palazzo for the 25 extensive presentation and documentation. I truly
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1 appreciate the leadership of Electrify America. They're 2 stating clearly that they want to support all 3 Californians, and equity is integrated into their speak, 4 and so I really do feel it's a genuine goal. 5 With that said, I do want to highlight and uplift 6 a couple of the public comments expressed in the staff 7 presentation that I think is really important and 8 something I similarly notice, which is the specific 9 language that states "Disadvantaged low-income 10 communities/highway". And while the charger placement may 11 check the box of the geographic area that's labeled 12 disadvantaged or low income along a highway - and by the 13 way, we know that there are a lot of highways that go 14 through disadvantaged communities - it's not clear to me 15 whether the low-income communities use them as well or are 16 there individuals from other zip codes that are stopping 17 through to use them. 18 And so don't get me wrong, it's excellent that 19 they're present, but would investment be better made or 20 more impactful in low-income communities and if they were 21 placed -- concentrated in those spaces where there are 22 large access gaps for folks. And I'm really thinking 23 about the multi-unit dwellings, not just along highways, 24 but within cities that can easily be identified in small 25 and large cities' generally plans.
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1 So again, many thanks for being a part of this 2 transition, but please look and focus on multi-unit 3 dwellings in other areas within disadvantaged and impacted 4 communities, so that they're not as well left behind in 5 this transition. 6 And I think someone noted the TNCs. And as 7 everyone knows, there are a lot of drivers that are in 8 small or in multi-unit dwellings that will really need 9 this access. And so if we're going to use this funding, 10 let's do it right. 11 So again, many thanks. 12 And I think I'll just add one last thing is the 13 Q1 report in appendix, it listed the date of the charger's 14 commission, the number of sessions that happened in 2021, 15 and it's clear that's an impact from COVID when you look 16 at some of the numbers. 17 In the future, it would have been nice to see the 18 lifetime of the chargers as well, not just how many 19 sessions occurred in 2021, so that we can really target 20 where to improve marketing and communications. But again, 21 I'm going to go ahead and support the investment plan, but 22 please again focus on multi-unit areas as well as just 23 more data so that we can get the word out on this 24 transition. 25 Thank you, Chair.
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1 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. 2 Dr. Balmes. 3 BOARD MEMBER BALMES: Thank you, Chair Randolph. 4 I'll be quick, because Supervisor Hurt basically made the 5 point that I wanted to make, that we know that there's 6 already an issue with residents of multi-unit apartment 7 buildings, especially in lower income communities, you 8 know, having access to charging for electric vehicles 9 period, independent of Electrify America's investment 10 plan. So I would just add my support to Supervisor Hurt's 11 comments about this is an area to target if we really want 12 to make a difference for disadvantaged low-income 13 communities. 14 But I will also say that I'm impressed with the 15 progress that's been made so far by Electrify America and 16 the working relationship between Electrify America, and 17 the Board, and the many other organizations that came to 18 testify in support of Electrify America's investment plan 19 today. It's really pretty remarkable compared to what we 20 heard in 2018, so I do support the investment plan. 21 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Okay. Seeing no other Board 22 members with their hands up. 23 I will just note a couple quick things. I wanted 24 to echo the comments of my fellow Board members about 25 multi-unit dwellings, and in particular lift up the
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1 comments of one of the commenters Michelle Pierce, who 2 noted that having charging within walking distance of 3 folks' multi-unit dwellings I think is -- would be a great 4 priority. And she also noted one of the -- one of the 5 things I comment on a lot, which is maintenance. Please 6 make sure these chargers are fully maintained. There is 7 nothing more frustrating than planning on accessing a 8 particular charging station and finding the units not 9 working. 10 And then lastly, I appreciate SCAG's support of 11 the investment plan and their support of the permit 12 streamlining in 1236. And I encourage their work with all 13 of their jurisdictions to ensure that 1236 is fully 14 implemented, so that this infrastructure can be permitted 15 and deployed. 16 Okay. So the Board has before them Resolution 17 number 21-14. Do I have a motion and a second? 18 BOARD MEMBER PACHECO-WERNER: I move. 19 BOARD MEMBER BALMES: Second. 20 BOARD MEMBER HURT: Second. 21 CHAIR RANDOLPH: All right. Clerk, could you 22 please call the roll. 23 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Dr. Balmes? 24 BOARD MEMBER BALMES: Yes. 25 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Mr. De La Torre?
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1 BOARD MEMBER DE LA TORRE: Yes. 2 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Mr. Eisenhut? 3 BOARD MEMBER EISENHUT: Yes. 4 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Supervisor Fletcher? 5 BOARD MEMBER FLETCHER: Fletcher, yes. 6 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Senator Florez? 7 BOARD MEMBER FLOREZ: Yes. 8 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Ms. Hurt? 9 BOARD MEMBER HURT: Aye. 10 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Mr. Kracov? 11 BOARD MEMBER KRACOV: Yes. 12 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Dr. Pacheco-Werner? 13 BOARD MEMBER PACHECO-WERNER: Yes. 14 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Mrs. Riordan? 15 BOARD MEMBER RIORDAN: Aye. 16 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Supervisor Serna? 17 Professor Sperling? 18 BOARD MEMBER SPERLING: Yes. 19 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Ms. Takvorian? 20 BOARD MEMBER TAKVORIAN: Yes. 21 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Vice Chair Berg? 22 VICE CHAIR BERG: Aye. 23 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Chair Randolph? 24 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Yes. 25 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Madam Chair, the motion
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1 passes. 2 CHAIR RANDOLPH: All right. It is 12:04, so why 3 don't we plan on taking our 30-minute lunch break and come 4 back at 12:35. 5 Thank you. 6 BOAR CLERK ESTABROOK: To everyone that has 7 joined us in the Zoom environment, please mute yourself 8 and turn off your video while we're on the lunch break. 9 And then when we come back on, you can rejoin. Thanks. 10 (Off record: 12:04 p.m.) 11 (Thereupon a lunch break was taken.) 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
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1 AFTERNOON SESSION 2 (On record: 12:35 p.m.) 3 AGP VIDEO: Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Bob 4 Lloyd with AGP Video. We are recording and broadcasting. 5 Madam Chair, the floor is yours. 6 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. 7 The next item on the agenda is Item number 8 21-5-3, the 2020 annual Enforcement report. If you wish 9 to comment on this item, please click the raise hand 10 button or dial star nine now. We will call on your when 11 we get to the public comment portion of this item. 12 Each June, CARB's Enforcement Division prepares a 13 report for the Board and the public detailing staff's work 14 during the year to help ensure compliance with CARB's 15 emission reductions programs. The 2020 report is now 16 available on our website. 17 Mr. Corey, would you please introduce the item? 18 EXECUTIVE OFFICER COREY: Yes. Thanks, Chair. 19 Enforcement programs protect public health especially in 20 disadvantaged communities by helping bring non-compliant 21 companies into compliance and therefore ensuring the 22 emission reductions envisioned, when the regulatory 23 programs were adopted, are achieved. 24 The implementation of enforcement programs is a 25 team effort across CARB. And this year's report
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1 highlights how, despite many challenges in 2020, staff 2 adopted and continued to implement an effective 3 Enforcement Program. 4 I'll now ask Gretchen Ratliff of the Enforcement 5 Division to begin the staff presentation. 6 Gretchen. 7 (Thereupon a slide presentation.) 8 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Thank you, 9 Mr. Corey and good afternoon, everyone. 10 Today, I will provide an up -- overview of the 11 2020 Annual Enforcement Report. 12 --o0o-- 13 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Enforcement 14 is a team effort across CARB with efforts led by the 15 Enforcement Division in close coordination with Legal and 16 program implementation staff. Our primary goal is to 17 ensure the highest possible compliance rate in every 18 program we enforce. At the same time, we address 19 environmental injustice by focusing our enforcement 20 actions in disadvantaged communities. By doing both, we 21 create a level playing field across industry, so that 22 violators do not benefit from noncompliance. 23 --o0o-- 24 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: The events 25 of 2020 provided numerous challenges forcing us to think
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1 differently and to adapt our enforcement programs to new 2 realities. In 2020, we conducted more than 13,000 3 inspections of diesel vehicles, equipment, and ships with 4 73 percent of inspections in disadvantaged communities and 5 directed $6.8 million in penalties to supplemental 6 environmental projects, or SEPs. We resolved a landmark 7 defeat device case with Daimler Mercedes-Benz resulting in 8 a settlement exceeding $1 billion nationally with $285 9 million in penalties and mitigation to California. 10 We continued to expand our stationary source work 11 publishing a report describing the San Joaquin Valley 12 Emission Reduction Credit Program, which is leading to 13 reforms in local permitting practices. And lastly, we 14 resolved 959 routine cases and citations for more than $22 15 million. 16 --o0o-- 17 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: In today's 18 presentation, I will start by introducing how enforcement 19 works and describe our efforts to address environmental 20 injustice by focusing on compliance in disadvantaged 21 communities. Then I will describe 2020 highlights in 22 three major enforcement areas: diesel vehicles, product 23 requirements, and stationary sources. I will close with a 24 brief discussion on where our programs are moving in 2021. 25 --o0o--
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1 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Our 2 enforcement process is described in our Enforcement 3 Policy, which was developed by a public process, updated 4 in 2020, and is published online at the link listed on the 5 bottom of this slide. CARB conducts field, desk audit, 6 and laboratory inspections, and investigates to document 7 violations. If violations are identified, we issue a 8 Notice of Violation to the responsible party and initiate 9 discussions to resolve the violation. The case is settled 10 when the responsible party agrees to come into compliance 11 and pay a penalty. The associated settlement agreement is 12 a contract between CARB and the responsible party, all of 13 which are publicly posted on our website. 14 --o0o-- 15 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Civil 16 penalties are designed to deter future violations, both at 17 the individual company level and across industry as a 18 whole. To be a credible deterrent, the penalty must 19 exceed the economic benefit of noncompliance. In our 20 enforcement process, we first calculate the maximum 21 penalty based on the number of violations and the maximum 22 penalty amounts established in State law. Penalties can 23 be negotiated based on several factors that are 24 established in State law, including environmental harm and 25 compliance history. We publish the range of penalties per
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1 unit or per day of violation for each emission program in 2 our annual enforcement report in Appendix J. 3 --o0o-- 4 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: We are 5 committed to a transparent enforcement program. All our 6 case settlements and inspection results by program are 7 posted online at the link on this slide. We created our 8 Enforcement Data Visualization System to present the 9 results of our inspections each year. The system is 10 searchable by location and program, providing the result 11 of each inspection we conducted from 2015 to 2020. 12 --o0o-- 13 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Next, I 14 will discuss how we focus our enforcement efforts in 15 communities to better address environmental injustice. 16 --o0o-- 17 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: A history 18 of red-lining and other racist land-use practices led to 19 many people of color and lower income communities being 20 located in close proximity to pollution sources. Where 21 you live is a major determining factor in health outcomes. 22 And so these communities are much more vulnerable to 23 health impacts caused by air pollution. People in these 24 communities often feel that their voices are not heard or 25 are ignored by State and local authorities.
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1 Government was part of creating these inequities, 2 so government needs to be part of the solution. Through 3 enforcement, we can listen to community concerns and help 4 ensure pollutant sources in these communities are 5 compliant with local, State, and federal laws. Through or 6 SEP program, we can help address community identified 7 priorities. 8 --o0o-- 9 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: We focus 10 our efforts in disadvantaged communities first. We 11 participate in community meetings to better understand 12 local pollution concerns, then prioritize our inspections 13 and programmatic enforcement efforts to provide as much 14 benefit as possible to disadvantaged communities. 15 Enforcement staff participate in the development 16 of Community Emission Reduction Plans, or CERPs. 17 Specifically, CARB and air districts develop community 18 specific enforcement plans that are integrated into each 19 CERP. Because the magnitude of the problem is so large in 20 prioritizing our efforts, we try to build as much 21 efficiency into our work as possible. Sometimes this 22 means prioritizing particular programs and other times it 23 means prioritizing inspections in select communities. We 24 also work to respond to complaints and direct penalties to 25 SEPs benefiting, and in many cases created by,
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1 disadvantaged communities. 2 --o0o-- 3 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: The slide 4 highlights two examples of how we address community 5 concerns. We assisted the Department of Toxic Substances 6 Control, or DTSC, with their case against Schnitzer Steel. 7 The facility, at seen overhead in this satellite photo, 8 had been releasing hazardous waste into the community for 9 years. CARB evaluated the air emissions control system 10 and worked with the local community to develop a SEP to 11 benefit them. 12 In another example, residents near the Van Nuys 13 Airport complained about health impacts from exposure to 14 jet exhaust. The picture on the right, taken from a 15 person's front yard, shows an idling jet directly across 16 the street from a home. We observed aircraft activity at 17 the site and worked with local politicians and Los Angeles 18 World Airports to reduce aircraft idling in the immediate 19 vicinity of houses. We were able to lessen the impact of 20 aircraft emissions on neighbors, but the issue is that 21 homes are still across the street from an active airport 22 hangar. 23 --o0o-- 24 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: West 25 Oakland is an AB 617 community heavily impacted by the
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1 port, local trucking, and industrial facilities. Our 2 inspections were limited in 2020 due to the COVID-19 3 pandemic, but we were still able to conduct 300 4 inspections. We identified several companies that were 5 not complying with the smoke opacity testing requirements 6 for cargo handling equipment, and are working to resolve 7 these violations. 8 To suppplement this work, we reviewed business, 9 inspection, and vehicle registration records initiating 48 10 ongoing audits of diesel fleets operating in the area. In 11 addition, we worked with the West Oakland Environmental 12 Indicators Project to design a $1.9 million SEP to provide 13 air filtration systems in area schools and community 14 buildings as well as a mobile asthma clinic. 15 --o0o-- 16 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: The 17 Wilmington-Long Beach-Carson area is an AB 617 community 18 heavily impacted by the ports and trucking activity. 19 Limited by the pandemic, we conducted 1,000 inspections in 20 the community as shown in this table. Engine label 21 violations result when the required emission control label 22 is missing or illegible. This violation is easily 23 corrected by replacing the label. 24 Additionally, vehicles were cited for excessive 25 smoke and idling. Compliance rates were highest for fuels
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1 and the Truck and Bus Rule and lowest for cargo handling 2 equipment annual opacity testing. 3 Enforcement helps to ensure regulatory 4 compliance. However, communities still voice concern 5 about compliant operation of vehicles and equipment. 6 --o0o-- 7 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: SEPs are 8 community-based projects funded by a portion of penalties 9 received from our enforcement settlements. In 2020, the 10 program funded urban tree planting projects in Fresno and 11 Los Angeles, school air filtration projects across the 12 State, and implementation of a major community-driven 13 study by the Public Health Institute in Brawley, located 14 in the Imperial Valley. 15 In 2020, we allocated $6.8 million in penalties 16 to SEP projects. Today, because of our program, 40,000 17 students in 65 underserved schools breathe clean air from 18 SEP-funded filtration systems, nearly half from 2020 19 funding alone. Forty projects currently await funding and 20 we continue to look for partners to build stronger 21 community-driven SEP proposals. We believe SEPs could be 22 a much more powerful tool for affecting change in 23 communities and we are continuing to improve the program. 24 --o0o-- 25 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Next, I
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1 will discuss our diesel enforcement work. 2 --o0o-- 3 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Diesel 4 particulate matter is a carcinogen and the most 5 significant source of air toxic health risk in California 6 communities. CARB regulations require the use of 7 particulate filters in trucks and will transition on-road 8 and off-road diesel engines to advanced emission control 9 technologies. Our enforcement programs will transition 10 over the next few years. We are achieving compliance with 11 CARB's Truck and Bus Rule, so we are building new 12 enforcement technologies, techniques, and regulations to 13 ensure these trucks, equipped with emission control 14 systems, are well maintained during operation. 15 The state's ports and harbors are busy hubs for 16 trucks loading and unloading goods. We also maintain a 17 robust enforcement program focusing on ships and other 18 equipment at ports. 19 --o0o-- 20 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: With a lot 21 of hard work from across CARB over the past few years, 22 including the use of innovative enforcement techniques, 23 extens -- 24 (Voice interruption.) 25 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: --
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1 extensive advertising and outreach, and a new law 2 requiring trucks to demonstrate compliance in order to 3 register in California, the Truck and Bus Rule compliance 4 rate now exceeds 95 percent, with 98 percent for the 5 heaviest, highest emitting trucks. We are currently 6 working to clean up the remaining non-compliance. We 7 estimate the compliance rate for out-of-state trucks at a 8 minimum of 88 percent. 9 --o0o-- 10 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: We inspect 11 trucks at border crossings and across California. When we 12 identify a non-compliant fleet from another state 13 operating in California, we can pursue the case directly 14 or refer to another agency. CARB continues to partner 15 with the U.S. EPA, which settled the cases shown on this 16 slide based on information provided by CARB. 17 In 2020, we developed a new partnership with 18 local district attorney's offices and referred 528 19 noncompliant companies dating back to 2017 for additional 20 investigation. 21 --o0o-- 22 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: In 2020, we 23 inspected 11,698 diesel fleet vehicles and issued 1,350 24 citations. This was down by about one-third from last 25 year due to the pandemic. We developed an area-focused
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1 investigation strategy as a way to adjust to the pandemic. 2 Using complaints, vehicle registrations, and inspection 3 information, we identified fleets likely to be 4 non-compliant and operating in target areas. 5 We focused these investigations in Santa Maria, 6 Salinas, and West Oakland recommending 133 companies in 7 these regions for audit. These investigations are 8 ongoing. 9 --o0o-- 10 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: With the 11 fleet rapidly transitioning to exhaust emission controls, 12 most excess emissions will be generated by a small 13 fraction of high-emitting trucks. CARB developed its 14 Portable Emission Acquisition System, or PEAQS, which 15 takes a picture of a truck license plate and measures 16 emissions as the truck passes the system. Results can be 17 used to identify high-emitting trucks for enforcement. 18 Once identified, we send a letter to notify the 19 vehicle owner of options to comply. We now have two 20 permanently installed systems at agriculture inspection 21 stations at border crossings and mobile systems, which we 22 deployed at eight locations, screening more than 12,000 23 vehicles. 24 This is the future of our heavy-duty truck 25 enforcement program. We are designing and building the
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1 physical and information technology systems. We will 2 deploy 12 new systems to begin program operation by 3 January 2023. 4 --o0o-- 5 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: CARB is 6 developing a new Heavy-Duty Inspection and Maintenance 7 Program as directed by Senate Bill 210. In this program, 8 which is essentially a heavy-duty Smog Check Program, 9 operators will be required to submit onboard diagnostic 10 data to prove their trucks are well maintained. 11 By 2023, the program will apply to over 1.2 12 million heavy-duty vehicles operating in California, half 13 of which come from out of state. 14 We will initially deploy 12 new stationary PEAQS 15 units in the San Joaquin and South Coast air districts to 16 help enforce this program. PEAQS will be used to identify 17 trucks operating without a certificate of compliance with 18 the Heavy-Duty I&M Program, high emitting trucks in need 19 of repair, and non-compliant trucks registered outside of 20 California. We can also use PEAQS to identify high 21 emitting engine makes and models for potential in-use 22 compliance and certification requirement enforcement. 23 When high emissions are identified, we will work 24 with the truck operator, and if necessary, the truck 25 manufacturer to ensure the vehicle is repaired and
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1 emissions are low. 2 --o0o-- 3 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Another 4 important diesel program is marine enforcement. This 5 consists of four major areas: ocean-going vessel fuels, 6 ships docked at berth, cargo handling equipment, and 7 commercial harbor craft. 8 --o0o-- 9 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: We inspect 10 ships to ensure they are using low sulfur distillate fuel. 11 Compliance rates are high, exceeding 98 percent and we 12 enforce against companies who do not meet requirements. 13 Each year, we audit all ocean-going vessel fleets for 14 compliance with the At-Berth Regulation. This requires a 15 ship to reduce using its own engines for power and instead 16 use shore power. In 2020, we audited 2019 data, which 17 indicates the overall industry exceeds the regulatory 18 requirements of 70 percent reduction. 19 Notably, we assessed a nearly $2 million penalty 20 to Del Monte for violations of the at-berth regulation at 21 the Port of Hueneme. This is our largest at-berth 22 regulation settlement to date, which reflected several 23 years of the fleet's failure to meet requirements. 24 --o0o-- 25 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: CARB's
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1 regulations apply to a wide array of vehicles, engines, 2 and other consumer products, including solvents, composite 3 wood products, automotive parts, and air cleaners. We 4 evaluate products and enforce where non-compliance is 5 identified. 6 --o0o-- 7 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Vehicles 8 and engines must be certified by CARB and issued an 9 Executive Order before they can be legally sold in 10 California. To obtain certification, manufacturers report 11 how the equipment works and conduct testing to demonstrate 12 emissions limits will be met over the life of the vehicle 13 or engine. CARB staff tests vehicles and equipment to 14 verify compliance, and if emissions exceed the standards, 15 investigate. 16 Often, a failed part is identified as the problem 17 and CARB regulations specify procedures the manufacturer 18 must follow to recall and fix affected vehicles or 19 engines. These recalls are implemented by Certification 20 and In-Use Compliance staff. 21 --o0o-- 22 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: The 23 certification process is fundamental to CARB's mobile 24 source program. Sometimes during emissions testing and 25 investigation, CARB staff identifies issues that go beyond
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1 failing parts. These violations are extremely serious. 2 In these cases, Enforcement and Legal staff join the team 3 to investigate and document violations of certification 4 requirements. Violations include failure to report or 5 disclose information during or after certification or 6 illegal software called a defeat device. These violations 7 are resolved in collaboration with the California Attorney 8 General's Office, United States Environmental Protection 9 Agency, and United States Department of Justice. 10 --o0o-- 11 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: In 2015, 12 CARB testing of Daimler/Mercedes-Benz vehicles identified 13 undisclosed Auxiliary Emission Control Device 14 calibrations, or AECDs, and defeat devices in 250,000 15 model year 2009 through 2016 diesel vehicles sold in the 16 U.S., including almost 37,000 sold in California. 17 These undisclosed AECDs cause the vehicles to 18 appear compliant when being tested on regulatory test 19 cycles, but then operate differently during real world 20 driving. Daimler's vehicles emitted oxides of nitrogen, 21 or NOx, in excess of emission standards under normal 22 driving conditions, which is illegal and a threat to 23 public health. 24 Daimler also programmed the on-board diagnostic, 25 or OBD, systems in the vehicles to work with the defeat
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1 devices to ensure that vehicles pass certification testing 2 and smog checks when emitting excess emissions. 3 CARB, the Attorney General's office, and the U.S. 4 worked together to hold Daimler accountable. The 5 resulting settlement fixed the vehicles, mitigated 6 environmental harm caused by NOx emissions and deters 7 future violations through a combined settlement exceeding 8 $1 billion, including $285 million to California. 9 The settlement was the product of years of staff 10 collaboration from CARB's certification, in-use 11 compliance, testing, enforcement, and the legal office. 12 --o0o-- 13 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Our 14 enforcement program applies to vehicles and engines of all 15 types. Here are three examples of cases we settled in 16 2020. Honda sold small off-road gasoline engines used in 17 generators and lawn and garden equipment that did not meet 18 CARB evaporative emission requirements. Navistar failed 19 to disclose changes they made to engines after they were 20 sold, which is a violation of certification requirements. 21 Enforcement staff also inspect dealerships to ensure only 22 CARB-certified vehicles and engines are offered for sale 23 in California. Flagship illegally modified 50 new 24 vehicles for sale into California. 25 Our enforcement program ensures vehicles and
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1 engines meet California's stringent emission limits to 2 protect public health. 3 --o0o-- 4 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Emission 5 controlled vehicles and engines cannot be modified with 6 parts that increase emissions. Our aftermarket parts 7 enforcement program focuses on the entire supply chain 8 from manufacturers, to wholesalers, distributors, 9 retailers, and end users. We ramped up our enforcement 10 program in 2012 due to widespread noncompliance. Over the 11 past eight years, we have closed more than 100 cases and 12 assessed $20 million in penalties. In 2020, we settled a 13 case with Comoto Holdings, an aftermarket parts retailer, 14 for $1.9 million for selling illegal parts. 15 In 2018, we started a compliance assistance 16 initiative with industry, ultimately resulting in the 17 release of a compliance advisory describing what industry 18 can do to comply with CARB requirements. 19 The Specialty Equipment Market Association, or 20 SEMA, also expanded its voluntary labeling program for its 21 members so they might more clearly label parts not legal 22 for sale in California. 23 A testament to the success of our anti-tampering 24 program, a recent U.S. EPA compliance initiative 25 identified that California had the lowest tampering rate
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1 for medium- and light-heavy duty diesel trucks, 1.8 2 percent, three times lower than any other state. 3 --o0o-- 4 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: CARB 5 regulates the amount of volatile organic compounds, or 6 VOCs, in various categories of consumer products. In 7 2020, we settled 20 cases for selling non-compliant 8 products assessing over $602,000 in penalties. 9 One notable case was with Drybar, which sold 10 non-compliant hair spray products resulting in more than 11 nine tons of excess emissions. 12 --o0o-- 13 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: CARB 14 established emission standards for composite wood products 15 to protect the public from formaldehyde emissions. The 16 program is enforced through CARB deconstructive testing 17 and audits. In 2020, we closed four cases for $357,811, 18 including a case with TJX Companies. 19 Increasingly, we are using a scanning tool to 20 measure formaldehyde emissions from products. Recently 21 using this screening tool, we identified several 22 children's furniture products with high formaldehyde 23 emissions. We quickly contacted the manufacturer who 24 immediately removed all products from stores. This 25 technique shows promise for further protecting public
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1 health from non-compliant products. 2 --o0o-- 3 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: CARB's 4 fuel -- fuels regulations specify formulation requirements 5 to reduce smog-forming potential and greenhouse gas 6 emissions. We regularly sample fuels, inspect facilities, 7 and evaluate low carbon fuels standards reporting to 8 identify violations. In 2020, we settled cases with Shell 9 Oil for violations of reformulated fuel requirements and 10 with British Petroleum for violations of the Low Carbon 11 Fuel Standard. 12 --o0o-- 13 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Next, I 14 will present our enforcement and related work focused on 15 stationary sources. 16 --o0o-- 17 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: State law 18 gives 35 local air districts primary authority over 19 enforcing criteria pollutant emissions from stationary 20 sources. CARB supports the air districts by providing 21 training, and reviewing district permitting, regulatory, 22 and enforcement programs to ensure effectiveness in 23 accordance with our oversight authority in State law. 24 CARB adopts regulations designed to reduce 25 greenhouse gases, which apply to stationary sources such
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1 as landfills and oil and gas facilities. We can enforce 2 these laws directly and in many cases have delegated 3 enforcement authority to local air districts. We also 4 operate a statewide Portable Equipment Registration 5 Program. 6 --o0o-- 7 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Air 8 districts range in staff size from the hundreds to just 9 one for the entire district. Our training program is 10 especially helpful for the smaller rural air districts. 11 In 2018 and 2019, we worked with local air districts to 12 develop a training plan and in 2020 we released four new 13 online courses to provide fundamental enforcement 14 training. Most stationary sources in California are 15 subject to smoke opacity limits, which are enforced 16 through U.S. EPA Method 9, Visual Emission Evaluation. 17 CARB is the sole training provider in the state 18 and any inspector must pass a certification test every six 19 months in accordance with federal requirements. This 20 program must be conducted in person and thus was impacted 21 by the pandemic. We amended our class protocols to ensure 22 social distancing, provided protective equipment, and 23 trained over 1,000 students without illness. 24 --o0o-- 25 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Our review
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1 programs are designed to help ensure effective local 2 permitting and enforcement. In 2020, we reviewed the San 3 Joaquin Valley Emission Reduction Credit System and 4 Imperial Valley Air District enforcement procedures and 5 worked with districts to implement improvements. We also 6 worked with the California Energy Commission and Bay 7 Air -- Bay Area Air Quality Management District to 8 strengthen public health protection for back-up generator 9 operations. 10 Using CARB's new Technology Clearinghouse, the 11 Bay Area Air Quality Management District declared large 12 tier four diesel engines as best available control 13 technology for stationary back-up generators. The 14 Technology Clearinghouse is an important tool that CARB is 15 developing and you will hear more about it later today. 16 --o0o-- 17 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: CARB's 18 Landfill Methane Regulation is designed to reduce methane 19 emissions from municipal solid waste landfills. In 2020, 20 we inspected seven landfills identifying methane emission 21 exceedances at five. We are working with the responsible 22 districts to resolve these violations. 23 --o0o-- 24 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: We also 25 operate portable equipment registration programs to ensure
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1 compliance with the emission control requirements. Last 2 year, we processed 8,000 applications and collected $9 3 million in fees, which cover program implementation costs. 4 The Cargo Tank Vapor Recovery Program reviews applications 5 to certify the fuel vapor systems of cargo tanks. In 6 2020, over 6,000 applications were reviewed. To enhance 7 this program, we created a compliance assistance program 8 that includes training and outreach to regulated 9 companies. 10 --o0o-- 11 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Finally, 12 let's discuss current activities and future plans. 13 --o0o-- 14 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: With 15 pandemic constraints easing, we are working to improve our 16 enforcement programs. We are adapting to the new hybrid 17 telework environment and putting new tracking metrics in 18 place to ensure productivity is maintained or enhanced. 19 We continue to work to be more effective in our 20 enforcement efforts and interactions with disadvantaged 21 communities. As CARB develops new regulations, we provide 22 input to help ensure enforceability. We are developing 23 our next generation of heavy-duty truck enforcement 24 programs and expanding our work on stationary sources. 25 --o0o--
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1 ED AIR POLLUTION SPECIALIST RATLIFF: Despite the 2 challenges that the pandemic presented, our enforcement 3 programs remained defective in 2020. Our enforcement 4 report is published at the website shown. This concludes 5 my presentation and we will now be happy to answer any 6 questions you may have. 7 CHAIR RANDOLPH: All right. Thank you. We will 8 be hearing from the public who raised their hand to speak 9 on this item. Will the Board Clerk please call the 10 commenters 11 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thanks, Chair. We have 12 one person with their hand raised. It looks like Matt 13 Homes. Matt, I have activated your microphone. You can 14 unmute yourself and begin your comment. 15 Matt, are you there? 16 It looks like you're unmuted, but we can't hear 17 you and now you're muted again. 18 Hello? 19 Or is Dillon this line? 20 MATT HOLMES: How about now? 21 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes, we can hear you. 22 MATT HOLMES: Yeah, so I'm actually commenting on 23 behalf of Dillon in his role as an Environmental Justice 24 Advisory Committee member. So I don't know if that 25 affects your clock or not. I'm his designated alternate.
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1 So I'll get to the point. 2 Thank you, Chair -- 3 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: So I -- 4 MATT HOLMES: Sorry? 5 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: -- just wanted to 6 clarify, sorry, this is the enforcement item that we're -- 7 that we're covering right now for public comment. 8 MATT HOLMES: I thought we were taking public 9 comment on the Scoping Plan. 10 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: No, the enforcement item 11 is what's currently being heard. 12 MATT HOLMES: Okay. Well, I was raising my as 13 Dillon for the Scoping Plan, so I will withhold my 14 comments. 15 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Okay. Yeah, we'll come 16 back to that. Thank you. 17 Okay. Chair, that concludes the list of 18 commenters then for this item. 19 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Okay. All right. So this is an 20 informational item, so there's no need to close the 21 record, but I will open it up to Board members for 22 questions or comments. Please click the raise hand symbol 23 if you would like to make a comment or have a question. 24 Board member De La Torre. 25 BOARD MEMBER DE LA TORRE: Thank you. I just
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1 wanted to thank our Enforcement team, particularly in this 2 last year, how difficult it must be to be out there. And 3 a lot of us have the luxury of being able to work from 4 home. They don't. They have to be out there doing their 5 enforcement work. 6 And the statistics that they presented in terms 7 of the compliance are really impressive. I remember when 8 we did the amendments on the Truck and Bus Rule. We were 9 at 80 percent compliance. So that was just a couple years 10 ago. And to be where we are is really, really impressive. 11 We have a lot of additional work to do. I know -- I don't 12 know if Senator Leyva is on the line, but her legislation 13 is really going to help us a great deal with those 14 heavy-duty dirty trucks. 15 And so I just want to acknowledge that I 16 appreciate everything that's done. It really is where the 17 rubber meets the road. It's -- I know it's cheesy, but -- 18 that we do these regulations and our Enforcement team is 19 out there making sure that people are following through. 20 So thank you to Todd and the whole team. 21 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Okay. Board Member Takvorian. 22 BOARD MEMBER TAKVORIAN: Thank you, Chair. 23 I -- Mr. De La Torre took all my comments, so I 24 just want to echo those and appreciate the hard work of 25 staff with the -- I think the diligence to protect and --
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1 all of our communities, and especially disadvantaged 2 communities especially during this pandemic year. It was 3 really outstanding. And they -- Todd and his whole team 4 really deserved a lot of our gratitude for really hanging 5 in there during this year and really exceeding their 6 goals. 7 I want to say that the enforcement data 8 visualization map is a really useful tool. And I think 9 it's a good model to build on for what I hope in the 10 future will be complete information for all in -- for 11 facilities from permitting to enforcement, so that we can 12 have that for the entire state of California. And I did 13 want to note, just a regional note, that the staff had 14 pointed out to me during the briefing, and I think it 15 really deserves acknowledgement was their partnership with 16 San Diego Air Pollution Control District who conducted 17 about 3,500 heavy-duty inspections, and issued over almost 18 300 citations. So that also seems like a very good model 19 to partner with local districts who are on the ground. 20 And I hope that can be used in other regions, so thank you 21 very much. 22 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. 23 Board Member Riordan. 24 BOARD MEMBER RIORDAN: Thank you, Madam Chair. 25 I, too, want to comment the staff for the work
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1 that they've done this past year. The Enforcement staff 2 has always been very effective and particularly under 3 difficult circumstances as was pointed out. 4 From the perspective of the mid-sized and small 5 districts, we just can't say enough how important it is to 6 work with our enforcement people. Establishing the 7 webinars for training has been very helpful, particularly 8 in the more remote districts, as well as thought we need 9 to hopefully continue, because not everything can be done 10 on a webinar training situation, particularly the smoke 11 detection. 12 And I think I would be remiss if I didn't remind 13 the staff that anything you can do to make that 14 accessible -- more accessible for our staff, since it 15 occurs once every six months, I would be very grateful. 16 And I know that the smaller and mid-sized districts would 17 be grateful to. To travel great distances to take that 18 class is sometimes very difficult and very expensive. So 19 anything you can do to augment some local training 20 programs, I would be very grateful, as they would. 21 Thank you. 22 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. 23 Any other questions or comments from Board 24 members? 25 All right. Seeing none.
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1 I will add my thanks to the Enforcement staff. I 2 very much appreciate the critical point that was made 3 about government had a hand in building these 4 systematically racist land use and structures. And it's 5 our responsibility to protect those residents that are 6 impacted by that and our Enforcement Program is an 7 excellent opportunity to do that. So thank you so much 8 for that excellent work. And since we don't have a vote, 9 I will move on to our next agenda item. 10 Okay. The next item on the agenda is Item number 11 21-5-4, an informational update on the 2022 Scoping Plan 12 process. If you wish to comment on this item, please 13 click the raise hand button or dial star nine now and we 14 will call on you when we get to the public comment portion 15 of this item. 16 At the May Board meeting, the Board voted to 17 convene the Environmental Justice Advisory Committee. And 18 there was a request for staff to come back and provide an 19 update on the process to develop the 2022 Scoping Plan 20 update. The AB 32 Scoping Plan must be updated every five 21 years. The last update was approved by the Board in late 22 2017. 23 We all know climate change is here and it is 24 having a devastating effect on public health, the 25 environment, and our economy. Without action, these
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1 effects will only get worse, especially for communities 2 that already suffer disproportionate health impacts. 3 Not only will the 2022 Scoping Plan update assess 4 progress towards achieving the SB 32 2030 GHG reduction 5 target, but it will lay out a path to achieve carbon 6 neutrality no later tan 2045. The 2030 target is a 7 milestone to achieving our mid-century goals and a 8 progress check on where we are, and what strategy 9 adjustments are necessary is critical. 10 Earlier this month, we held kick-off workshops 11 for the Scoping Plan to have some table setting updates on 12 the status of key scoping plan topics, such as 13 transportation and natural and working lands. I attended 14 some of those sessions, including the EJAC Committee 15 kick-off and panel. Add I want to thank the Board members 16 that virtually attended as well. 17 I want to particularly acknowledge Chanell 18 Fletcher and Rajinder Sahota for an their collaboration 19 and inclusion of EJAC members in the opening comments for 20 the workshop and prioritizing members for comment after 21 the panel presentations concluded. 22 Today, we're going to hear more about the process 23 and the technical analysis that staff will develop as they 24 build a draft of the update for initial Board hearing in 25 early 2022. I appreciate the hard work that is going into
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1 this process and improving the Scoping Plan work going 2 forward. I want to elevate the EJAC and thank them once 3 again for agreeing to do this important work. 4 Over the last month, as we have gotten started, 5 I've observed a lot and heard a lot from various 6 stakeholders and I think it's important for me to share a 7 few thoughts. So I'm going to digress a little bit and 8 talk about our environmental equity work generally and how 9 it isn't helping -- how it is in helping inform me about 10 the Scoping Plan process. 11 I am very proud of the progress we have made to 12 build on our past efforts to incorporate environmental 13 justice work into the work that we do every day. Since my 14 first Board meeting in February, we have set forth a path 15 to fully implement Senator Florez's bill to phase out ag 16 burning in the San Joaquin Valley. We've created a new 17 Deputy Executive Officer for Environmental Justice, 18 increased the diversity of senior staff, and are working 19 with employees to implement strategies around diversity, 20 equity, and inclusion within the agency. 21 We have incorporated environmental equity 22 strategies into our triennial research projects. We've 23 made progress incorporating environmental justice into our 24 incentive program, for, example, by shifting our last 25 tranche of CVRP funds earlier this year into our equity
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1 programs to serve lower income residents and we've been 2 working on incorporating environmental justice into our 3 rulemaking processes, such as Advanced Clean Cars II, 4 where we have upcoming workshop that will focus on issues 5 of equity. We have continued our hard work on the AB 617 6 Program, and have welcomed a new head of the Office of 7 Community Air Protection. 8 And so we are challenging ourselves to ensure 9 that we are incorporating equity into the Scoping Plan 10 process. We are trying to do better. We've been 11 listening to feedback and adjusting on the fly as we hear 12 that feedback. We're listening and we're working hard to 13 make actionable progress. 14 We have a lot of work to do on the Scoping Plan. 15 And I want to make sure that we are talking not just about 16 process, but about substance. Yes, process is important. 17 I want to make sure that future workshops incorporate 18 issues of environmental equity into substantive 19 conversations and not just a separate panel. I want to 20 make sure that the EJAC meetings themselves are not just 21 about receiving information presented by staff, but 22 there's a robust opportunity for give and take. And I'm 23 confident, based on my work with staff, that they're 24 taking this seriously and they're adjusting how they 25 approach this work.
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1 But we also need to recognize that we have to 2 produce a substantive product and I take that obligation 3 very seriously. Our statutory mandate is to complete the 4 Scoping Plan in 2022 and we will do that. We will lay out 5 a path to achieve our 2030 target and we will lay a path 6 on how to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. This is 7 critical work at a critical juncture and we must chart our 8 way to a zero-emission future. 9 At the end of the day, something as complex as 10 the Scoping Plan can't really be drafted by committee. It 11 will be up to our staff to produce a document for us to 12 consider, but the substance of that document will be 13 informed and made more complete by the work of the EJAC. 14 We will need to make sure there are opportunities for the 15 concepts, views, and lived experience of the EJAC members 16 to not just be noted in the document itself, but also to 17 influence and advise the content. And it is that openness 18 to finding areas of commonality and opportunity to adjust 19 that I hope we can bring to this scoping plan process. 20 I recognize that there will certainly be areas of 21 disagreement and there will be proposals that are not 22 ultimately adopted, but I know we have a lot of common 23 ground. We all want to chart a path away from fossil fuel 24 extraction, refining, and consumption in an equitable 25 area. And I'm hopeful that with the true spirit of
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1 collaboration, we can be open to looking for those areas 2 of common ground that will help us build the best 3 strategies to achieve these goals. 4 This item is informational, so the Board will not 5 be taking any formal action today, but I am very much 6 looking forward to the comments and input from our Board 7 members. 8 Mr. Corey, will you please introduce the item? 9 EXECUTIVE OFFICER COREY: Yes. Thanks, Chair. 10 As noted, the goal of today's item is to hear 11 from staff on the plan's process, and construction and 12 analysis of the AB 32 Scoping Plan update. And as noted, 13 the Scoping Plan was last updated and approved by the 14 Board in late 2017 and is due back to the Board in late 15 2022 for consideration. Staff will highlight the 16 governing statutes, Executive Orders, EJAC, and public 17 process, and analytical work that is to be conducted 18 throughout the development process. 19 Earlier this month, staff held kick-off workshops 20 to help orient stakeholders to the process. We're now 21 currently in an open public comment period on those 22 workshops. And as noted, this is just the beginning of 23 the process to update the Scoping Plan, but our evaluation 24 of deep decarbonization, emission reductions has been 25 ongoing for years, per direction in other statutes and
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1 Board resolutions. Staff will highlight some of these 2 efforts that will feed into the Scoping Plan process. 3 The staff presentation will also include a 4 timeline and plan for engagement. Staff will work with 5 the EJAC to further refine engagement efforts on the 6 Scoping Plan to ensure strong outreach to environmental 7 justice communities. And while Chanell Fletcher and 8 Rajinder Sahota are the deputies leading the development 9 process of the plan, as you noted, they're supported by at 10 least half of the divisions within the agency, as the plan 11 touches every sector -- every sector of the economy. 12 As an example, work related to mobile sources, 13 which represents the majority of GHG emissions and air 14 pollution is under the umbrella of at least three deputies 15 and their divisions in the agency. Another area of 16 coordination will need to be with our sister agencies who 17 have primary jurisdiction over key sectors of the economy, 18 such as energy and natural and working lands. 19 With that, I'll ask Carey Bylin of the Energy 20 Section to give the staff presentation. 21 Carey. 22 (Thereupon a slide presentation.) 23 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: Thank you, 24 Mr. Corey. As you noted, we are just starting the process 25 to develop the 2020 Scoping Plan update. In this
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1 presentation I will provide an overview of the development 2 process, introduce the process to integrate the 3 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee, outline 4 structural pieces of the Scoping Plan and key guidelines 5 we follow, and end with the timeline and next steps. 6 --o0o-- 7 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: This graphic 8 should be familiar to many of us. It shows that since 9 2000, we have made significant progress in reducing 10 emissions per capita per GDP, and in total, while the 11 economy and population continue to grow. We achieved the 12 2020 target of returning to 1990 greenhouse gas emissions 13 levels in 2016, four years earlier than mandated by AB 32. 14 The pie chart shows what sectors contribute the 15 most to your greenhouse gas emissions in the AB 32 16 emissions inventory. Approximately half of the industrial 17 sector emissions are from oil and gas extraction and 18 refining, which means the transportation sector is 19 responsible for about 50 percent of the state's emissions. 20 We have seen emission reductions in the 21 electricity sector and we have been able to constrain 22 emissions in the industrial, and residential, and 23 commercial sectors, as the population and economy grew. 24 But emissions in the transportation sector remain the most 25 challenging to reduce. At the beginning of this year,
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1 several of the key climate policies doubled in stringency 2 to help deliver the deeper reductions we need in this 3 decade. This includes the Renewables Portfolio Standard, 4 Cap-and-Trade Program, and Low Carbon Fuel Standard. 5 --o0o-- 6 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: We know that 7 climate change is happening and we have an imperative to 8 act. The evidence is clear. The changes in our physical 9 environment are impacting public health and the economy. 10 We also know that these impacts are disproportionately 11 felt by front-line communities, which are often 12 communities of color. Poor air quality has increased 13 susceptibility to respiratory illness, such as COVID-19. 14 Summer after summer, the state has experienced 15 catastrophic wildfires that have resulted in loss of life, 16 severe smoke episodes and destruction of property. We 17 have also seen extended periods of drought that have 18 resulted in job losses and significant damages to our 19 agricultural industry. Drought and heat events also 20 strain our energy grid. 21 --o0o-- 22 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: Actions we 23 take to address climate change must protect public health 24 and address opportunity gaps. With and economy-wide 25 climate change plan, we have many opportunities to make a
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1 real difference in heavily burdened communities and make 2 sure that they are the first to benefit from climate 3 action. It is also clear the situation we find ourselves 4 both in terms of air quality and climate change is the 5 result of our dependence on fossil energy -- fossil fuel 6 energy. 7 Moving away from the combustion of those fuels 8 will bring the necessary benefits to air quality and 9 public health. And we continue to believe that the funds 10 generated through carbon pricing should continue to be 11 reinvested to benefit heavily burdened communities and 12 address opportunity gaps. All of this means we need to be 13 purposeful in integrating equity as we develop the Scoping 14 Plan. Doing so will be an ongoing discussion with the 15 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee, which I will 16 refer to as the EJ Advisory Committee. 17 Staff's initial thoughts for integrating equity 18 include working across all levels of the organization to 19 engage with the EJ Advisory Committee and exploring 20 discrete actions in the plan that benefit communities 21 first. 22 As has been mentioned by others, we will explore 23 and integrate actions in the Community Emissions Reduction 24 Programs that can provide near-term air quality benefits 25 and longer term greenhouse gas reductions. And we already
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1 know that we must protect low-income households from high 2 energy costs. We look forward to discussing these issues 3 and others with the EJ Advisory Committee and the public. 4 --o0o-- 5 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: This next 6 slide is to show how we will integrate the input we 7 receive on environmental justice as we develop the Scoping 8 Plan and engage with the EJ Advisory Committee. The 9 committee is established to -- in AB 32 to provide 10 recommendations to CARB on the development of the Scoping 11 Plan. We will support the Advisory Committee throughout 12 the -- throughout the Scoping Plan development possess, as 13 it holds public and community meetings to develop 14 recommendations and to enable the community members to 15 share their thoughts with CARB and sister agency staff 16 directly. 17 Integration of environmental justice input will 18 happen at every level of the process for developing the 19 Scoping Plan. The CARB Chair and Executive Officer will 20 meet regularly with the Deputy Executive Officers for 21 Environmental Justice and Climate and Research and will be 22 available to meet with environmental justice advocates 23 upon request. 24 The Executive Officer will also update board 25 members on the possess and input provided by the EJ
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1 Advisory Committee. 2 The Deputy Executive Officers for Environmental 3 Justice and Climate Change and Research will jointly 4 attend committee meetings as possible. The deputies will 5 also regularly brief the Chair and Executive Officer and 6 have biweekly meetings to ensure close coordination. The 7 deputies will also confer with the relevant divisions as 8 environmental justice and equity issues are raised. 9 And to ensure the key divisions involved in the 10 development of the Scoping Plan are integrated into the 11 process, staff representing those divisions will attend 12 the EJ Advisory Committee meetings. These staff will also 13 be available to provide deep dives on topics that are of 14 particular interest to the Advisory Committee. As part of 15 the process to develop the Scoping Plan, the staff joining 16 the Committee meetings will share what they hear and learn 17 with their division management teams for consideration. 18 We believe the structure and the feedback 19 channels created will result in better integration of 20 environmental justice input into the development of the 21 Scoping Plan. We will evaluate and refine the structure 22 as we move through the process. We will also explore how 23 to do an equity analysis of the Scoping Plan. 24 --o0o-- 25 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: Scoping
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1 plans are actionable plans to lay out cost effective and 2 technologically feasible paths to ensure we meet the 3 statewide greenhouse gas reduction targets. Each scoping 4 plan includes a suite of policies to achieve the broad 5 mandates that guide development of the plan. They each 6 have a combination of incentives, regulations, and carbon 7 pricing, many of which are mandated or authorized via 8 statute, like the Renewables Portfolio Standard and the 9 Cap-and-Trade Program. 10 AB 32 requires that CARB update the Scoping Plan 11 at least once every five years. This is our fourth 12 scoping plan update, and all previous plans leverage 13 traditional air quality programs to provide both 14 greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions reductions. 15 We are required to minimize leakage, also known 16 as the situation where production of goods and jobs leaves 17 the state, so it looks like we reduced emissions, but 18 those merely moved out of our inventory. When production 19 leaves the state, it can result in a loss of jobs in the 20 state. 21 Finally, AB 32 requires that policies in the plan 22 are cost effective with flexible compliance options and 23 directs CARB to facilitate subnational and national 24 collaboration. Climate change is a global issue and 25 without action from like-minded partners, we will still
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1 face the impacts of climate change. 2 For global pollutants, such as greenhouse gases, 3 a reduction anywhere is a benefit everywhere. Our goal 4 has always been to develop scalable and exportable 5 programs that other jurisdictions can implement and use to 6 reduce emissions within their borders. That is one of our 7 biggest contributions to addressing this global threat. 8 --o0o-- 9 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: The 2020 10 Scoping Plan will assess progress to achieving our 2030 11 target and will evaluate how to put ourselves on a path 12 that ultimately achieves carbon neutrality. On this 13 graphic, you can see the 2030 target of 40 percent below 14 1990 levels by 2030. If we achieve that target and 15 maintain that rate of reductions, we would be able to 16 achieve 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2040. That puts 17 us in a good position to achieve carbon neutrality by 18 2045. 19 The orange line depicts an existing Executive 20 Order for 80 percent below 1990 emissions levels by 2050 21 and allows for a less ambitious rate of reductions after 22 2030. Our goal should be to maintain emission reduction 23 trajectories to ensure our path to 2030 also leads us to 24 achieving carbon neutrality in 2045. 25 So 2030 is a milestone on the way to achieving
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1 carbon neutrality. The level of transformation required 2 to hit carbon neutrality by mid-century means that we 3 should prioritize actions and technologies that will not 4 result in stranded assets after 2030. A longer policy 5 signal is also critical to attract private capital for 6 action and investment in clean technology. 7 --o0o-- 8 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: This slide 9 from the 2017 Scoping Plan update depicts the economy-wide 10 nature and suite of policy types identified to help 11 achieve the 2030 target. Programs touch every sector of 12 the economy and some sectors may be subject to several 13 policies to ensure all tools are being utilized to reduce 14 emissions in that sector. 15 For example, the transportation sector has clean 16 fuels and clean technology policies. Importantly, the 17 2017 Scoping Plan highlighted the need to leverage our 18 existing air quality programs to achieve our greenhouse 19 gas targets and continue to drive down harmful air 20 pollution in vulnerable communities. 21 --o0o-- 22 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: I want to 23 now pivot to this 2020 Scoping Plan, which is due to the 24 Board in late 2022 for consideration and approval. 25 Every scoping plan has had a different purpose to
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1 reflect new legislative mandates, climate goals, or types 2 of assessments needed at that time. The 2020 Scoping Plan 3 will assess progress towards the statutory 2030 target to 4 reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 percent 5 from 1990 levels by 2030. And 2045 is the science-based 6 target for carbon neutrality, if we are to avoid the worst 7 impacts of climate change. 8 Given that it looks out over 20 years, this 9 scoping plan will have the longest planning horizon 10 relative to any previous version. This means we will 11 place a larger focus on outcomes we need to achieve by 12 that time. In identifying outcomes, the modeling will 13 also provide paths for clean technology and energy 14 development, for example, the rate of sales of light-duty 15 electric vehicles or electric appliances. 16 These metrics, in addition to the annual 17 greenhouse gas inventory, can help us track progress 18 moving forward. Importantly, these outcomes must be 19 considered in both the context of achieving near-term air 20 quality benefits and longer term greenhouse gas benefits. 21 Each scoping plan is a mix tech -- policy and 22 technical work. This graphic is from the 2017 Scoping 23 Plan and the first step is to model what emissions would 24 look like if you took no further action. This is shown 25 with the solid blue line that hovers around 400 million
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1 metric tons. The dotted lines lead to the 2030 and 2050 2 goals. 3 The second step in the process is to design 4 mitigation scenarios that show potential paths to reach 5 the targets. 6 --o0o-- 7 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: In designing 8 scenarios, staff endeavors to build options that align 9 with existing statutes an Executive Orders, meet the 10 greenhouse gas goals, and work in concert with our 11 existing and emerging air quality programs. Importantly, 12 the scenarios must include features the will deliver 13 near-term air quality benefits, especially in heavily 14 burdened communities. 15 When scoping plan scenarios are presented to the 16 Board, we provide details that demonstrate its consistency 17 with statute and Executive Orders. We also identify the 18 trade-offs amongst among scenarios and balance multiple 19 statutes that speak to benefits, costs, minimizing 20 leakage, and technical feasibility. The exception to this 21 may be a scenario or scenarios that reflect the views of 22 specific stakeholder groups, which I will discuss in a few 23 slides. 24 --o0o-- 25 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: The primary
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1 greenhouse gas modeling tool we will use is called 2 PATHWAYS. This is the same model we used for the 2017 3 Scoping Plan and is also used by some sister agencies for 4 their longer term modeling. This model is State level and 5 has inputs for all sectors of the economy except natural 6 and working lands. 7 It produces State level outputs for greenhouse 8 gases, fuel demand by fuel type, and costs that can -- and 9 costs. And these can all be disaggregated by sector. 10 PATHWAYS does not model local air quality or 11 health impacts, but the outputs are used to run subsequent 12 economic, air quality, and health impact analyses. In 13 order to have time to do all of this additional work, the 14 modeling at this step must be concluded about five months 15 prior to us publishing a draft or final plan. 16 --o0o-- 17 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: To make this 18 more tangible, the next two slides will show the types of 19 analysis that we have done previously. In this chart, the 20 five columns represent the scenarios that were evaluated 21 during the 2017 Scoping Plan update. The proposed 22 scenario in the first column is the scenario staff 23 ultimately proposed to the Board and that was adopted by 24 the Board. 25 Alternative one replaced the Cap-and-Trade
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1 Program with regulations, alternative two replaced the 2 Cap-and-Trade Program with a $50 per metric ton carbon 3 tax, and alternative four replaced a Cap-and-Trade Program 4 with a program that made each facility reduce emissions by 5 four percent each year and also pay for the emissions that 6 remained. These three alternatives were informed by 7 feedback from the EJ Advisory Committee and public 8 comments. Alternative three reflected input from industry 9 where cap-and-trade played a larger role than in the 10 proposed scenario. 11 --o0o-- 12 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: The first 13 endpoint we evaluated was a reduction in 2030 mortality 14 levels under each scenario, the second endpoint was a 15 reduction in hospitalizations in 2030, and the final 16 endpoint we looked at was a reduction in emergency room 17 visits in 2030. These comparisons are important in that 18 they allow you to see the magnitude of health trade-offs 19 between the scenarios. 20 --o0o-- 21 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: In this 22 slide, we see the same scenario, but this -- the same 23 scenarios but this table lets us compare economic impacts 24 of each. The first row shows the change in the state's 25 GDP in 2030 in the different scenarios and these vary
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1 significantly. 2 The next metric is job number changes in 2030. 3 And finally, we looked at changes in household 4 income in 2030. We will be doing similar analyses for the 5 2020 Scoping Plan update. 6 --o0o-- 7 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: AB 197 8 requires each scoping plan to do analyses for the cost per 9 ton, the social cost of carbon, and estimated air quality 10 benefits. In the 2017 Scoping Plan, we used the Obama era 11 social cost of carbon numbers. The social cost of carbon 12 is damage done if you release a ton of carbon. The metric 13 is limited as it does not capture secondary damages, such 14 as health issues caused by more smog due to warmer days. 15 We believe that the updates to these values under 16 the Biden Administration will be more comprehensive than 17 the values we used the last time and will be higher, which 18 means that we can show that by taking action, we will 19 avoid significant damages. 20 Finally, as always, we will include a CEQA 21 analysis. 22 --o0o-- 23 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: I started 24 the presentation talking about the imperative to act and 25 public health. We know climate change exacerbates
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1 existing and creates new public health issues. But when 2 it comes to public health, it goes beyond the physical 3 health of an individual -- of an individual. Community 4 resiliency is how well a community can recover or adapt 5 from an event or from changing conditions, like climate 6 change. 7 Efforts to improve community health that go 8 beyond emission and technology controls, and that 9 strengthen health conditions overall will create 10 healthier, stronger, and more resilient individuals and 11 communities. 12 And for this type of analysis, it's important to 13 know what happens to communities under status quo and what 14 changes with action. That is what we will be trying to 15 show in this scoping plan with both quantitative and 16 qualitative work. We will be doing a quantitative 17 analysis of health impacts that will build off of what we 18 did in the 2017 Scoping Plan and the recently released 19 joint agency SB 100 report. 20 We will be looking at new health endpoints, such 21 as premature mortality, and evaluating and including the 22 economic impact of those new endpoints in the analyses. 23 It is uncomfortable to put any price on a human life, but 24 we want to clarify that our models value every life the 25 same regardless of job. We look forward to ensuring that
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1 this and other factors related to the health endpoints and 2 their economic valuation are well understood through our 3 work with EJ Advisory Committee and the public later this 4 year. 5 --o0o-- 6 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: We need to 7 redefine our scop of sources and inks in the framework of 8 carbon neutrality in the 2020 Scoping Plan. Simply put, 9 carbon neutrality is achieved when emission sources equal 10 sinks. Up until now, every scoping plan has focused on 11 reducing the emissions from the sources defined in the AB 12 32 inventory, which focuses on fossil energy and 13 industrial sources. We do have a separate inventory for 14 our natural and working lands. 15 As we shift to the framework of carbon 16 neutrality, we will expand the scope to include all 17 sources, which means the emissions from natural and 18 working lands and all sinks. Sinks can be natural and 19 working lands, carbon capture and sequestration for large 20 emitters, and direct air capture and permanent storage of 21 carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. 22 In this new framework, we must continue to drive 23 down emissions in the AB 32 inventory sources, as those 24 will result in benefits to air quality. And we must 25 continue to maximize all sinks.
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1 --o0o-- 2 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: With respect 3 to the -- to natural cycles and the inclusion of natural 4 and working lands, I want to draw a clear distinction 5 between emissions that are occurring from events like 6 wildfires or forest decay versus fossil fuel combustion 7 and other anthropogenic emissions. 8 Fossil-fuel combustion releases ancient carbons 9 stored underground for millions of years that the 10 atmosphere has not seen in any recent carbon cycle. And 11 these emissions are accumulating in the atmosphere at an 12 unprecedented rate. The earth's terrestrial carbon cycle 13 transfers carbon between the land, ocean, and atmosphere. 14 When in equilibrium, the cycle balances fire, plant 15 respiration, and decomposition with plant growth and other 16 processes that take place over decades or centuries, 17 resulting in relatively minimal change in the total 18 concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. 19 In contrast, emissions from fossil fuel 20 combustion are putting this cycle out of balance and 21 contributing to a negative feedback loop for California's 22 forests and lands, and so we must prioritize reducing the 23 fossil fuel emissions first and then look to our natural 24 and working lands for additional support in meeting our 25 climate objectives.
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1 --o0o-- 2 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: Recognizing 3 the importance of the state's natural and working lands 4 for our climate efforts, Governor Newsom issued an 5 Executive Order last October directing CARB to update the 6 target for natural and working lands in support of carbon 7 neutrality as part of the Scoping Plan. Fortunately, we 8 have an existing body of natural and working lands, 9 climate work to build off of. 10 Past scoping plans have included both 11 sequestration targets as well as emission reduction 12 targets for natural and working lands, and other state 13 efforts have identified key actions to take or have 14 provided more detailed priorities for specific land types. 15 Based on these past efforts, we are able to 16 establish a number of principles that we think should 17 guide the natural and working lands target-setting work 18 going forward, shown here on the left. 19 We also know that setting a target for natural 20 and working lands isn't enough. The state must have 21 concrete mechanisms for action. The right side of this 22 slide provides a summary of some of those mechanisms, 23 which include direct public funding and market-based 24 approaches to spur action. These are not actions that 25 CARB can take -- CARB alone can take, and many require
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1 partnerships across multiple levels of government and the 2 private sector. 3 To help guide State agency action, and in 4 response to the Governor's October Executive Order, the 5 California Natural Resources Agency is currently 6 developing a Climate Smart Lands Strategy. CARB staff are 7 coordinating closely with the Natural Resources Agency on 8 this effort and we believe it will help in identifying 9 priority strategies and mechanisms for action for the 10 state's natural and working lands and will support our 11 scoping plan work. 12 --o0o-- 13 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: In summary, 14 the Scoping Plan is an actionable blueprint to align 15 efforts to achieve the state's climate goals. Each 16 scoping plan is underpinned by dozens of discrete 17 statutes, regulations, and incentive programs across State 18 agencies. The final plan is considered and adopted by the 19 Board, and staff provides annual implementation updates to 20 the Board. 21 Importantly, since the plan is economy-wide, it 22 does not get into the design and detail of any individual 23 program. It also does not create or change existing 24 statutes or regulations. 25 --o0o--
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1 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: After each 2 scoping plan is adopted, CARB and other State agencies 3 start the process of reviewing and updating related 4 programs to align with any outcomes identified in the 5 Scoping Plan. Aligning these programs requires on 6 multiple divisions across CARB and other State agencies 7 taking action based on their establishes roles and 8 authority. 9 For CARB, that means we bring forth dozens of 10 regulations and programs to the Board to approve, which 11 will help implement the plan. Each of these has their own 12 public process and detailed technical analysis. 13 --o0o-- 14 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: In 15 developing a scoping plan, there are many points of 16 direction and coordination. The next three slides provide 17 a sense of the governing requirements and guidance we must 18 follow. The list is not exhaustive and we focus on a few 19 key statutes like AB 323 and 197 -- and AB 197 as shown on 20 this slide. 21 --o0o-- 22 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: There are 23 also statutes that cover topics like short-lived climate 24 pollutants, community air protection, forestry, or others 25 that can provide valuable input into the Scoping Plan.
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1 There are also a number of Executive Orders we 2 must consider. These go back to before AB 32 was signed 3 up to the recent ones issued last year by Governor Newsom. 4 --o0o-- 5 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: This slide 6 gives a sense of the multi-agency coordination that must 7 happen in the development of the plan as it touches many 8 sectors and many of the policies fall under the purview of 9 sister agencies. This list is not exhaustive, but really 10 helps to show that successful development and 11 implementation of any plan requires close coordination and 12 understanding of the jurisdiction of other agencies. 13 --o0o-- 14 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: And so as we 15 work across State agencies with the Environmental Justice 16 Advisory Committee, and with the public, we have lots of 17 questions we need to address for the Scoping Plan. For 18 example, how do we maximize air quality and public health 19 benefits for vulnerable communities as we design the path 20 forward? 21 How do we provide a transition that minimizes 22 cost or employment impacts and what strategies exist that 23 are technologically feasible and cost effective across 24 sectors? 25 Even when we are able to identify those
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1 technologies and approaches, another important aspect is 2 evaluating the pace at which sectors will be able to 3 realistically transition. We also expect that not all 4 sectors or industry segments will be able to electrify. 5 So in those cases, are there options for renewable natural 6 gas and renewable hydrogen? What infrastructure is needed 7 to facilitate use of these renewable fuels to replace or 8 reduce fossil fuels? 9 For actions related to natural and working lands, 10 it will be important to identify the environmental and 11 economic trade-offs and how they intersect with other 12 sectors. 13 Finally, Governor Newsom issued recent direction 14 that CARB evaluate in the Scoping Plan how to phase out 15 oil extraction by 2045. How do we ensure that we are also 16 reducing petroleum demand in conjunction with phasing out 17 extraction. Of course, these represent just a sampling of 18 the questions that are relevant to explore as part of the 19 Scoping Plan development. 20 --o0o-- 21 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: In closing, 22 AB 32 requires that the Scoping Plan be updated every five 23 years, so we need to bring the plan before the CARB Board 24 for adoption by the end of 2022. The timeline here 25 depicts major milestones we're planning -- we're planning
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1 around to meet the adoption deadline. There will be ample 2 opportunities for the public to engage through the 3 upcoming scoping plan workshops on specific topics, 4 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee meetings and 5 community meetings being planned for this summer, and 6 ongoing through next year. We're also planning to provide 7 a progress update to the Board this fall. 8 As the slide shows, we will be -- we plan to 9 release the draft scoping plan and present it to the Board 10 in spring of 2022. We will follow this with the release 11 of the final scoping plan in fall 2022 for proposed 12 adoption by the Board at a Board meeting in winter 2022. 13 That concludes my presentation. 14 I would next like to invoice the following 15 members of the Environmental Justice Advisory Committee to 16 share their thoughts and comments. I'll list your names 17 and will call on you individually. 18 Martha Dina Arg ello, Thomas Helme, Luis Olmedo, 19 Sharifa Taylor, and Paulina Torres. 20 Martha Dina, you should be able to unmute 21 yourself and activate your video, if you wish. 22 MARTHA DINA ARGÜELLO: Um-hmm. And I have. 23 So one, it's really exciting to have seen that 24 presentation. I just want to note that the scenario -- 25 the environmental justice scenario that the EJAC
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1 recommended it appeared to have, if I read that slide 2 correctly, the most health benefits and endpoint -- health 3 endpoints benefits. And so I will start with saying I 4 think listening to the environmental justice community, 5 figuring out how to integrate our input in a more organic 6 way is really key. And I -- and we do see movement on 7 that. I would like to recommend that as part of those 8 deep dives, we actually meet with ISD staff before August 9 15th, in the spirit of creating that pre-scoping process, 10 so where we can ask more questions around the methods, and 11 around the tools, so that we create a collective 12 understanding of what is going into this scoping plan. 13 I also want to say that I think it's incredibly 14 important that we begin to incorporate the issue of 15 pesticides. They must be measured. They have a 16 greenhouse gas impact. They're a critical part of 17 addressing both a just transition for farm workers, but 18 also getting off the cycle of petrochemicals, because we 19 can't -- we have to remember that the feedstocks for those 20 pesticides are often petroleum products. So it's 21 incredibly important that we figure that out and that we 22 figure that out early. 23 And with that, I am going to stop and hand it 24 over to my other amazing colleagues. 25 And actually, I do want to say one thing. You
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1 know, this is my third EJAC and I am incredibly excited by 2 the energy and talent that is part of the EJAC, and their 3 commitment to do this right and the commitment I also see 4 from the CARB staff to help to working with us to achieve 5 environmental justice. 6 So I want to thank the staff and the rest of my 7 Committee members for all the work they've already done 8 leading up to this meeting. 9 Thank you. 10 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: Thank you 11 very much. 12 Thomas Helme, you can unmute and begin speaking. 13 THOMAS HELME: Hello. Thanks for having me. 14 Thanks for letting me speak. Tom Helme from Valley 15 Improvement Projects in Stanislaus County and coordinator 16 of California Environmental Justice Coalition. 17 I'd like to agree with the comments from Martha. 18 And definitely as a new member to EJAC, I learn from, you 19 know, people that have been doing this work for longer. 20 It's one of those things where the more you learn, the 21 more you realize you need to learn about things. So I'm 22 still going through that process. A lot of my knowledge 23 comes from the San Joaquin Valley, more even specifically 24 the Northern San Joaquin Valley. 25 So that's the perspective that I'll be bringing,
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1 but I definitely want to learn more about things that go 2 on throughout the state. I know that there's more, you 3 know, populated reasons -- regions, there's more -- 4 there's regions with more industry, different industry 5 than I have experience with. And I want to learn the 6 issues that have to do with that. 7 With a risk of, you know, wanting to talk about 8 so many different things, I'll try to keep it brief. I 9 feel like just since I've been appointed to this 10 committee, that I've had, you know, ample opportunities to 11 speak. So I feel like I kind of putting comments into two 12 categories, things I've already said and things that -- 13 that -- things that if I comment on will lead to just 14 bigger discussions that we don't have time for in these 15 comments. 16 So things I've already said, you know, 17 environmental justice, we're here because of public health 18 reasons. We're here because of inequitable public health 19 reasons stemming from environmental racism. Let's call it 20 what it is going back to red-lining and unequal treatment 21 of people of color and poor people for centuries, and 22 we're still living with the consequences of that. 23 There's environmental classism obviously too, but 24 studies have shown that even middle class people of color 25 deal with pollution even sometimes more than poorer white.
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1 So they're both mixed together, but we can't -- we can't 2 separate them and we can't undervalue the role that racism 3 has played in this process. 4 And kind of getting into the other category of 5 things that are going to be too large to continue to 6 discuss, but I'll just -- I'm just mentioning it because 7 it's what's on my mind. You know, what this comes down to 8 is how much value? It was mentioned earlier in the 9 presentation, you know, how much value are we placing on 10 human life over the power structures that exist and the 11 influences that those power structures have from big 12 business, to government agencies, to, you know, industries 13 that we -- that do provide jobs. And many times, those 14 jobs are too low income and people of color. 15 It's kind of going back to the other category of 16 things I've said over and over again. We're tired of 17 having to make that choice. We both need jobs to feed 18 ourselves and our families, to have a place to live and to 19 survive day-to-day, and at the same time, you know, what 20 good is that job if it's putting food on the table that 21 night, but it's going to take ten years, five years off of 22 my kid's life, if it's going to -- if it's going to make 23 my grandkid live with asthma and not allow them to have 24 the opportunities that they would have had if they were a 25 different skin color -- if they had a different skin color
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1 or where raised in a different zip code. 2 And that's really what it comes down to to me. 3 So all of the discussion about the -- the improvement of 4 the inclusion of environmental justice communities is 5 great. It's excellent. But it's still -- at the end of 6 the day is talk over action. 7 So like I said, I'm one of the new members of the 8 committee, so I will -- I will be, you know, sitting back 9 listening and learning, and giving my input and seeing 10 what happens. I'm sure everybody already knows there's a 11 lot of skepticism in processes like this to actually see 12 how much influence folks like us are going to have on 13 things that involve, you know, vast amounts of money, and 14 big business, and big industry, and powers that are deeply 15 embedded in our government and in the power structure of 16 our state. 17 So I'll be -- I'll remain skeptical. I will keep 18 an open mind, keep an open ear, and I will express my 19 opinion when I feel the time calls for it and I have a lot 20 of hope. And Martha just mentioned, you know, that it 21 does -- things seem differently than in committees in the 22 past. I will -- I will keep that hope alive as much as 23 possible. But, you know, at the first turn where it comes 24 to, well, this is that decision. That is going to be that 25 tough decision. This is, you know, a large industry that
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1 makes lots of donations to a lot of people and has a lot 2 of power and sway is going to have to, you know, take a 3 punch in the nose, not literally obviously, and so that -- 4 so that poor people and people of color can have their 5 life improved and not have the length of their life and 6 the value of their health and their lives be taken down by 7 or be not considered as much as those powerful entities in 8 our state. 9 And I'll leave it at that. And I thank you for 10 giving me yet another opportunity to speak and the many 11 kind words and encouraging words about how much our voices 12 are going to be taken into account, but I will still be 13 waiting to see what happens and will share my opinion on 14 that at the times that it comes. 15 So thank you for everybody for all your hard 16 work. I know this isn't easy. I know it can be easy to 17 just, you know, make the comments, like I made, and, you 18 know, maybe sound like just complaining. But I know it's 19 not easy. I know this is a tough thing, but I'm -- like 20 others are doing their job, I feel like that's my job to 21 express that point of view and I'll continue to do that. 22 And I hope that's why you picked me to be on the 23 Committee. 24 So thank you and thanks, everybody, for all their 25 work that came before me and allowed me to be in the place
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1 to do that. 2 Thank you. 3 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: Great. 4 Thank you. And I had mentioned Luis Olmedo might speak 5 next, but I think he might not be on the call. 6 Pausing for a second in case I'm wrong. 7 If not, we'll move on to the next speaker, 8 Sharifa Taylor. 9 SHARIFA TAYLOR: Hi, everyone. I'd like to thank 10 the Board members and staff for their efforts in including 11 equity in these processes, as well as the organizational 12 awareness of the shortcomings of the last scoping plan. 13 As a member of the EJAC, I'd like to see true 14 participation and integration of the EJAC's recommendation 15 in this scoping plan, rather than the pseudo participation 16 that happened during the 2017 Scoping Plan, where none of 17 the 198 EJAC recommendations were integrated into the main 18 body of the final plan. 19 Kind of like Thomas was just saying, it's not 20 enough to verbally commit to integrate EJ concerns, 21 rather, meaningful action is crucial for achieving both 22 the SB 32 2030 goals and the 2045 carbon neutrality goals. 23 Because carbon neutrality is enforced by a Executive 24 Order, rather than by law, and it relies on offsetting 25 emissions, you know, it's one of many feasible possibly
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1 climate solutions. And the most recent leaked 2 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or the IPCC, 3 draft report indicated that our climate crisis -- excuse 4 me, climate crisis is getting worse and more urgent than 5 before. 6 And so I'd just like to say that it's very 7 important that as we're drafting the plan, and as we're, 8 you know, taking into account what the rest of the 9 Committee has to say, it's important for us to not skip 10 our 2030 goals, because we're getting to a point where our 11 climate impacts are becoming accelerated and potentially 12 unstoppable. 13 So I'd like to thank everybody for their time and 14 just say I'm, you know, grateful for the opportunity to 15 speak. 16 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: Great. 17 Thank you. 18 And, Paulina, it looks like you're ready to go 19 next. 20 PAULINA TORRES: Good afternoon, Madam Chair and 21 members of the Board, and CARB staff, and the public. My 22 name is Paulina Torres, EJAC member, and attorney at the 23 Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment. I 24 appreciate that following the last Board meeting there 25 have been steps implemented by CARB staff to integrate EJ
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1 into the Scoping Plan process. And I appreciate those 2 efforts, along with Ms. Bylin's presentation that 3 highlights the procedural integration of EJ. 4 I really urge this Board to direct staff to 5 ensure more meaningful engagement into the substance of 6 the Scoping Plan update. I appreciate Chair Randolph's 7 comment earlier about ensuring that equity isn't just in 8 form and process, but is actually substantive. And I 9 think this takes so many forms. But at the end of the day 10 and what that means for me, at least for a first step, is 11 that this Board direct staff to review the 2017 EJAC 12 recommendations and conduct an in-depth analysis. 13 I think several EJ groups have called for this. 14 Several of my fellow EJAC members have called for this. 15 And I want to emphasize that, you know, this in-depth 16 analysis of the past EJAC recommendations can also assist 17 current -- you know, the current EJAC as we endeavor into 18 our own recommendations and will be helpful to kind of 19 build off of those recommendations. 20 And I think it's also one way to signal that EJAC 21 recommendations won't just be appendicized somewhere, but 22 that staff is really prioritizing and taking these 23 measures seriously and conducting the necessary detailed 24 analysis. 25 And I also want to build off of Mr. Corey's
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1 earlier comment about how the Scoping Plan -- the Scoping 2 Plan touches on so many areas, and want to name that one 3 of those areas that has been far too long left out of this 4 conversation is pesticides and their contribution to 5 greenhouse gas emissions. I think in the -- in Ms. 6 Bylin's slide, I saw the sister agencies -- kind of the 7 names, and I was scanning and searching for the Department 8 of Pesticide Regulation to be included in that list. 9 You know, recognizing -- or despite, you know, 10 the fact that pesticides contribute significantly to GHG 11 emissions with studies showing just three fumigant 12 pesticides, leading to as much as a hundred-fold increase 13 in NOx emissions. And so nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 14 considered 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide, it 15 really needs to be -- you know, pesticides have to be 16 included in the Scoping Plan. 17 There's also opportunities to incorporate 18 pesticides through carbon sequestration, and as Martha 19 stated earlier, recognizing that pesticides in an of 20 themselves are petrochemicals and that their production is 21 highly energy intensive. So I urge this Board to direct 22 CARB staff to consult with the Department of Pesticide 23 Regulation and ensure that DPR is one of these sister 24 agencies that works collaboratively with CARB on the 25 Scoping Plan.
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1 Appreciate the opportunity to speak and thank you 2 all for your time. 3 ISD AIR RESOURCES SUPERVISOR BYLIN: Great. 4 Thank you very much to our Environmental Justice Advisory 5 Committee members that were able to join us and thank you 6 very much for your contribution to this discussion. Very 7 much look forward to continuing these discussions on an 8 ongoing basis. 9 And with that, I will conclude our portion -- the 10 presentation portion of this. 11 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. We will now hear 12 from members of the public who raised their hand to speak 13 on this item. Will the Board Clerk call the first few 14 commenters, please. 15 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes. Thank, Chair. We 16 currently have 18 people who have raised their hand to 17 speak on this item. Please raise your hand in Zoom or 18 dial star nine if you're going to speak on this item. And 19 I apologize in advance if I mispronounce your name. 20 Our first three commenters will be Will Barrett, 21 Julia Levin, and Cynthia Pinto-Cabrera. Will, I have 22 activated your microphone. You may unmute yourself and 23 begin. 24 WILL BARRETT: Thank you very much. I'm Will 25 Barrett. I'm the Director of Clean Air Advocacy for the
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1 American Lung Association. The Lung Association really 2 views the Scoping Plan as a critical milestone in 3 California's climate leadership. And we know that each 4 plan has really taken on greater urgency as the extent of 5 our climate health crisis has really come into clear 6 focus. We know the strategies in the Scoping Plan can 7 have a range of health benefits or impacts and the timing 8 and location of emission reductions matter. We appreciate 9 the focus and the principles for exploring discrete 10 actions in the plan that bring benefits first heavily 11 burdened communities. We also very much appreciate the 12 comments of our colleagues serving on the EJAC. We 13 believe that a more comprehensive health analysis of the 14 Scoping Plan is critical. The health analysis really has 15 to provide meaningful an actionable information on the 16 priorities, timing, and location of actions to inform the 17 plan. 18 Beyond the air quality analysis, we support 19 incorporating the broader health analysis that can be 20 informed by the California Department of Public Health, 21 OEHHA to highlight and accelerate the wide range of health 22 pathways possible and to minimize health risks, especially 23 in our most disadvantaged communities. 24 We urge you also to focus the Scoping Plan on 25 near term direct and local emission reduction strategies
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1 to maximize health benefits in these most disadvantaged 2 communities. 3 We appreciate that the targets are for 2030 and 4 2045, but we really do want to echo the call from Ms. 5 Taylor on the EJAC and urge the Board to prioritize early 6 actions that provide certainty in eliminating harmful 7 pollutants and boosting community health benefits. 8 As Chair Randolph, you laid out in your opening 9 comments, we need to see a clear path to zero-emission 10 technologies and off of combustion technologies as central 11 to this plan. Developing an implementing the strongest 12 possible zero-emission vehicle bus, truck, off-road 13 equipment, and other rules that are coming to the Board in 14 the next few months and the next year will really be key. 15 In addition to that transition from combustion to 16 zero-emission technologies, one additional policy area 17 that we think should be a very high priority is healthier 18 land-use and transportation planning. We recommend that 19 CARB pursue a strong multi-agency approach to reducing 20 vehicle miles traveled in the Scoping Plan. CARB analysis 21 has already clearly shown that the goals and benefits of 22 SB 375 Sustainable Communities Strategies have not been 23 achieved, so we do urge CARB to continue the coordination 24 with sister agencies like CalSTA and CDPH to build 25 transparent, accountable, VMT reduction metrics that can
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1 be reported on following the adoption of the plan. 2 I'll also note that ClimatePlan's Executive 3 Director, Nailah Pope Harden, also asked that I note her 4 strong interest in this area as well and will be following 5 up with you on that. 6 So in closing, we really do look forward to the 7 Scoping Plan placing a high priority on improving 8 community health, ensuring the rapid transition from 9 combustion to zero emissions, and really building out 10 frameworks for healthier land use and transportation 11 planning, and look forward to working with you and the 12 staff. 13 Thank you. 14 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 15 And Julia Levin, you may unmute yourself and 16 begin your comments. 17 JULIA LEVIN: Good afternoon. Julia Levin with 18 the Bioenergy Association of California. 19 We are very excited to begin the next scoping 20 plan update. And we're very happy to see the new focus on 21 natural and working lands, as well as the focus on carbon 22 neutrality. 23 On the other hand, we're very disturbed to see 24 the significantly reduced focus on short-lived climate 25 pollutants. According to climate scientists short-lived
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1 climate pollutants have caused half of all of the global 2 warming to date, and that is the only tool we have to 3 significantly affect climate change in the next decade, 4 which is truly critical to avoid catastrophic climate 5 change. 6 Short-lived climate pollutants are also very 7 serious air pollutants, particularly methane and black 8 carbon, also known as PM or soot. So when we focus on 9 reducing short-lived climate pollutants we also provide a 10 huge benefit to air quality. 11 And finally, everything we need to do to reduce 12 short-lived climate pollutant, those are the same things 13 we need to do to achieve carbon neutrality, because they 14 provide carbon negative emissions. The biggest sources of 15 short-lived climate pollutants in California by far come 16 from organic waste, and that means wildfire, controlled 17 burns of forests and agricultural waste, dairy manure, and 18 the organic waste that's currently going to landfills. 19 All of these sources of short-lived climate 20 pollutant emissions can be reduced by converting that 21 organic waste to energy, particularly bioenergy and 22 biofuels. And when we use the biofuels to replace diesel 23 and heavy-duty trucks and backup generators, we provide 24 yet another huge benefit for air quality by getting diesel 25 off the road as fast as possible.
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1 In addition, the Air Board's own report to the 2 Legislature from last month on the state's climate change 3 investments found that the investments in bioenergy are by 4 far the most effective and the most cost effective of all 5 of the state's climate investments. In fact, in many 6 cases, they are providing carbon reductions at the cost of 7 nine or ten dollars per ton, nine or ten dollars per ton 8 for dairy methane and diverted organic in comparison to 9 $200 per ton that we spend in the Low Carbon Fuel 10 Standard. So these are extremely effective and extremely 11 cost effective carbon reductions. 12 Despite all of that, we were really alarmed two 13 weeks ago at the launch of the Climate Change Scoping Plan 14 that neither of the electricity sector nor the 15 transportation sector presentations ever mentioned 16 short-lived climate pollutants or the role of bioenergy in 17 meeting the state's climate and air quality goals. 18 So we urge the air Board to put short-lived 19 climate pollutant reductions front and center in the next 20 climate change scoping plan. The science requires that 21 and the law requires it, and we cannot meet our climate 22 goals without it. 23 Thank you. 24 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. Cynthia 25 Pinto-Cabrera, I've activated your microphone. You can
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1 unmute yourself and begin. 2 CYNTHIA PINTO-CABRERA: Hello, Chair Randolph and 3 members of the Board. Cynthia Pinto-Cabrera commenting on 4 behalf of the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition today, 5 because Executive Director Dr. Catherine Garoupa White, 6 who is a member of the Environmental Justice Advisory 7 Committee could not be here. Thanks for the opportunity 8 to comment. 9 CVAQ will also be submitting more detailed 10 comments in the lett4er later on. So my comments are 11 revolving the San Joaquin Valley. Communities across the 12 San Joaquin Valley are the frontlines of the climate 13 crisis along with -- along with epidemic sick -- levels of 14 sickness caused by our severe air pollution problems, the 15 COVID-19 pandemic, levels of sickness caused by our severe 16 air pollution problems, the drought that is likely to be 17 another -- result in another season of catastrophic 18 wildfires, and just a few of these critical challenges to 19 our everyday health and quality of life. 20 The impacts of these unfolding disasters are not 21 experienced equally. People of color in communities of 22 lower incomes bear a disproportionate burden of the 23 negative impacts while lacking access to environmental 24 benefits like tree canopies and access to safe, affordable 25 drinking water.
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1 The Scoping Plan is a significantly critical, 2 important to the quality of life for our regions. And in 3 order to ensure the plan's success, we'd like to recommend 4 that CARB procure robust, independent, technical analysis, 5 including of the EJAC recommendations, include pesticides 6 in their plan and as long -- and has a long advocate -- 7 and as a long advocated by environmental justice 8 communities, this plan must also move beyond offsets and 9 definitions of carbon neutrality that only work on paper, 10 but not in reality. 11 Now is really the time for the State to invest in 12 truly transformative solutions like equitable access to 13 clean renewable energy and storage, integrated land use 14 and transportation planning, as well as farming practices 15 that are sustainable for the local environment and feed 16 low populations. The outline -- the outline of the 17 Scoping Plan provides -- it provides a perpetuate false 18 solutions or if done right, it can align priorities in 19 support of equity and sustainability. 20 Overall, CVAQ and our partners look forward to 21 informing the Scoping Plan and working together to assess 22 the enormous challenges and opportunities ahead. 23 Thank you for the opportunity to comment. 24 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 25 Our next three speakers will be Edwin Lombard,
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1 John Larrea, and Kevin Maggay. 2 Edwin, I have activated your microphone -- oh, it 3 looks like Edwin, I have a notification that your older 4 version of Zoom is not allowing me to elevate you. If you 5 could dial into the phone number that is displayed on the 6 screen, we can call on you that way by your phone number. 7 So with that, I will go to John Larrea. John, I 8 have activated your microphone. You can unmute yourself 9 and begin. 10 JOHN LARREA: Okay. Thank you. Can you hear me? 11 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes, we can. 12 JOHN LARREA: Okay. Good afternoon. I'm John 13 Larrea, Director of Government Affairs for the California 14 League of Food Producers. I represent industrial food 15 processors with operations throughout our state. Thank 16 you for the opportunity to comment on this item. 17 First and foremost, it will be important for the 18 Scoping Plan to critically analyze any recommendations 19 that would impose unreasonable costs on the production of 20 essential food items. The food processors that produce 21 staple food, such as milk, cheese, canned and dehydrated 22 fruits and vegetables are the same ones that are in the 23 Cap-and-Trade Program. 24 The Scoping Plan also needs to address the 25 likelihood of excessive compliance costs in light of the
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1 lack of new technologies for our sector. Food costs, 2 especially for low income consumers should be a major 3 consideration when CARB crafts compliance regulations for 4 food processors. 5 The Scoping Plan recollect -- recommendations 6 should also focus on maintaining the economic viability of 7 the low-income rural communities in which we operate. 8 Most of the food processors in the Cap-and-Trade Program 9 are located in rural and disadvantaged communities in the 10 Central Valley employing tens of thousands of workers from 11 these communities and providing both good jobs and local 12 tax revenues. 13 The state's push to decarbonize comes at a time 14 when food processors are also facing rising costs for 15 energy, water, labor, and transport, just to name a few. 16 And all of those will affect the long-term economic 17 viability of our operations. 18 Any measures that would reduce emissions at the 19 cost of production in our sector would have a devastating 20 effect on any number of local and regional economies. 21 Simply put, reduced production would be inconsistent with 22 both the state's social justice goals, as well as the 23 goals of AB 32. 24 That said, support for incentive programs in 25 investment and technology should be a key focus of the
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1 Scoping Plan. Food processors can contribute to the state 2 meeting its emissions reduction goals but only if new 3 technologies are available to help us reach those goals. 4 To emphasize that point, two years ago, CARB held 5 a workshop to discuss the findings from a study that 6 provided a sector-by-sector analysis of technology 7 development between now and 2030. All covered sectors 8 showed potential for advanced technologies going forward, 9 except for the food processing industry. Longer emissions 10 reductions are expensive and a one-size-fits-all approach 11 to technology adoption is just not feasible, unless 12 financial incentives, such as a Food Production Investment 13 Program, or FPIP as it's known, are a key recommendation 14 in this Scoping Plan update, the ability of the food 15 processing sector to meet emissions reductions targets 16 will be hindered. 17 Finally, expanding the development and the use of 18 new agricultural offsets needs to be seriously considered. 19 Increasingly, agricultural operations are being viewed as 20 a significant potential source of emissions reductions. 21 Food processors, and the farmers who supply us, are linked 22 together, and there are significant opportunities for 23 collaboration and emissions reductions in the supply chain 24 as long as the offsets are available for purchase and use. 25 The Scoping Plan should explore expanding the
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1 type and number of agriculturally based emissions offsets 2 that could contribute to maximizing emissions reductions 3 in the agricultural sector. 4 That concludes my remarks. Thank you. And I'm 5 available for any questions 6 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 7 Kevin Maggay, I've activated your microphone. 8 You can unmute yourself and begin. 9 KEVIN MAGGAY: Thank you. Can you guys hear me 10 okay? 11 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes, we can. 12 KEVIN MAGGAY: Okay. Thank you, Chair Randolph, 13 Board members. Good afternoon. My name is Kevin Maggay 14 with SoCalGas. We commend CARB to embark on this massive 15 effort of developing the 2022 Scoping Plan update. I 16 think that you truly have your work cut out for you. 17 Meeting carbon neutrality by 2045 is going to be an 18 enormous challenge, and we at SoCalGas look forward to 19 working with you and supporting you as best we can. 20 And I understand that this is really early in the 21 development process, but I did want to provide a few 22 initial comments. First, because it will be such a 23 challenge, every strategy needs to be on the table. A 24 true portfolio approach is needed and we need to explore 25 both regulatory strategies as well as market-based
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1 solutions. We need new programs and we need to leverage 2 and potentially expand existing programs. 3 A program like LCF -- LCFS has been successful in 4 driving down carbon intensity for transportation fuels. 5 Cap-and-Trade has been successful in reducing emissions. 6 It's also been successful in generating revenue for 7 programs that reduce emissions including clean mobility 8 for schools, clean freight projects, clean vehicle 9 financing, energy efficiency, work development just to 10 name a few. 11 Second, we understand that the modeling will take 12 up to five to six months to develop, I believe. And we 13 request that the modeling and development of scenarios, 14 mitigation strategies, and inputs that that's transparent 15 throughout the entire development process, not just at the 16 end -- and not just at the end when it's very close to 17 being final. Perhaps frequent meetings and technical work 18 groups should be established to ensure that real 19 engagement and real input is achieved. 20 Lastly, I want to echo Julia Levin's comments 21 regarding short-lived climate pollutants, particularly for 22 bioenergy. We know that there will be hard to decarbonize 23 sectors and carbon negative fuels like bioenergy can play 24 a critical role in offsetting those sectors to reach 25 carbon neutrality.
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1 Thank you. 2 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 3 Our next three speakers will be Sara Jaramillo, 4 Graham Noyes, and Ryan Kenny. 5 Sara, I have activated your microphone. You can 6 unmute yourself and begin. 7 Sara, are you there? 8 SARA JARAMILLO: Hi. Yes. Can you hear me now? 9 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes, we can. Thank you. 10 SARA JARAMILLO: Thank you. 11 Good afternoon. My name is Sara Jaramillo and 12 I'm speaking as a resident of Oakland and a legal intern 13 with Communities for a Better Environment. I'm here today 14 to both commend the CARB Board and staff for their 15 commitment to integrate EJ and environmental justice into 16 the Scoping Plan and also to voice my concern about the 17 lack of meaningful integration of environmental justice so 18 far, both in process and in substance. 19 To me, environmental justice at its core is about 20 addressing entrenched power imbalances that allow 21 environmental harms to be clustered in historically 22 marginalized communities. In order to meaningfully 23 address those environmental injustices, it's not enough to 24 tack on some procedural changes that seam sort of like 25 afterthought. There has to be a good faith effort to not
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1 just invite EJ communities to the table, but to truly 2 listen and take action to address their real pressing 3 needs. 4 Making the Scoping Plan actionable should not 5 mean that market-based solutions are the sole solution or 6 the ones that are most prioritized. Instead a thorough 7 analysis of the social costs and the unequal public health 8 risks must be centered the in drafting process, and the 9 EJAC's recommendations should be adopted. 10 As has been acknowledged already, none of the 11 EJAC's 198 recommendations were adopted in the 2017 12 Scoping Plan. That should be remedied. Four years later, 13 we now know even more about the dire climate crises that 14 we're going to see in the coming years. And we've also 15 seen even worse social inequality that's going to keep 16 compounding those climate crises. 17 I would ask that the Board direct staff to report 18 back on how they plan to ensure that we will reach a 40 19 percent greenhouse gas reduction beyond the 1990 level by 20 2030. I want to highlight three points in particular that 21 I think the plan should address. 22 First, the plan must aim to reduce total carbon 23 emissions, rather than relying on natural solutions, or 24 carbon capture mechanisms that would reduce the net carbon 25 emissions, while allowing fossil fuel industry to keep on
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1 winning at the expense of EJ communities. 2 Second, while I value a nuanced plan that takes 3 into account the potential value of natural and working 4 lands and other carbon sinks, I urge the CARB Board and 5 staff to prioritize reducing emissions from all other 6 sectors first and foremost. 7 And third, we need the scoping plan to provide a 8 complete cost benefit and social cost analysis that takes 9 into account air and water pollution from other 10 particulate matter and other toxics that fossil fuels 11 emit. The situation we're in calls for aggressive and 12 creative solutions to these multi-faceted and urgent 13 problems. The Scoping Plan must take seriously that 14 ever-increasing urgency of climate change and its effect 15 on vulnerable California communities. 16 I respectfully ask the Board to hear our concerns 17 and integrate EJAC's updated recommendations. Thank you 18 for the opportunity to comment on this item. 19 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 20 Graham, I have activated your microphone. You 21 can unmute yourself and begin. 22 GRAHAM NOYES: Thank you. My name is Graham 23 Noyes. I the Executive Director of the Low Carbon Fuels 24 Coalition. Chair Randolph, Board members, and EJAC 25 members, I appreciate the opportunity to provide these
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1 comments regarding the Scoping Plan and welcome the 2 participation of EJAC in this process. 3 This is obviously a crucial process. The Low 4 Carbon Fuels Coalition is dedicated to the support and 5 expansion of low carbon fuel policies. And we have world 6 leaders in multiple sectors ranging from biofuels, to 7 direct air capture, to renewable power generation, to 8 electric vehicle charging stations. And all of these 9 companies come together in the Low Carbon Fuels Coalition 10 because of the leadership California has shown, and 11 particularly its market-based, and technology-neutral, and 12 performance-based policy structures, like the Low Carbon 13 Fuel Standard, where we've seen over 75 million metric 14 tons of greenhouse gases reduced, and we've even a $9 15 billion credit market since the beginning of the program. 16 I want to be sure to point out that it's fossil 17 fuel companies that are generating the value in this 18 program, rather than California taxpayers. We have some 19 crucial items in the LCFS rulemaking process. And I 20 encourage the Board and staff to reinitiate that process. 21 It's a vital part of meeting the ultimate goals. 22 Throughout the Scoping Plan process, we encourage 23 CARB to harness California's existing resources, and it 24 has -- and as has been stated, integrate the consideration 25 of short-lived climate pollutants in particular.
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1 California has an enormous amount of biomass living here 2 in the foothills. We have dangerous amounts of biomass in 3 some parts. And if we don't utilize that biomass properly 4 and responsibly, we face the emissions from its 5 decomposition, and also increased wildfire risk. 6 Above all, we would encourage CARB to maintain 7 its scientifically based approach and remain technology 8 neutral. We encourage the inclusion of the existing fuels 9 that have been -- proven to be highly effective in 10 greenhouse gas reduction, including ethanol, renewable 11 diesel, and biodiesel, and encourage movement on the low 12 emission diesel standard. 13 To this end, we encourage the Board and staff to 14 be rigorous with models, to demand that they remain 15 current, and use correct assumptions, and watch for bias. 16 Because ultimately, we all rely upon California to 17 maintain its leadership in this area. 18 We thank you for this understanding and we look 19 forward to working with you throughout. 20 Thank you. 21 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 22 Next, we will have Ryan Kenny. After Ryan, 23 Fariya Ali, Matt Holmes, and Julia May. 24 Ryan, I have activated your microphone. You may 25 unmute yourself and begin.
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1 MR. KENNY: Great. Thank you. Good afternoon, 2 Board Member Randolph -- or Chair Randolph and Board 3 members. My name is Ryan Kenny with Clean Energy. My 4 company is the largest provider of renewable natural gas 5 and transportation fuel in the country. 6 And I'd like to highlight two slides that were 7 presented today, one of which is slide 28, which provides 8 example topics from the scoping plan. 9 The fourth point down begins with, "Given 10 potential limits to electrification, how do we best use 11 RNG and renewable hydrogen. And I'm assuming it does not 12 pertain to transportation, but our industry believes it 13 should. And the presentation today was really focused on 14 more longer term goals. You have a 2030 target. It's 15 supported by the Governor's Executive Order for heavy-duty 16 electrification to occur by 2045. And even that's with a 17 clarifier of "where feasible". 18 And we really feel as an industry that the 19 Scoping Plan should take a look at both the near-term and 20 long-term. And of course, that's where low-NOx trucks 21 with renewable fuel come this, especially within the next 22 five to ten years. 23 We urge the Board to obviously look at 24 electrification for the long term. I think our industry 25 supports the Executive Order and long-term
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1 electrification, but we do think that the Board should 2 direct staff to provide an economic and environmental 3 analysis evaluating alternative scenarios. 4 Right now it's very much focused on a hundred 5 percent electrification. And as I mentioned, in the near 6 term, heavy-duty ZEVs really aren't available in the next 7 five to ten years to displace diesel on a one-for-one 8 basis. 9 Also, slide 12 did mention a scenario, which 10 includes near-term air quality benefits. And again, 11 you'll get that with the low-NOx trucks with renewable 12 fuel in the near term, if that really is a scenario that 13 CARB wants to pursue in the near term. Also, it was 14 mentioned public health is a goal. And, of course, 15 low-NOx trucks displace diesel trucks and reduce 16 greenhouse gas emissions, NOx and PM. So we high 17 encourage the Board to take a look at that and direct 18 staff to look at alternative scenarios, which do consider 19 the near term and also low-NOx trucks with renewable fuel. 20 Our industry has a belief that we believe that 21 it's zero and near zero not "or". So we're inclusive of 22 all the technologies. But again, it's that near-term 23 focus is what we believe CARB should be taking a look at 24 hear, in addition to the longer term 2030 and 2040 25 targets.
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1 With regards to carbon neutrality, renewable CNG 2 is the only carbon negative fuel in the LCFS on average. 3 And we do think that that should be part of the 4 discussion. And to date it is not. That's a huge 5 breakthrough for the LCFS and for the industry. 6 So again, we do ask that the Board direct staff 7 to evaluate alternative scenarios for public review. 8 Thank you. 9 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Can I -- Board Clerk, I just 10 wanted to note that if you have not yet raised your hand 11 to get in the queue and you want to speak, you should do 12 so now. We will close the queue to new hands at 2:35. 13 Thank you. 14 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 15 Fariya Ali, I have activated your microphone. 16 You may unmute yourself and begin. 17 FARIYA ALI: Thank you. Chair Randolph, and 18 Board members, and members of the EJ Advisory Committee, 19 my name is Fariya Ali. And I'm just going to make a few 20 comments today on behalf of Pacific Gas and Electric. 21 PG&E continues to support California's ambitious 22 climate goals as it has since the inception of AB 32. We 23 appreciate the information that has been shared with 24 stakeholders on the process thus far and would just like 25 to encourage continued transparency, including on all of
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1 the assumptions and inputs that will be feeding into the 2 upcoming modeling. 3 We believe that both market based and direct 4 measures should continue to be included in the scenarios 5 that will be considered as part of the Scoping Plan. We 6 look forward to working with CARB and other stakeholders 7 to consider what else is needed to achieve both our 8 near-term and long-term climate goals, to provide 9 affordable energy for our customers, and to address the 10 specific concerns of local communities, through the 11 scoping plan process. 12 Thank you. 13 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 14 Matt Holmes, I have activated your microphone. 15 You may unmute yourself and begin. 16 MATT HOLMES: Hi. Thanks. I'm here as Little 17 Manila Rising's alternate delegate to the EJAC. There's 18 not structure for alternate participation, so please 19 forgive my hurried comments as I try to meet the three 20 minute mark. 21 But I want to start by honoring the expertise of 22 CARB staff. I've had numerous positive experiences 23 learning from CARB. I hope to accrue similar confidence 24 from you all around our expertise and the history of white 25 supremacy and the white cultural institutions that presume
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1 to govern us. CARB is one of those. It's a historically 2 racist institution. It has an irrefutable history or 3 holding different expectations for communities of color 4 than it does for first world California. I still see some 5 of that in this scoping plan. 6 You know, embracing this evaluation can really 7 help you see how the practice of dangling incentives to 8 influence markets is deeply rooted in white privilege. 9 So-called cost effective and flexible compliance is 10 exactly what has perpetuated our elevated mortality rates, 11 because markets couldn't care less about how they injure 12 us. We're not their consumer base. 13 So, for example, market-based voluntary 14 opportunism results in you guys funding replacement 15 refrigerators for a wealthy company like Whole Foods and a 16 wealth community like Sebastopol. You know, that happened 17 the same year we were told there wasn't enough money to 18 reduce exposure in disadvantaged communities. Things like 19 that erode trust. They undermine the mission of CARB and 20 they reveal persistence of that outdated culture. 21 Moreover, focusing solely on market-based motives 22 leaves with a labor industry impasse that pits our 23 community against itself. Incentivizing some creativity 24 in the labor sector, you know, who -- they've not 25 surprisingly sided with the people paying them.
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1 Some creativity there would go a lot further than 2 enticing, you know, non-human companies that care more 3 about us. Labor has made it clear that they don't have 4 the vision to look around the corner. This plan should 5 help them see through that. 6 You know, we know from history that industry can 7 be told what to do. I understand you're trying to work in 8 partnership and collaborate, and I want some of that too, 9 but they can be told what to do. It's happened before. 10 They'll do fine. Workers will earn more and we'll live 11 long, so we can all get what we want. 12 With regards to the Scoping Plan, you know, we 13 hope to see more independent analysis of the proposed 14 scenarios directed by the EJAC to include the analysis of 15 social cost of carbon. It's hard to take economic 16 analyses seriously that failed to include social and 17 public health costs in their calculation. You know, 18 that's the equivalent of keeping two sets of books. 19 That's what they got Al Capone on. 20 We also need to see really significant and 21 defined metrics or reductions from oil and gas, 22 transportation, and industrialized agriculture. I saw 23 earlier that you got the data on that. I'm happy to see 24 it. It's okay to give them a tough benchmark. If they 25 don't meet it, we can deal with it then, but we don't need
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1 to give them passive goals. 2 The plan also has to include pesticides and 3 fertilizers. They're killing the soil in the waterways, 4 the very places where we can sink carbon without some 5 clever devil engineering scheme. Speaking of which, no 6 more false solutions like biomass and biogas. Setting 7 stuff on fire is not a part of the solution. 8 Carbon capture and sequestration, they still lack 9 proof of concept. And, you know, it only seems to come to 10 our community because we're politically vulnerable. I'll 11 believe in CCS when they're willing to bury it in first 12 world California. And then we'll get onto offsets, ERCs. 13 We saw out corrupted they were. We need concrete 14 reductions yesterday. 15 I hope you can help me acknowledge the history 16 that we need to center justice here. It's -- it doesn't 17 just hurt us. It's hurt everybody. I hope you'll find a 18 way to share power. 19 Thank you for your time. 20 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 21 Our next speaker will be Julia May. After Julia, 22 we have a user name called call-in user 3, Evan Edgar, and 23 then Abby Mullet. 24 Julia, I have activated your microphone. You may 25 unmute yourself and begin.
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1 JULIA MAY: Thank you. I'm Julia May, Senior 2 Scientist with Communities for a Better Environment, or 3 CBE, an environmental justice organization. And I'm 4 representing CBE's Wilmington team and statewide concerns. 5 We really appreciate how much hard work is 6 necessary of staff to pull together all these details and 7 the strong comments of Chair Randolph. CBE Takes part 8 intensively in technical issues as well in regulating 9 transportation, electricity, refining and oil extraction. 10 So we know how much hard work is necessary. 11 We did need to call out one statement from the 12 slides, because it's important to start with a realistic 13 look at what worked and what did not in the past. 14 Specifically, the slides glossed over the failure to cut 15 emissions so far except in the electricity sector. But 16 the slides stated that while electricity emissions were 17 cut, CARB was able to quote constrain emissions in the 18 other sectors, as if this was a success. But this means 19 emissions stayed the same for those other sectors. They 20 did not go down, as they were supposed to. 21 This was not in keeping with the goals of the 22 previous scoping plans. Thus, Cap-and-Trade failed to 23 achieve the cuts needed. It's essential in writing a 24 successful plan this time around to knowledge failures in 25 meeting previous goals.
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1 This conclusion is not just our assessment. It 2 bears repeating that the Legislative Analyst's Office said 3 the cap is likely not having much, if any, effect on 4 overall emissions in the first several years of the 5 program. That was the 2017 to '18 budget report. The 6 2018 CARB data showed the same results. 7 The reason electricity achieved serious cuts was 8 because of the RPS outside of the Cap-and-Trade program. 9 So in recognizing the much bigger cuts needed to get to 10 2030, 2045, and 2050, we look forward to taking a 11 realistic stock of where we are and what worked and what 12 did not work the past and to identifying direct emission 13 cuts in quantifiable fossil fuel phaseout across all 14 sectors. 15 That's necessary to save the planet from climate 16 disaster, to meet smog standards, and to achieve healthy 17 and equity -- equitable communities and in our EJ 18 communities and all communities. 19 Thank you. 20 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 21 User -- call-in user number 3, you should have 22 received a prompt to unmute yourself and then you may 23 begin your testimony. 24 RANJI GEORGE: Hello. This is Ranji George. Can 25 you hear me?
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1 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes, can. Thank you. 2 RANJI GEORGE: All right. Thank you. Ranji 3 George. I was a scientist with South Coast AQMD and led 4 the ZEV crusade there at AQMD in the early nineties and 5 mid-nineties. I strongly support staff's use of ZEV 6 technologies to meet climate goals. There are numerous 7 health benefits of doing so. Near combustion and 8 combustion technologies still have residual health 9 concerns, which we cannot ignore. So thank you, Board 10 and -- for supporting staff's initiatives on this. 11 Having said that, unfortunately, last 20 years, 12 there has been a huge disparity of funding towards battery 13 ZEVs at the cost of hydrogen fuel cells. And as of now, 14 98 percent of the vehicles out there are battery ZEVs and 15 plug-in vehicles and only two percent hydrogen. That is 16 10,000 vehicles, whereas there are 500,000 ZEVs. 17 Now, there's a great danger fuel cells will be 18 snuffed out by continuing this disparity. So when you as 19 a Board get together, you should firmly address how do we 20 bring equitable funding back to hydrogen fuel cell, both 21 at the light-duty and heavy-duty sector. My friends drive 22 hydrogen vehicles and they're very pleased with it. The 23 only thing, they don't have hydrogen stations to go to, 24 and where -- they go to, there's a big line, and sometimes 25 hydrogen supply is up.
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1 This discourages people from hydrogen fuel cell, 2 where it's taking off. This technology is taking off in 3 Europe, Japan, Korea, name it. So I would encourage you 4 to look at it. One thing Hydrogen does give is multi-unit 5 apartment complex. One station can help several apartment 6 complexes, just like it mimics the gasoline stations 7 today. So that's a huge advantage of hydrogen. Plus, 8 there are no -- and the second part I would like you -- 9 the Board to consider is the battery recycling. It's a 10 huge problem. This generation may not recognize it. 11 They're all focused on cleaning the air and that's good. 12 All three communities will benefit from batteries -- 13 battery vehicle, but next generation have to deal with the 14 batteries that are spent and exhausted. 15 There will be huge battery recycling plants that 16 need to be constructed. And this Board needs to embrace 17 that. Please do not hide and say somehow it will go away. 18 We have inn South Coast a company called GNB and Exide. 19 It went out of business. But it used to be a lead acid 20 recycling. Just one out of the two big facilities there. 21 And there's such a commotion going on, lawsuits after 22 lawsuits. Even though they declared bankruptcy, the 23 litigation from the communities of color over that whole 24 episode is still going. And that's just one battery 25 recycling. Imagine in future if 20 recycling plants are
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1 going to be built in, what could be the chaos that will be 2 created. 3 And I appeal to the EJAC community to -- 4 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. That 5 concludes your time. 6 RANJI GEORGE: Thank you. 7 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Our next speaker is Evan 8 Edgar. Evan, I have activated your microphone. You can 9 unmute yourself and begin. 10 EVAN EDGAR: Chair and Board members. My name is 11 Evan Edgar. I am the engineer for the California Compost 12 Coalition. And we have participated in each and every 13 scoping plan since 2006 when the law was signed. And this 14 is our third rodeo and we do agree with everything that 15 Julia Levin said today from the Bioenergy Association of 16 California and how biomass and bioenergy and biomethane is 17 being left behind. 18 We participated in each workshop this month and 19 we have filed comments today on the proposed process. We 20 feel this is a staff-driven process that needs more 21 oversight from the CARB Board and we're glad to see it 22 coming back in the fall time to look at the modeling. 23 Over the last year, near-zero fleets use an in-state 24 renewable natural gas that's carbon negative has been 25 squeezed out of the CARB portfolio. What we offer is a
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1 value proposition for the most cost effective program to 2 achieve near-zero goals for NOx and greenhouse gas before 3 2030. We are net zero now in 2018. We don't have to 4 be -- wait till 2045. 5 I think that staff is focusing on a perfect 6 carbon-neutral electrification plan by 2045 and 7 leapfrogging over the obvious heavy-duty, short-lived 8 climate pollutant reduction strategies that are working 9 today. We feel that staff is still offering a siloed 10 approach in the workshops and is squeezing out biomethane 11 and biomass. 12 It is forcing many fleet owners in the refuse 13 sector to stay on diesel for the next 13 to 18 years due 14 to the policies of electrification today. We're trying to 15 go towards a near-zero platform till 2030 and we are 16 forcing to stay on diesel, which is against what CARB 17 stands for. 18 At the workshop, I did ask staff to integrate the 19 Legislative audit that is underway. By August 2021, 20 you're going to identify the effectiveness of each and 21 every incentive program. By February 2022, you're suppose 22 to translate the metrics for each of the incentive 23 programs and beginning 2022 use these metrics and the data 24 that are cost effective. Even the 2021 climate California 25 investment records show that near-zero vehicle program and
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1 the CalRecycle's compost and anaerobic digestion programs 2 and the most come effective programs are -- of record. 3 And we don't want to strand those investments on RNG 4 fueling and RNG production due to the policies that are 5 being proposed to electrify way to soon. 6 Staff was adamant that the results of Legislative 7 audit and those metrics will not be part of the Scoping 8 Plan that is in process. Well, when -- when we wonder in 9 modeling the 2030 goals of the pathways being proposed, 10 that these metrics are imperative to be part of the probe 11 and integrate those into the scoping plan third update. 12 So we hope that in the fall when the staff checks 13 back with the Board, that these metrics will be used for 14 future modeling, where staff needs your oversight, such as 15 the Legislature has demanded. So please don't look over 16 real carbon negative solutions today and with a dream of 17 electrification tomorrow by 2045. Time is imperative. We 18 need to act now. So we urge your Board to use the metrics 19 of the Legislative audit as part of the AB 32 Scoping Plan 20 integration. Thank you very much. 21 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 22 Abby Mullet will be our next speaker. And after 23 Abby, we'll have Erin Rodriguez, Neha Malik, and Shayda 24 Azamian. 25 Abby, I have activated your microphone. You can
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1 unmute yourself and begin. 2 ABBY MULLET: Good morning, Madam Chair and 3 members of the Board. Thank you for allowing me to speak 4 for comments today. 5 My name is Abby Mullet and I'm a law student at 6 the University of San Francisco and I'm interested in 7 environmental justice. And I currently work the groups 8 and communities in the Central Valley region. I would 9 first like to touch on the fact that zero our of 198 EJAC 10 recommendations were adopted in 2017. These 11 recommendations still stand, are relevant, and need to be 12 implemented into the strategy in order to meet our climate 13 goals. 14 As a result, the scoping man must provide for 15 full and complete analysis of the prior EJAC 16 recommendations, as well as include the current EJAC 17 recommendations. Ultimately, it is critical for staff to 18 design and show how CARB will meaningfully integrate EJ 19 into this process. EJ is deeply interconnected to all 20 divisions making it a critical foundation and it should be 21 treated as such. 22 I would also like to quickly note that SB 32 23 needs to be our focus over the carbon neutrality 2045 24 Executive Order. 2030 is in the statute and this deadline 25 will come sooner than 2045. We cannot allow the State to
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1 essentially buy itself more time. 2 Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to 3 comment today. 4 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 5 Our next speaker is Erin. Erin, I have activated 6 your microphone. You may unmute yourself and begin. 7 ERIN RODRIGUEZ: Good afternoon, Chair Randolph 8 and Board members. Erin Rodriguez with Union of Concerned 9 Scientists. 10 I want to thank staff and Board members for their 11 hard work taking up this scoping process. UCS looks 12 forward to engaging on this over the next year and a half, 13 and we want to highlight a few things we hope the Board 14 and staff will focus on as this process moves forward. 15 As noted, one of the Governor's Executive Orders 16 includes goals to decarbonize the transportation sector. 17 Specifically, we'd like to see the Scoping Plan held 18 accountable to the goal of transitioning all medium- and 19 heavy-duty trucks on the road, not just sales, to zero 20 emission by 2045, and ensure all light-duty vehicle sales 21 are true zero-emission vehicles by 2035. 22 We also know that driving down refinery emissions 23 is going to be key. And in doing so, we want to ensure 24 that the assumption isn't made that if we reduce gasoline 25 and diesel demand from California trucks and cars, that
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1 refinery emissions will automatically go down. 2 For example, continued demand for these fuels 3 outside of California can stall emission reductions at our 4 refineries. UCS would like to see an updated electricity 5 sector emission reduction target. Previous scoping plans 6 set the range of emissions for the electric sector that 7 the CPUC then plans for. 8 Currently, the CPUC is planning for 38 million 9 metric tons. We believe the electric sector will need to 10 plan for 30 MMT to ensure the state reaches its 2030 11 emissions reduction goals. We would also like to support 12 the environmental justice organizations' call for more 13 integration of environmental justice and more 14 opportunities for meaningful involvement of EJ groups in 15 the scoping plan process, which includes implementation of 16 their recommendations. 17 We will all benefit from environmental justice 18 groups' expertise being incorporated into the plan, 19 particularly the expertise that we heard today from the 20 EJAC group. 21 Last, we encourage ARB to consider further 22 modeling analysis for more aggressive action on our GHG 23 emission reduction targets, as we have seen many other 24 states and countries go further on reductions since the 25 last scoping plan.
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1 Thank you. And we look forward to continuing to 2 work with you throughout this process. 3 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 4 Neha Malik, I have activated your microphone. 5 You may unmute yourself and begin your comment. 6 NEHA MALIK: Good afternoon, Madam Chair and the 7 members of the Board. Thank you for holding this space 8 for comments today. My name is Neha Malik and I'm a law 9 student at UC Davis currently in -- working in 10 environmental justice alongside community groups in the 11 Central Valley, 12 I would like to address the lack of meaningful 13 consideration of EJ work others have done before me. In 14 its own words, CARB has committed to incorporating 15 environmental justice as a fundamental part of all of its 16 programs. Yet, while some efforts towards EJ work have 17 been made, such as holding an EJ equity workshop and 18 having EJAC by the first in public comment today, these 19 efforts seem more to be an afterthought, rather than a 20 fundamental and foundational part of the Scoping Plan 21 process. 22 In 2017, as someone mentioned prior, zero out of 23 198 EJAC considerations were adopted. There's an 24 opportunity now to correct that oversight and provide 25 greater weight to these still relevant and necessary
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1 recommendations. 2 As the first step towards meaningful engagement, 3 this Scoping Plan must provide a full and complete 4 analysis of the those and other EJ recommendations. 5 Further, staff must plan for the meaningful integration of 6 four overdue recommendations from the 2017 EJAC Board, 7 namely, one, prioritizing direct emission reductions, two, 8 considering the social cost of GHG reduction measures, 9 three, phasing out oil and gas extraction and petroleum 10 refining, and four, eliminating offsets. 11 A status update on the implementation of these 12 recommendations would be appreciated. 13 Thank you. 14 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 15 Our next speaker will be Shayda Azamian. After 16 Shayda, we will have Jon Costantino, Andrew Meredith, and 17 Matthew Schrap. Shayda, I have activated your microphone. 18 You may unmute yourself and begin. 19 SHAYDA AZAMIAN: Thank you. This is Shayda 20 Azamian with the Leadership Counsel for Justice and 21 Accountability. And I want to first thank staff, Chair 22 Randolph, and our EJAC members for their work in this 23 process so far, and for the comments underscoring the 24 importance of substantive environmental justice policies 25 in the Scoping Plan.
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1 Public members, especially those most impacted, 2 have a right to not only benefit from improved policies of 3 the Scoping Plan, but also a right to contribute to their 4 construction and their design. A scoping plan without an 5 innate understanding of EJ and without the scale of action 6 needed to correct environmental injustice frankly means 7 nothing of value to most Californians or toy any of us 8 when it comes to our near-term future in the face of 9 compounding climate disasters. 10 I also know you've heard countless times how 11 polluting natural gas and biofuel technology can be, 12 especially dairy digesters. And truthfully, some of us 13 would like to be past the lapse in understanding around 14 this. We do critically need to reduce short-lived climate 15 pollutants, but not at the expense of environmental 16 justice communities and not by using inefficient 17 technology. Many comments made Board members and EJAC 18 members today have clearly said government needs to play a 19 role in correcting environmental injustice in our state. 20 If any agency or division is experiencing any 21 confusion about the social and health costs of dairy 22 digesters in local communities, please do conduct an 23 analysis. Please come speak to residents who are 24 downstream of dairies and can't breathe their air or drink 25 their water. Residents live right next to dairies that
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1 have actually increased their herd sizes in order to 2 maximize their biofuel profit. 3 We and especially each agency involved in this 4 process should be fully aware of the polluting impacts of 5 supposedly clean bioenergy technologies before 6 incorporating them into State strategy. Local communities 7 and the public at large deserve that much and deserve that 8 transparency. 9 Secondly, I underscore the need to reduce 10 greenhouse gas emissions across all industries, even those 11 that have not appeared in previous scoping plans. We 12 agree that the climate impact of pesticides cannot be 13 overlooked in the Scoping Plan and this plan must also 14 include measures that reduce emissions from industrial 15 sources well before the 2030 target. 16 This is possible through reduced and changed 17 industrial practices, measures that reinvent and reexamine 18 our assumptions about business and economics as usual. 19 These measures needed yesterday, as colleagues have said. 20 I appreciate, especially Secretary Blumenfeld, Board 21 members, and staff here who have acknowledged this at the 22 scoping plan workshops as well that we need major leaps in 23 our actual emissions reductions, instead of interim or 24 half-baked ideas that are not rooted in reality. 25 We thank CARB for the conversations thus far and
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1 look forward to making sure the Scoping Plan sets us on a 2 safe path that truly responds to the grave danger more and 3 more our state is experiencing and that EJ communities are 4 experiencing acutely. 5 Thank you. 6 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 7 Jon Costantino, I have activated your microphone. 8 You can unmute and begin. 9 JON COSTANTINO: Good afternoon. Thank you. 10 My name is Jon Costantino and appreciate the time 11 today. I'm speaking on behalf of a variety of clients, 12 including renewable and traditional fuel providers, offset 13 developers, new technology startups and those that are -- 14 initiated efforts to reduce their carbon intensity and 15 their direct GHG emissions. 16 I want to start by sort of going back in time to 17 the previous scoping plans that put a price on carbon and 18 let everybody know that it's actually working. 19 A couple examples include Phillips 66 converted 20 an entire refinery over to biofuels. There's a biofuel 21 refiner in the midwest who has ordered his CCS equipment 22 and has a an approved pathway. So that's happening 23 immediately. Rondo Energy is developing a thermal 24 renewable technology for industrial steam. That's coming. 25 Offset providers continue to invest in hundred-year
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1 commitments to reduce emissions. 2 And all these actions are a direct result of 3 Cap-and-Trade and Low Carbon Fuel Standard's stable 4 regulatory regime. We can't forget that and not strand 5 all those investments and assets that were discussed. 6 Now, moving to this scoping plan and the carbon 7 neutrality items that are in front of the Board, there is 8 a lot of work to be done, resolving the accounting, the 9 integration of life-cycle policy, the balance that needs 10 to be struck between reducing emissions and sequestration. 11 These are all important questions that should be discussed 12 and I know will be in an open and transparent process. 13 Keeping these investments and stakeholders coming 14 to California, as we know the rest of the world is 15 starting to follow what we do, takes a long-term policy 16 signal from this Scoping Plan that says everybody is still 17 welcome. If we list only electrification as the solution, 18 then you've distracted from all these other technologies, 19 which are coming, have been developed, and do take time. 20 It takes a long time to convert a refinery, to get 21 permitting, to invest, to give buy-off. 22 And I just want to say that I look forward to 23 working with staff on all these issues and including the 24 role of offsets in the carbon neutrality policy moving 25 forward.
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1 Thank you. 2 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 3 Andrew Meredith, I have activated your 4 microphone. You may unmute yourself and begin. 5 ANDREW MEREDITH: Good afternoon, Madam Chairman 6 and members of the Board. This is Andrew Meredith with 7 California State Building and Construction Trades Council. 8 As you're aware as an organization, we have a long history 9 of being at the forefront of emerging technologies, 10 including in the renewable energy markets. With nearly 11 half a million members including 70,000 apprentices, our 12 members build the vast majority of renewable energy 13 projects in California to date. And we're engaged on the 14 front end of offshore wind development, as well as the 15 carbon capture push in California. 16 On behalf of our organization, we encourage 17 staff, the EJAC, and CARB to ensure that the modeling, 18 discussions, and conclusions that will be a part of the 19 scoping process include all available technologies. We 20 were disheartened negativity from EJAC members towards the 21 concepts of carbon capture, biomass, and hydrogen 22 technologies during the recent scoping plan workshops. 23 These technologies and any emerging technologies 24 like them should be considered and should not be ignored 25 as part of this process. We encourage you to make the
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1 2022 Scoping Plan truly meaningful by evaluating all 2 pathways to carbon neutrality. Do not let personal 3 ideologies impeded the ability to be diverse in addressing 4 the climate change goals of California. Carbon capture, 5 hydrogen, offshore wind, biomass, all of these 6 technologies can potentially be crucial to achieving 7 carbon neutrality. 8 We also encourage you to act swiftly to include 9 labor's voice on the EJAC. This Board gave clear 10 direction in May to seat a labor representative on EJAC. 11 As of today, that still has not happened. The longer this 12 exclusion continues, the more one-sided this process will 13 be. Our members live and work most impacted communities 14 in California. Their voices deserve to be heard in 15 preparing the Scoping Plan and are an absolute requirement 16 to any conversations around a just transition. 17 In regards to the comments from Little Manila 18 Rising today about labor lacking the ability to look 19 around the corner, I think a history lesson is in order. 20 Organized labor has a strong history of environmental 21 engagement, diversity, and inclusion in California. Any 22 implications otherwise are ridiculous. 23 Statements like this prove that some in the EJ 24 community want nothing more than a bully pulpit to scream 25 and yell from. They are coming into the scoping plan
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1 process with their minds already made up. They don't care 2 about any solutions they don't fit their preconceived 3 notions. The scoping plan cannot adopt a similar tone. 4 This type of divisiveness is not productive. 5 As I've said in previous comments, our members 6 working in the industries are not the problem. They will 7 be part of the solution. They are the skilled and trained 8 workers building California's infrastructure and they'll 9 be needed to meet California's ambitious climate goals. 10 To the CARB Board members, thank you for the time 11 and I appreciate your dedication to the State of 12 California. 13 Thank you. 14 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 15 Our next speaker will be Matthew Schrap. After 16 Matthew, we have Tiffany Roberts, Roger Lin, a phone 17 number ending in 552, and then Mikhael Skvarla. And those 18 are our last commenters for the item. 19 Matthew, I have activated your microphone. You 20 can unmute yourself and begin. 21 MATTHEW SCHRAP: Thank you for the opportunity to 22 comment, Chair and Board members. My name is Matt Schrap. 23 I am the CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association, or HTA. 24 Our members move cargo into and out of the ports and 25 intermodal hubs throughout California.
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1 While our industry has been responsible for the 2 reduction of harmful diesel particulate matter through 3 strict regulatory policy, we understand that it is never 4 enough, especially related to the climate challenge and 5 with health impacts. We look forward to working with our 6 partner organizations, CARB members, and staff in finding 7 workable solutions to achieve the ambitious goals put 8 forth. 9 While we understand the Scoping Plan doesn't 10 delve into the details on program or regulatory design, 11 the framework that is currently being proposed in order to 12 achieve the goals, at least for drayage trucks is 13 aggressive, to say the least. While this is not the place 14 for discussing specifics of the Advanced Clean Fleets 15 Rule, it may be, in fact, be the place to mention the 16 overwhelming need in infrastructure upgrades for charging 17 of heavy-duty battery electric power trucks in port 18 service. 19 Since it is clear the most cost effective 20 solution for interim emissions reductions is being 21 side-stepped in the plan, that being low NOx heavy-duty 22 vehicles fueled by RNG, we urge the Board, and any of the 23 dedicated folks who are listening to this hearing, to bang 24 the drum in the need for federal dollars from the maybe 25 potentially agreed upon infrastructure bill to target
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1 major investments in grid resiliency and heavy-duty 2 charging infrastructure into California first, before the 3 rest of the country. 4 If the State wants to convert the drayage fleet 5 by 2035, then I implore you all to use the momentum coming 6 from D.C. to get the money to upgrade the grid and provide 7 the heavy-duty charging infrastructure that we will need 8 to meet these goals. That is all for now. I appreciate 9 the opportunity to comment. 10 Thank you. 11 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 12 Tiffany Roberts, I have activated your 13 microphone. You can unmute yourself and begin. 14 TIFFANY ROBERTS: All right. Thank you. Good 15 afternoon, Madam Chair and Board members. I appreciate 16 the opportunity to speak today. My name is Tiffany 17 Roberts. I'm the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for 18 Western States Petroleum Association. 19 This is such an important conversation. And as 20 you all know, the world is watching. So there really is a 21 lot to say and we'll be following up with written 22 comments. But in the short amount time, I'd like to point 23 out some key issues. 24 First, and most importantly, we care deeply about 25 the communities we operate in. The Scoping Plan work
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1 isn't just about plans, and data, and numbers. We're 2 talking about people's lives and the vast economic and 3 health considerations the scoping plan will encompass 4 can't be over stated. 5 This is a complex undertaking and it merits a 6 robust conversation, where everyone is at the table coming 7 together to look for and identify solutions. And there's 8 no silver bullet to this complex problem either. We will 9 need to make sure we have all solutions and options 10 available. 11 So we're asking that CARB not put their thumb on 12 the work when it comes to this work and the analysis that 13 goes into it. Rather, we ask that you be willing to 14 consider an all-of-the-above approach to meeting these 15 goals. 16 Next, in terms of the idea of reducing production 17 of crude here in the state, let me just say that the state 18 continues to consume a significant amount of crude and we 19 all recognize this. If the state were to try to reduce 20 in-state production, that product is going to come from 21 somewhere outside of this country and that will increase 22 our net greenhouse gas emissions. 23 AB 32 directs CARB to minimize leakage. And so 24 we want to be able to work with you, so that you all have 25 a solid understanding of what the full impact, from a
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1 greenhouse gas emission perspective, would be of reducing 2 in-state production. It's a very important point. 3 And lastly, let me just say that the modeling 4 work associated with the Scoping Plan is going to be 5 extraordinarily complex. The analysis is going to be 6 underpinned by data and assumptions. We want to be able 7 to provide input on relevant data and evaluate the 8 veracity of the data that's being used. 9 And because of this, we would recommend that CARB 10 host a series of workshops focused solely on providing an 11 opportunity for discussion and debate of the data and 12 assumptions going into the modeling work in order to 13 provide greater transparency and a more equitable outcome. 14 So with that, I will conclude my remarks and 15 thank you for the time. 16 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. Roger Lin, I 17 have activated your microphone. You can unmute yourself 18 and begin. 19 ROGER LIN: Chair Randolph, members of the Board. 20 Roger Lin. I'm an attorney with California Environmental 21 Justice Alliance. 22 Two quick points. First, I don't think I need to 23 spend much time on the comments from the Building Trades 24 just now, which are clearly biased and more like opinions 25 from the oil industry. Having those opinions on the EJAC
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1 is clearly contrary to AB 32's mandate, but I'm sure staff 2 is not fooled by that strategy. 3 Seconding, since the last Board meeting where the 4 EJ community voiced frustration with the disregard of 5 equity -- again, zero out of 198 is unacceptable -- we 6 have seen some efforts to listen our voices such as having 7 members of the EJAC provide public comment first. 8 While we appreciate this, we have yet to see any 9 evidence of how this is not simply cosmetic compliance. 10 We're still waiting for an answer or even a proposal of 11 how this agency will meaningfully integrate EJ into 12 decision making. In other words, how will this agency 13 ensure that EJ voices are equal decision-making partners 14 to determine the strategies or scenarios in the Scoping 15 Plan. 16 Echoing Chair Randolph's comments how will this 17 agency move beyond mere procedural acknowledgement of EJ 18 voices to actually integrating EJ voices into the 19 substance of decision-making or the substance of the 20 Scoping Plan update. 21 I thank staff for the presentation. But again, 22 the presentation only suggests procedural integration and 23 lacks any detail about how CARB will substantively 24 integrate EJ recommendations. 25 I offer one solution to accompany others that
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1 need to be developed as soon as possible, analyze prior 2 and future EJAC recommendations in the Scoping Plan. And 3 you can start with the prior recommendations now to catch 4 up and save this EJAC time and resources. 5 And actually analyze them to the same technical 6 degree that staff analyzes other measures. That analysis 7 should determine how EJAC or other recommendations from 8 the EJ community fits in or determine their strategy and 9 proposed scenario to meet our climate goals. 10 Finally, we've already requested that staff begin 11 implementing prior and overdue EJAC recommendations 12 immediately, including compliance with AB 197 and 13 prioritize and direct emission reductions, while 14 considering social or public health costs. 15 To be clear, compliance with AB 197 is beyond 16 what staff just presented. There has to be actual 17 prioritization of measures (inaudible) direct measure 18 reduction and not just identification of direct emission 19 reductions after the fact that measures have already been 20 selected. 21 We have offered you options to meaningfully 22 integrate environmental justice into the substance of the 23 Scoping Plan update and we'll continue to do so, but today 24 urge the Board to take action and direct staff to ensure 25 meaningful and substantive engagement.
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1 Thank you for the time. 2 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 3 Phone number ending in 552, please state your 4 name for the record and you may begin. 5 I believe you need to press star six on your 6 phone to unmute yourself. 7 NICOLE WRIGHT: Yes. Yes. Hello. 8 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: We can hear you. 9 NICOLE WRIGHT: Perfect. This is Nicole Wright, 10 President of the California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition 11 Good afternoon, Madam Chair and Board members. 12 We are pleased to be here today to provide comments during 13 these very initial stages of the Scoping Plan discussion. 14 We appreciate your efforts in pulling together this plan 15 and we offer ourselves as a collaborator and a partner to 16 the Board to work on these very important issues. 17 As for the transportation section of the plan, we 18 urge the Board to adopt an inclusive solution that 19 includes immediate as well as longer term strategies to 20 reduce greenhouse gas and short-lived climate pollutant 21 emissions, so we can achieve greater reductions for today 22 as well as tomorrow. 23 This is a transition. So why would we forfeit 24 ben -- benefits of clearer -- cleaner air now, when we 25 have the technology to improve air quality today?
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1 We appreciate the mention in today's presentation 2 of the consideration of how best to use RNG given the 3 potential limitations to electrification. We support this 4 action and we urge this analysis, because we know that a 5 major source of air pollution are diesel heavy-duty 6 trucks. And we also know that low NOx heavy-duty trucks 7 fueled by renewable natural gas can displace these 8 vehicles with a cleaner option. 9 Low NOx heavy-duty trucks are 90 percent cleaner 10 than the heavy-duty diesel trucks that are currently on 11 the road, and when fueled by renewable natural gas, it is 12 a carbon negative fuel, which means that is the best 13 technology available today to significantly reduce 14 greenhouse gas emissions. 15 We agree with the public policy goal that's been 16 discussed throughout the beginning of the Scoping Plan 17 that dictates the reduction of harmful pollutants to 18 improve public health outcomes for millions of 19 Californians. And so we urge the Board to just be 20 inclusive and driven by science, driven by need, the 21 availability in the marketplace, and most importantly 22 about the fulfillment of that public policy goal for 23 immediate benefit to millions of Californians. 24 We look forward to future conversations. And 25 once again, thank you for this opportunity.
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1 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 2 Mikhael Skvarla. I have activated your 3 microphone. You can unmute yourself and begin. 4 MIKHAEL SKVARLA: Yeah. My name is Mikhael 5 Skvarla. I'm with the Gualco Group, speaking on behalf of 6 the California Council for Environmental and Economic 7 Balance. CCEEB is a business labor organization that 8 supports strong environmental policy and economic balance. 9 I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about the 10 deep dive opportunities that face us in this scoping plan 11 opportunity and process. I think we've heard today from a 12 number of stakeholders across different spectrums of the 13 discourse that greater review and a more iterative process 14 around the dialogue and understanding of the modeling is 15 necessary. 16 CCEEB supports perhaps a series of technical 17 working groups to ensure that all stakeholders have a 18 fuller understanding of the very complex modeling exercise 19 that informs the processes to inform the drafting of this 20 next scoping plan. We continue to support the 21 Cap-and-Trade Program as the economic signal that sends 22 the long-term -- the long-term economic signal to 23 compliance entities while mitigating emissions today. 24 Doubled stringency in the last year will continue 25 to ensure that this program delivers the necessary
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1 emission reductions that have been scoped for. And as we 2 embark on this opportunity, we get to plan for the future 3 and discuss the rigor of all the programs throughout the 4 scoping plan. 5 California has made tremendous progress to date, 6 but we continue to need to press and work diligently 7 together to improve our environment, while maintaining our 8 economy. As such, we should drive for consensus in this 9 process. We look forward to sharing our carbon neutrality 10 principles with all stakeholders and we look forward to 11 the activities and challenging discourse that's in front 12 of us. The expectations that we've heard today are for an 13 unprecedented stakeholder coordination. 14 And to that end, CCEEB looks forward to engaging 15 with everyone cooperatively to help California advance 16 these goals. 17 Call it -- urban neutrality will require every 18 tool in the box. And to that end, we're supportive of our 19 labor members who will be building those tools. They will 20 be deploying the future infrastructure and energy systems 21 necessary for us to achieve carbon neutrality in our 2030 22 Scoping Plan goals. 23 And to that end, we hope that we can continue to 24 engage meaningfully with both the Board, staff, and the 25 Environmental Advertise Advisory Committee and strive for
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1 greater policy in this area that achieves the goals at the 2 lowest possible economic cost in order to avoid undue 3 economic impacts. 4 Thank you. 5 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 6 Chair, that concludes the list of commenters that 7 were signed up by 2:35. 8 CHAIR RANDOLPH: All right. Thank you very much. 9 This is an informational item only, so there is 10 no need to officially close the record. So I will open it 11 up to Board members for questions and comments. 12 Sorry, I wasn't actually looking at the screen 13 that shows the hands, so I'll just show the -- them in the 14 order that I see them now. 15 Dr. Pacheco-Werner. 16 BOARD MEMBER PACHECO-WERNER: Yeah. Thank you. 17 Thank you to each and every person that made your comments 18 today. I think robust conversation is exactly what we 19 need to be having and I hope that as there are more 20 opportunities to have more information and understand the 21 methodology more, that our conversations can become more 22 (inaudible) and more of a dialogue. And to this end 23 really, you know, this is more of a conversation aspect 24 with our staff of, you know, it's clear there's a call for 25 more engagement. I'd also like to see more engagement.
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1 And I also know that that's also a capacity question. 2 And so as you think about the timeline, you know, 3 is there a possibility for added workshops, you know, 4 especially so that -- you know, on the methodology, and, 5 you know, how can we support you in terms of the capacity 6 needed to really have that more robust engagement, because 7 what I really saw by this conversation is that more 8 information is needed by all and the opportunity for more 9 dialogue, as people learn more and more about this 10 process. 11 I'd also like to see if the -- if -- what I 12 didn't see on here -- on the update is what the status of 13 the expansion of membership is and if we -- and I may have 14 missed that on -- I apologize, but if there was an update 15 on the expanded membership, I'd really like to know where 16 that's at as well for the EJAC. 17 Thank you. 18 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Okay. I think I'll take a few 19 more comments and then we'll go to staff to answer those 20 questions. 21 All right. Board Member De La Torre. 22 BOARD MEMBER DE LA TORRE: Thank you. Thank you, 23 staff, for the overview. Again, we're at the very 24 beginning of the process. Our EJAC is not complete. It 25 will be soon. These other task forces I -- some of them
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1 have met. I don't know if all of them have met yet. And 2 our staff is again synching up all of our efforts. So 3 we're at the very beginning stages of something that's 4 going to take about a year and a half to accomplish and so 5 we have to keep that in mind. 6 I also want us to keep in mind that we got a -- 7 to our 2020 target three years early, our GHG target for 8 the state and so that's fantastic and we patted ourselves 9 on the back. 10 To get to the 2030 target though, there are three 11 significant sectors that are going to have to really 12 deliver reductions in GHGs that did not for the previous 13 decade. Those are transportation, natural and working 14 lands, and short-lived climate pollutants. So we are very 15 clear here at CARB what we have in front of us. And the 16 short-lived climate pollutants are methane, 17 hydrofluorocarbons, and black carbon. So, to me, and I've 18 said this before here and I say it all the time, those 19 three have to step up, along with the reductions that we 20 got to get to our 2020 target early. 21 So if we're going to do this, and I believe we 22 are, then we need to have all of these sectors deliver GHG 23 reductions in the next nine years. So that's just my 24 North Star, my big picture that I always want to remind us 25 of what we're needing to accomplish.
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1 Thank you. 2 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. 3 Board Member Takvorian. 4 BOARD MEMBER TAKVORIAN: Thank you, Chair. 5 I'm sorry. Can you hear me? I seem to have a 6 little difficulty. 7 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Yes, we can hear you. 8 BOARD MEMBER TAKVORIAN: Thank you so much. 9 Sorry about that. 10 I want to appreciate you, Chair, for docketing 11 this staff report in response to the Board's request at 12 the last meeting and also want to appreciate the comments 13 that you made at the beginning of the meeting, which I 14 think provided a really clear framing of the item for the 15 Board today. 16 The staff report I thought really reflected an 17 increased understanding of the feedback provided by the 18 public and the Board. And for that, too, I'm very 19 appreciative. 20 I really enjoyed and appreciated hearing directly 21 from the EJAC members today. And I would like to ensure 22 that continues to be the practice whenever there is a 23 Board discussion on the Scoping Plan. And so I hope that 24 we can integrate that into our practice. I have had the 25 opportunity to participate in the Scoping Plan process
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1 since the first -- since AB 32 was originally adopted in 2 2009 and I served on the first EJAC, and then during the 3 2017 update as a Board member. 4 And what we're seeing today, we've seen over 5 these many years, and that is that the Scoping Plan 6 preparation attracts a lot of attention. It's seen as a 7 critical benchmark in California's quest to reduce climate 8 pollutants. And while the plan itself is not a policy, it 9 is the roadmap. So the priorities that are set in the 10 Scoping Plan are critically important and really deserve 11 our attention. 12 So I -- towards that end, I just wanted to make 13 three recommendations. I always look back at the 2017 14 plan. And when I look at Figure 7 on page 28, we see that 15 the overall reduction goal is 621 million metric tons of 16 CO2 equivalent from 2021 to 2030. So this figure 17 estimates the distribution of reductions across six 18 measures, including Cap-and-Trade, short-lived climate 19 pollutants, mobile sources, and energy. 20 These large overarching categories provide CARB 21 with the priorities we need to focus on to achieve the 22 state's GHG reduction dowels. And I understand from my 23 staff briefing that the Board will receive a sector 24 analysis towards the 2030 goals at an upcoming Board 25 meeting.
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1 So my first request and recommendation is I'd 2 like to confirm the date for that report as soon as 3 possible. I really believe it's critical to the Board's 4 understanding of the Scoping Plan process and to the 5 prioritization of the focus and potentially legislative 6 measures that need to be taken to both -- bolster those 7 sectors that are not performing or change course. 8 And honestly, I feel like we should have that 9 information now, if we're going to prioritize where we're 10 going to go with the Scoping Plan. And it troubles me to 11 think that we're waiting many months before we see that. 12 So I'd really appreciate a staff response to that. 13 My second recommendation is that what we see in 14 this -- in the 2017 plan is that Cap-and-Trade represents 15 about 40 percent of the reductions expected from the 16 Scoping Plan measures. And given the reliance on that 17 specific strategy, I would like to see it receive an 18 in-depth analysis incorporating the analysis of the 2020 19 annual report of the Independent Emissions Market Advisory 20 Committee. I didn't see that report referenced in the 21 staff report and I'd like to know that it will be 22 included, as well as I'm sure other data that the staff 23 has access to, because I really look forward to the 24 assessment of the progress of the 2017 Scoping Plan to use 25 this data for how to achieve our 2045 targets.
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1 And then I want to address the EJAC, because 2 there's been a lot of discussion about it. The 3 overarching comments, which I think we all share and which 4 I heard you say, Chair, is that the EJAC must be 5 incorporated into the Scoping Plan process in a 6 collaborative and an integrative way, and a meaningful 7 way. 8 And I attended the EJAC launch and I was thrilled 9 to see over 150 people attending. So there's clearly an 10 enormous of interest from environmental justice 11 communities in the Scoping Plan. And now the EJAC 12 includes representatives from the previous EJAC. And the 13 new EJ representatives are also experts from EJ 14 communities. These are really experienced and 15 knowledgeable members whose expertise should be used 16 strategically and wisely. And that, I think, is 17 reinforced by the wise comments that they provided to us 18 today. 19 I appreciate the updates that the staff made to 20 today's presentation related to the EJAC collaboration. 21 But frankly, I continue to be concerned that the current 22 plan for the EJAC mirrors the previous process, which 23 while very comprehensive, was also overwhelming. The 2017 24 EJAC spent hundreds of hours in meetings and workshops, 25 and produced detailed recommendations and a report, which
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1 were not substantially integrated into the 2017 Scoping 2 Plan. 3 That said, I think there have been numerous 4 programs and policies that have come forward since 2017 5 that have focused on equity and disadvantaged communities. 6 Just today, we heard from communities that are benefiting 7 from the Electrify America program, the AB 617 Program, 8 directly seeks to reduce emissions. The Advanced Clean 9 Truck and the upcoming Advanced Clean Freight -- Fleets 10 rules will address some of the pollution that causes the 11 most health and environmental impacts in disadvantaged 12 communities. So these programs reflect some of the key 13 recommendations that the EJAC made in 2017. And these 14 should be acknowledged and reflected in the 2022 Scoping 15 Plan and in the evaluation. 16 On the other hand, the EJAC recommendations 17 related to offsets, oil and gas operations, rural concerns 18 with industrial agriculture, and large dairies have not 19 been well discussed or integrated, and maybe they need to 20 be. 21 So my last recommendation is that we build on the 22 2017 EJAC report, as many people have requested, evaluate 23 all of the EJAC recommendations and determine their 24 current status. I think we'll find that some of them have 25 absolutely been integrated. The EJAC focus should be
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1 determined by the EJAC. They are the EJ experts and they 2 are on the ground where the impacts are the worst. We 3 also must integrate the input of the EJ communities 4 through 617 and other EJ programs. 5 I don't know if we need a whole series of scoping 6 plan workshops, but rather meaningful engagement, which 7 may not look the same as it did in 2017. So I really 8 encourage us to think outside the box and not just check 9 the box, as we're thinking about community engagement. So 10 those are my recommendations and I look forward to staff's 11 response. 12 Thank you. 13 CHAIR RANDOLPH: All right. Thank you. 14 Dr. Sperling and then Dr. Balmes. 15 BOARD MEMBER SPERLING: Thank you very much. I 16 want to also credit the staff for a great presentation 17 about the Scoping Plan. And I would comment though that 18 it's quite -- it comes across as quite overwhelming, 19 massive lists of ideas and opportunities. And many of the 20 public commenters added even more good ideas and good 21 actions. 22 So let me play the role here of helping frame the 23 challenges and priorities following up on what Board 24 Member De La Torre was saying, but focusing on 25 transportation, which, as the staff said, is half the
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1 problem. 2 So I'm going to refer to -- I helped lead a study 3 commissioned by the Legislature. It asked the University 4 of California to -- California to analyze and provide 5 recommendations for how to get to zero carbon in 6 transportation by 2045 while improving health, high 7 quality jobs, environmental justice. 8 And I would note, by the way, that there's going 9 to be a series of webinars starting in July for anyone 10 that wants to get access to some of that. And, of course, 11 there's a full report. And I think CARB can provide 12 anyone that asks access to that information. 13 But the number one finding from this study and 14 from every single major study that's been done on the 15 transportation sector is that electric vehicles are the 16 number one priority, the number one strategy for 17 decarbonizing transportation. When I electric vehicles, I 18 mean cars and trucks, and I also mean hydrogen fuel cell 19 vehicles. 20 And -- but everyone of these studies says if we 21 want large reductions, the greatest opportunity by far - 22 there's nothing even close - is electrification of cars 23 and trucks. And it's even more relevant to this 24 discussion in this Scoping Plan and CARB, because this is 25 one of those few activities that are in the Scoping Plan
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1 that CARB really does have authority and jurisdiction 2 over. 3 And the policies that we already have in place 4 that we just need to strengthen and build are the 5 zero-emission vehicle mandate, the Low Carbon Fuel 6 Standard, which actually not only weans us off of fossil 7 fuels, but also provides incentives and subsidies for 8 electric vehicles and hydrogen use in vehicles. 9 We also have policies that have some effect on 10 charging infrastructure and hydrogen infrastructure. You 11 know, one of our best acts I think ever of CARB was just a 12 little tweak to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard where we gave 13 special credits for hydrogen infrastructure in th LCFS and 14 it's led to a real boon in investments. 15 Other things CARB is doing with the 16 electrification strategy is the truck fleet purchase 17 requirements and the truck -- the ACT, the truck fleet -- 18 the requirement for truck manufacturers to sell electric 19 trucks as well as incentives. 20 So this is within our wheelhouse and it's the 21 most important thing we're going to -- it's the most 22 important thing we're going to do as part of this Scoping 23 Plan -- as follow-up on the Scoping Plan process. 24 And I add to it, I really emphasize this, because 25 not only does it reduce greenhouse gases, it also reduces
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1 public health -- improves public health, reduces air 2 pollution, and this is probably the most important point 3 of all is every study now that's looking at this 4 carefully, including ours, found that electrification 5 leads to economic savings. In other words, when we switch 6 to electric vehicles, this is not going to cost the 7 economy money. This is going to save the economy money. 8 And when I say economy, I mean consumers. 9 And this cross-over point is going to be on 10 average somewhere between six and eight or nine years, 11 where this cross-over point is going to happen, where 12 we're going to be saving money. 13 So -- and then I want to point out, the number 14 two strategy, and a couple -- a few people mentioned it, 15 is reducing vehicle use. And when I say that, it also 16 includes dealing with land use and transit as well. This 17 is the second most important strategy, but it's also, as 18 Will Barrett said, it's a strategy that's failed for the 19 most part in California through our SB 375 process so far. 20 And -- but I would argue that in many ways this 21 mobility strategy is, in a broader sense, just as 22 important as electric vehicles, not in terms of reducing 23 carbon, if we strict -- focus strictly on the carbon 24 metric, electric vehicles just swamps everything else. 25 But if we look at it more broadly in terms of
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1 urban sustainability, land use, public safety, jobs, 2 sprawl, cost of travel, which is a number one priority for 3 environmental justice community, and even more so, if we 4 focus on accessibility and mobility, especially for low 5 income and disadvantaged communities, all of that is part 6 of a mobility strategy. 7 And so if we look at all of that, our more 8 ability strategy seem -- has to have a top priority, even 9 though it's not going to get anywhere near the greenhouse 10 gas reductions we will get from electrification. 11 So there's one principle I want to highlight 12 going forward in this. And it's reiterating what the 13 staff said, and that is for any of these strategies to be 14 effective and successful, we need to work closely with -- 15 we need to coordinate with other agencies, and also with 16 other states, and with other countries even, because what 17 we do here in California is probably -- what's most 18 important is that we're a model and a leader. And we need 19 others to be following and imitating. And they have been 20 doing that, and that has been our biggest impact on 21 climate change. 22 And so all these other things include, you know, 23 investment for infrastructure, financing -- just in 24 transportation area, infrastructure, financing 25 transportation, urban land use regulation. And then if
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1 you get into natural and working lands and electricity 2 production, that's almost totally outside of our control. 3 So we do need to work with others. And so I say 4 all this, because I think we need a little focus here. 5 You know, everyone's, of course, got all their favorite 6 little projects and actions, but we really need to stay 7 focused, and we will be staying focused on where we can 8 really have an impact, and where the benefits are the 9 greatest. And it's not just the greenhouse gas benefits. 10 It's the -- it's environmental justice. It's land use. 11 It's much more than that. So thanks. 12 I did want to ask a question to the staff, 13 different from what I was just talking about. And it 14 follows up with what Diane Takvorian just said -- Board 15 Member Takvorian, and that is we heard people over and 16 over again say that in 2017 the EJ -- the EJAC proposed 17 150, 198 recommendations and that none of them were 18 accepted. 19 Now, Board Member Takvorian said some of them, 20 you know, were. I'd like to ask the staff to comment on 21 to what extent those recommendations have been adopted or 22 not by CARB over the years. 23 Thank you. 24 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Okay. Thank you. And I am 25 keeping the list of questions to make sure we don't forget
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1 any, after everyone has a chance to put theirs on the 2 table. 3 Okay. Dr. Balmes and then Board Member Kracov. 4 BOARD MEMBER BALMES: Thank you, Chair Randolph. 5 And I want to thank you for your opening 6 comments. I really thought that set the tone for the 7 discussion well and I thank you for that. 8 Because I was one of the people that kind of 9 bitched and moaned about the lack of integration of the 10 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee early on in the 11 process of the development of the new scoping plan, I take 12 both your opening comments and staff's presentation very 13 positively. And my long-time friend in the EJ community 14 Martha Dina Arg ello I think said it well. She's giving 15 us a chance. And I think as Ms. Takvorian said, we've got 16 to make sure that we come through, walk-the-walk not just 17 talk-the-talk. 18 But I'm very pleased with the tone that you and 19 staff set with regard to incorporating the Environmental 20 Justice Advisory Committee's input to really engage them 21 early on in the process. And I also want to say that 22 since I called out Rajinder Sahota last time, I'm really 23 pleased with how Ms. Sahota and Ms. Fletcher are working 24 together with EJAC. So I'm making a public apology for 25 maybe being precipitous in my calling out.
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1 And then I wanted to set a -- try to synthesize a 2 little bit Hector De La Torre's wanting us to focus on 3 short-lived climate forcing emissions. I'm going to leave 4 methane aside for a second, but nitrogen oxides and black 5 carbon, and I'm going to synthesize that with Dr. 6 Sperling's call for us to focus on transportation. Not 7 that we shouldn't do other things, but I agree with his 8 focus on where we need to put most of our energy. And, 9 you know, to me, linking reducing nitrogen oxides and 10 black carbon emissions and focusing on transportation 11 means we need to double down on our efforts to get rid of 12 diesel. That will have the most public health impacts in 13 our environmental justice communities, as well as helping 14 us with climate forcing emissions. 15 So I have one other question for staff that's a 16 little bit orthogonal to what I was just saying. And 17 while I greatly supported what Ms. Takvorian was saying 18 before, one thing that she said I would like staff to 19 respond to, she said that Cap-and-Trade was supposed to be 20 dealing with 40 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions. 21 That's about double what I thought we were getting out of 22 Cap-and-Trade. So I just want to -- when staff is going 23 through that long list of things you have to respond to, 24 I'd like you to respond to that one as well. 25 Thank you.
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1 CHAIR RANDOLPH: All right. Thank you. 2 All right. Board Member Kracov followed by Board 3 Member Hurt. 4 BOARD MEMBER KRACOV: Yes. I appreciate very 5 much this excellent presentation on the process, the 6 content, the timeline of the Scoping Plan. It's been 7 great to get to know our staff a little bit from ISD and 8 all the other divisions at CARB in an interdisciplinary 9 way, as we embark together on this exciting journey that's 10 so fundamental to our mission, it really is a team effort. 11 And I especially want to thank Executive Officer 12 Corey, staff for considering the questions and feedback so 13 far from the new Board members and new Chair Randolph, the 14 perspective that we were appointed to share. I've not 15 lived through the prior scoping plans and I sympathize 16 with this challenge, the imperative of the task at hand 17 and meeting the goals that we Californians, Governor 18 Newsom have set for ourselves. I have so much to learn. 19 And, Dr. Pacheco-Werner, thank you for raising the staff 20 capacity question. It's a darn good point. 21 I also appreciate the commitment of the EJAC and 22 all the stakeholders, our friends in labor in making this 23 effort as positive and effective as possible. Thank you, 24 all of you, for speaking today. You know, they say that 25 beginnings sometimes can be the most important part of the
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1 work. And to this end, I wanted to thank staff and 2 highlight staff's effort I think identified in Ms. Bylin's 3 presentation - I think slide 5 - to work together to 4 define and refine the EJAC's role, to take the lessons 5 learned as to best practices and to set expectations at 6 the outset colleagues as to the needs, the interests, and 7 the roles. It may take some effort now. Yet, it will 8 ensure that this ship is solid as we set sail, so -- and 9 that's going to be together. 10 I imagine that's how we also are going to help 11 make this effort the best it can be to mold consensus 12 among all the stakeholders, all of those agencies on slide 13 27, DPR too, on the substance, the critical issues that we 14 have been asked, colleagues, to tackle. So thumbs up on 15 this presentation and our beginnings. And thank you. 16 CHAIR RANDOLPH: All right. Thank you. 17 Board Member Hurt. 18 BOARD MEMBER HURT: Thank you, Chair Randolph. 19 I'd like to thank the staff for outlining this process as 20 the executive leadership sees it moving forward. 21 Undoubtedly, this is a critical time and everyone needs to 22 do their part in ensuring California meets our emission 23 reduction goals for today and our children's future 24 tomorrow, where everyone will truly need to dig deep with 25 behavioral changes and look for creative solutions, since
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1 our economy me is so tightly interwoven with fossil fuels. 2 My review of the work and critical eye is really 3 going to be guided by the fact that not all of our regions 4 are in clean air attainment with the suite of policies we 5 currently have deployed. And there are many communities 6 of color and low income communities who are struggling to 7 breathe clean air. 8 I just read today an article that emphasized with 9 COVID that African Americans with Hispanic Americans have 10 suffered the biggest U.S. decline in life expectancy and 11 the U.S. Since World War II. So public health is top of 12 mind. 13 And while the primary data shows emissions have 14 reduced, is it bold enough, is it aggressive enough to 15 meet or exceed our goals of carbon neutrality in 2045? 16 It's not clear. And I would also like to emphasize do 17 people practically feel a difference in their everyday 18 lives? Granted, without the policies that we've done thus 19 far, and I'm proud of the work that CARB has done, it 20 could be worse, but is it truly better? 21 Clean air attainment still escapes some 22 jurisdictions. And I'm really looking to figure out how 23 do we get there with regular Board reviews and check-ins, 24 with solutions that are California focused. And I'm so 25 glad here equity is front and center. But I'd like to
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1 emphasize that there's also the piece of inclusion that is 2 very important. 3 While I was not here for the last scoping 4 process, we do not want to repeat the same mistakes. And 5 so I think it's really great that staff is going to be 6 present in these community meetings, but the real 7 challenging and necessary work is true integration of the 8 EJAC recommendations who are again representing lived 9 experiences, some generational. 10 So I too have questions of how do we build off 11 from the list of prior EJAC recommendations and integrate 12 that work, so that California can truly and authentically 13 be a model, where our most impacted communities often of 14 color and low income are not left behind in this 15 transitioning economy and not struggling to breathe clean 16 air. 17 I really hope, and I look forward to working with 18 all of you, all the stakeholders. I don't want us to rely 19 just on the numbers, but that those communities highly 20 impacted really feel a difference. I'm excited for the 21 work ahead. I'm invested and committed. And again, I 22 think everybody has to be involved, because it's going to 23 take the different sectors, it's going to take the 24 different stakeholders to reach what are some -- the 25 urgency is present and some very difficult goals of 2045
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1 carbon neutrality. And I look forward to the work. I 2 think it's going to be very hard. 3 Thank you, Chair. 4 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. Okay. Before I turn 5 it over to staff, I just wanted to echo a few comments of 6 my colleagues. I completely agree that we need to see 7 significant reductions in transportation. So that has to 8 be a key focus of the Scoping Plan and really -- you know, 9 we have a lot of strategies in that area and excited to 10 see that sector analysis come together to lay out those 11 opportunities. 12 And I also just wanted to note, I really, really 13 appreciated Board Member Takvorian's comments about the 14 2017 recommendations, because previously when folks had 15 mentioned that, I had always been a little bit hesitant, 16 like, you know, do we really -- so much has changed and so 17 I was worried if we spent too much time on that, that that 18 might not be the right focus. But I think Board Member 19 Takvorian articulated the opportunity really clearly, 20 which is to look at what has happened between 2017 and 21 now, areas where we have taken action, and then areas 22 where we might look for potential opportunities. 23 So while I want to make sure that we keep the 24 EJAC process moving and have an opportunity to really 25 delve into the conditions as they are today, I think
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1 spending some time thinking about the list of 2 recommendations, what has changed, and how that can 3 help -- as Dr. Pacheco-Werner mentioned, how that can help 4 kind of maybe sort of speed up some of the basic beginning 5 of the work. I think there might be some opportunities 6 there. 7 Okay. So I am going to turn it over to Mr. Corey 8 to respond to some of the questions and the 9 recommendations that we discussed. And I kept the list, 10 so if you forgot any, I'll remind you. 11 (Laughter.) 12 EXECUTIVE OFFICER COREY: Oh, no. Thank you, 13 Chair. A few areas that I'll try and work through here, 14 but then I'm going to be shored up by both Rajinder and 15 Chanell who I'm going to call on shortly after I complete 16 this. 17 So the list I had, one was -- it concerned 18 process steps, realizing that 18 months, a lot of work to 19 do. You went through a timeline. But the fact of the 20 matter is we're going to -- there's going to be learnings 21 along the way, and I think it was Dr. Pacheco-Werner, the 22 opportunity to be nimble enough, whether that's a 23 workshop, webinars, different elements that basically 24 we're getting feedback on that can be more responsive to 25 an issue and more interactive. The answer to that is yes.
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1 I mean, the process will be designed -- is designed to 2 allow for that flexibility and nimbleness. And I think 3 it's going to be important going forward to learn what's 4 effective and what isn't. 5 We also asked about the status of the additional 6 EJAC members. And in a minute, I will have Chanell add a 7 little bit more detail, but I just wanted to underscore 8 the direction from the Board was loud and clear when it -- 9 the existing EJAC members that continued on, as well as 10 the additional members, there were identification of gaps 11 that the Board had, in terms of geographic gaps, tribal 12 representation, and labor. We put out a solicitation. 13 We're actually in the process of reviewing that. And the 14 plan was to complete that by early July, but we can say a 15 little bit more about that in a minute. 16 The other question concerned progress, in other 17 words by sector from a GHG standpoint because the point 18 was made by Member Takvorian and a number -- another 19 commenter that a good share of the reductions had been 20 from the electricity sector. That's actually correct. 21 Transportation VMT continue to go up. The weight 22 of vehicles continue to go up. SUVs took off over those 23 year period, so it was pretty flat. Emissions didn't go 24 up, but that obviously isn't enough. And I want Rajinder 25 to speak a little bit about information that we can make
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1 available to respond to that question, because it's really 2 important to see what are we seeing from a 3 sector-by-sector basis, because the point made multiple 4 times by Board and the team here, we won't get to 2030 or 5 2045 without every sector playing a role here and a 6 significant role. 7 Another comment, and this was with respect to 8 the -- really the theme, an ongoing theme that is super 9 important from our team's standpoint, and both Chanell and 10 Rajinder who are working daily, in terms of the 11 integration of the EJAC effort into the overall scoping 12 plan design and development. And both Chanell and 13 Rajinder will speak to that in a minute. 14 Two or three more things. Both Board Member 15 Sperling and the Chair mentioned transportation. And you 16 did make the point very eloquently clearly, but I want to 17 add to the point. Transportation is responsible for, if 18 you include upstream, 50 percent of our GHG emissions, 80 19 percent of our NOx emissions, and 95 percent of our diesel 20 PM emissions. We don't get to our GHG targets, we don't 21 get to our health-based air quality targets, we don't 22 reduce diesel PM in communities without a significant 23 transformation of the transportation sector. 24 In a way, it really is a triple play. The 25 transportation -- the electrification of the
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1 transportation sector delivers all those areas. And 2 that's why it is so important moving forward, in terms of 3 light-duty and heavy-duty, because we simply don't meet 4 the targets without moving forward in that space. 5 And the Chair mentioned the previous 6 recommendations. I appreciated the comment. And I 7 certainly have heard a number of comments here and 8 elsewhere about the 2017 process and the recommendations. 9 I will say this, there is a difference of perspective, a 10 perspect -- I've heard folks have the perspective that no 11 recommendations were followed. I certainly have a 12 different perspective, but that's important. It probably 13 is a breakdown in communication. I think I would concede 14 that and I would concede too actually I think a pretty 15 good placing look at is us posting those recommendations. 16 We're going to do that, so everyone sees them. They were 17 public at the time, but too hard to find on the website 18 today. We're going to put them out there just so people 19 have them. 20 And I think rather than necessarily a complete 21 revisit, what can we learn from that going forward, 22 because some may well be really effective going forward, 23 what has happened since then, and learn from that process. 24 So I think we're conceding that. There's clearly an 25 opportunity to learn from it and improve going forward.
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1 I'm also going to briefly ask Rajinder to speak 2 to short-lived climate pollutants, because there's law 3 that defines actually action by CARB on short-lived 4 climate pollutants, methane, HFCs, I think N2O as well. 5 And there certainly are a number of regulations we've 6 adopted and more that we need to do going forward. 7 And the last item that I had, I think it was Dr. 8 Balmes asked, which is a really important question, what 9 is the relative share of reductions being delivered by the 10 different strategies, including the Cap-and-Trade Program? 11 But I will say this, and Rajinder I will go to 12 you in just a moment on this, one response is the 2017 13 Scoping Plan, which you can respond what the end 14 expectation was at that point. The real thing is the new 15 Scoping Plan. The 2017 Scoping Plan didn't have a 16 Governor's Executive Order calling for the full 17 electrification of light-duty, heavy-duty, medium-duty, 18 and off-road. The relative share of the reductions will 19 change and shift as a part of the work in the underlying 20 analysis in this -- in the revised plan. 21 But with that, I'd first like to go to Rajinder 22 to amplify, add, correct as appropriate, anything I put 23 out there, and then I'll ask Deputy Fletcher to bring us 24 home in terms of any additional areas. 25 DEPUTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER SAHOTA: Thanks,
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1 Executive Officer Corey. Rajinder Sahota, Deputy 2 Executive Officer for Climate Change and Research here at 3 ARB. I'll speak first to the workshops. We will remain 4 nimble on the format of the workshops and the frequency of 5 the workshops. One of the things I want to reassure folks 6 of is that just like we did in the last scoping plan, we 7 will have a description and a workshop to talk about the 8 models that we use in the Scoping Plan, so folks can ask 9 questions about how it's -- how the models are structured, 10 underlying assumptions, and then also about the inputs 11 that we will use. 12 And we will take comments on those, and make sure 13 that, to the extent that we're able to, we incorporate 14 those comments. So there's more to come on the models and 15 the methods that we will be using in any of the analyses 16 here. 17 In terms of the progress on the different 18 sectors, we will -- we can pull back -- go back and pull 19 together a report that goes into each sector, talks about 20 the trends that we're seeing, and try and identify the 21 drivers of those trends. For example, when we talk about 22 transportation, Executive Officer Corey was correct, VMT 23 has gone up. And the kinds of vehicles that took off in 24 sales, those changed more than we thought they were going 25 to change towards the heavy-duty vehicles. And so
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1 efficiency and economy went down in the fleet. 2 And so it's important for us to be able to 3 identify those features, because transportation is going 4 to take multiple tools addressing multiple factors. We 5 can do that for some of the other sectors as well. For 6 example, in electricity, it's not just the RPS Program 7 that helps to make sure that we are procuring and 8 consuming in California renewable or low carbon 9 electricity, we have also integrated the carbon price from 10 Cap-and-Trade into the dispatch models, which means that 11 when California needs power and we need to dispatch 12 something quickly, it's zero carbon power that is 13 dispatched first, not something like natural gas or coal 14 that's coming into the state. So we can have some of that 15 discussion as well. I want to do -- I do want to talk 16 about the share of reductions. 17 In 2017, when we did the Scoping Plan, it was a 18 snapshot in time. It was the best available data that we 19 had. It did not foresee a global pandemic. And so all of 20 the reference scenarios that talked about how we expected 21 emissions to change between 2017 and 2030 and beyond, they 22 were predicated on a world where there was no global 23 pandemic, so there was no dramatic drop in emissions for 24 about 14 months and then some recovery period. 25 And what the recovery period looks like is up for
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1 debate right now. It could look like a hockey stick, a W, 2 a V pattern. It's unknown. And so we are going to have 3 to go back and redo that reference case to reflect what 4 happened with the pandemic. 5 So when we do that update with the reference case 6 and then we look at what programs are in place to get us 7 to 2030, that -- that the amount of reductions we need is 8 going to change, which also means that when you include in 9 the Executive Order for the ZEVs, the SB 100 procurement 10 by 2045 for retail falls to zero carbon electricity, the 11 60 percent RPS, which also wasn't included in that 12 modeling at the time, the share of Cap-and-Trade should be 13 reduced. 14 So it will have a smaller role to play. And that 15 is to reflect that there are new policies and new targeted 16 places where we are expected to focus attention and get 17 reductions. And in each of those, those are going to 18 deliver not just GHG reductions but importantly some of 19 the air quality reductions that we need to see in the 20 state of California. 21 Now, the comment was made that this is a plan and 22 that we need to bring action forward, and we take action 23 here at the Board, and other agencies, and proceedings, et 24 cetera. That is all true, but that's not where the action 25 ends. We have programs like LCFS that have been sending
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1 signals that we want to value, renewable diesel, 2 biodiesel, clean fuels. These fuels are re -- are 3 delivering reductions in diesel PM today and we want these 4 fuels to be available, but we are also seeing signals by 5 the private sector to retool and reconfigure their 6 refineries, their facilities to produce these new fuels 7 for us that will deliver those air quality benefits. 8 But the challenges that we're seeing on the 9 ground for all of this is opposition to permitting and 10 opposition to where these facilities will be located. And 11 so I think a more nuanced conversation also needs to 12 happen with the Scoping Plan, that if we're sending these 13 signals that we value these fuels and they will deliver 14 GHG and air quality benefits that are badly needed in our 15 frontline communities, who and where do we produce these 16 fuels, where does this energy come from? 17 Because we can set ambitious targets, but if 18 during implementation we are putting up hurdles through 19 permitting processes or other kinds of processes that need 20 to happen before you can break ground and actually have 21 that production happen, then we're not actually going to 22 realize those reductions and benefits that we anticipate 23 in any of the plans, not just the Scoping Plan but, also 24 in our SIPs, our State Implementation Plans. 25 And alongside that is we want to keep some of
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1 these facilities, because they will deliver and they will 2 continue to provide economic activity in the region and 3 they will keep jobs in the state of California. So that 4 nuanced conversation needs to come out as part of the 5 Scoping Plan and we see how those pieces are fitting 6 together. 7 With that -- oh, I have SLCPs on my list. Sorry. 8 So short-lived climate pollutants were talked about in the 9 three-day workshop that we had for the kick-off. We have 10 measures in place early action like the Oil and Gas 11 Regulation that are already delivering reductions in 12 fugitive methane. We have the LCFS program, which is 13 currently incentivizing RNG, capture fugitive methane from 14 dairies and landfills, and bringing it into the 15 transportation sector. 16 We also have modeling that shows that over time, 17 and with the ZEV Executive Order, we will see a role for 18 RNG decreased in the transportation sector, but we also 19 have hard-to-electrify sectors that need high heat such as 20 cement, glass, and steel. And so for us, it's how do we 21 redirect these fuels where they're going to be needed and 22 where they can serve a more targeted purpose to make sure 23 that not only are we addressing SLCPs, but we're providing 24 energy that is going to keep the facilities open and not 25 have them close down because they don't have access to
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1 cleaner fuels. 2 The other part about this is HFCs, from our 3 modeling last year, it was a very clear that even if we 4 phased out all combustion and fossil fuels in the state of 5 California, HFCs remain in the system. And that is 6 because we need refrigeration. It is because we were 7 going to need fire suppression. It is because we're going 8 to need air conditioning units. It's just going to get 9 hotter. 10 And so making sure that we are looking for 11 alternatives for those HFCs, the high global warming HFCs, 12 is important, and making sure that we are able to switch 13 appliances and switch out air conditioning units to 14 actually use the lower global warming potential is going 15 to be very important. 16 And there was an example about I think Whole 17 Foods took the bulk of the money for one of the 18 programs -- one of the incentive programs. What I know is 19 that for everyone that applied to get that money, everyone 20 that subscribed, they were able to get money in that 21 program. And so maybe this is more of an issue of us 22 making sure that we get the right information out and we 23 get it out to the right folks so that they know these 24 opportunities to be able to get access to these funds, and 25 are able to come to us and ask -- and ask for the funds
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1 and have those be made available. 2 So with that, I will conclude and I would like to 3 ask Deputy Executive Officer Chanell Fletcher if she would 4 like to make her comments. 5 Thank you. 6 DEPUTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER FLETCHER: Thank you. 7 Thank you. Thank you. First of all, I just -- you know, 8 before I go into my comments, I just wanted to say a huge 9 thank you both to, I think, you know, my boss Richard, but 10 also Rajinder. I think we've been doing a lot of work 11 right now to really think about how are we collaborating 12 as a team and CARB on this front, right? And so there's 13 so many other staff that I didn't name, but we're thinking 14 about that, right? We're thinking about how ISD and how 15 EJ Unit is working together collaboratively, and how that 16 comes up to leadership. 17 And we're also hoping that that comes across, I 18 think, in these presentations, even if, for example, ISD 19 is leading it or other -- you know, the EJ unit is leading 20 it. We really want to kind of emphasize that we are 21 working together, that we are taking in the feedback, and 22 that it really is shaping what comes next and what comes 23 out of that. 24 I think I have a couple of points to speak on. 25 One of those is that integration piece. And when we're
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1 talking about the integration, I definitely hear every 2 comment. And I hear the Board members' concerns on that 3 front. Yes, like the slide that we kind of posted was 4 procedural, because right now we're at the very beginning 5 of this process. And I know it -- I guess It doesn't feel 6 like it, but the EJAC is -- the EJAC just got announced in 7 May and now we're in June, so we're at the very beginning. 8 But I think our goal and what we're trying to do 9 is really build in that strong process and procedures in 10 place, so that when we get to the substantive 11 conversations, we really have the structures in place to 12 make sure that the EJAC recommendations are going to be 13 informing and shaping the Scoping Plan, and not just the 14 process pieces of it, but the actual foundational building 15 blocks. 16 I think that's something that I think Richard, 17 Rajinder, myself, the Chair, we've all talked about and 18 have agreement on in that front. And part of why there 19 was that graphic in the slide show was to really show here 20 is how we're seeing this -- again, this process, this 21 procedure mapping out, so that we really get to those 22 outcomes that we want to see. 23 The other things that I will say is that I 24 absolutely like one thousand percent agree that the EJAC 25 should be determining what they focus on. And in that
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1 vein, what we're really trying to do is exactly that. So 2 right now, we had our first meeting in June. And one of 3 the things that I think, you know, myself, and our staff, 4 and our team walked away with was that we want the EJAC to 5 be saying like what are your priorities? What are the 6 things that you want to focus on? What comes up, what do 7 we talk about, and how do we do that, and how do we shape 8 it in a transparent and public way. 9 So we're actually meeting with our facilitators 10 tomorrow to talk about how do we give the EJAC the powers 11 and the tools to really start to shape the conversation 12 and shape what they're focusing on. And in the same vein, 13 I think as Richard noted, we have already started to send 14 the EJAC the information and the materials. So, for 15 example, the foundational reports that are informing the 16 Scoping Plan, that's gotten sent to the EJAC. We're going 17 to send them that matrix that kind of lists out the 18 recommendations and the actions that CARB has taken, 19 because I think -- as I think I've said this individually 20 to Board members, but absolutely the 2017 recommendations 21 are the foundation. The EJAC is going to have a 22 conversation about it. 23 And I think the point is is that we want to make 24 sure, like when that conversation happens, how it's going 25 to be framed, that really is EJAC's decision to do and to
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1 make, and that's what we're really invested in. And I 2 think -- you know, I think to that comment that Board 3 Member Takvorian made about maybe it's not more workshops, 4 right? Like, maybe it's that more meaningful, you know, 5 community engagement. I think that absolutely rings true 6 for me. 7 And at the same point in time, I'm not hear, I 8 think, to speak on behalf of what the EJAC wants to do, so 9 we really are interested in those conversations around 10 what does it look like, how do we shape this kind of 11 enragement, and how are we prioritizing the feedback that 12 you're giving us? 13 Other things that I'll speak to is really about 14 the additional members. And I think we have -- we have 15 the resolution. We've heard the feedback. I think, as 16 Richard shared, we are in the middle right now in terms of 17 the process of selecting the additional members to the 18 EJAC. I think we were -- we just had our meeting with our 19 panel. Our panel, you know, included current, you know, 20 existing EJAC members, because as I've pointed out, it's 21 really, really essential that the EJAC is a part of this 22 decision-making process. 23 And so we've had that conversation. We're 24 honestly right now just vetting, I think, the applicants 25 that rose to the top from that panel meeting and the panel
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1 conversation. And basically, I think after that, really I 2 think we're hoping by like early June we really get to a 3 place where we're able to kind of announce those 4 additional EJAC members. 5 But I do want people to know that while I wasn't 6 here in 2017, as a history undergrad -- go Slugs, if 7 anybody went to Santa Cruz -- the point for me is that if 8 we're not looking at our past and that's not kind of 9 informing and shaping our future, then we're going to just 10 kind of repeat the same mistakes again and again. 11 And so I think what you're really seeing, not 12 just from me, but from, like I said, Rajinder, as I said 13 from Richard, from all of us is that we really are looking 14 at what happened previously and really using that to 15 inform how we move in the future. And I think what we 16 hear loud and clear is listen to the EJAC. And I think 17 that is what we're going. And I think we're also just 18 trying to be very transparent in the ways in which, yes, 19 we are absolutely listening and here is what we as 20 government have to think about and take into consideration 21 and how do we move forward in that vein. 22 And I think that is I think the conversation that 23 we're hoping to continue to have, right, and continuing to 24 being transparent and honest about what I think we're 25 facing from those challenges as well.
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1 So with that said, I will turn it back to 2 Richard. 3 EXECUTIVE OFFICER COREY: Back to the Chair. 4 CHAIR RANDOLPH: All right. Thank you very much, 5 Rajinder, and Chanell, and Richard. That was really 6 helpful. And you hit all of the questions and comments 7 that I wrote down on my list, so congratulations. 8 Okay. So this is an informational item that does 9 not require action by the Board. I see Board Member 10 Takvorian, so I will recognize her. 11 BOARD MEMBER TAKVORIAN: Thank you, Chair. 12 Sorry. Perhaps I didn't hear it, but I -- one, I wanted 13 to know when the evaluation of the 2017 measures was 14 coming back? What I heard Richard say is we need to look 15 forward and I heard Rajinder say -- excuse me -- we need 16 to evaluate based on the pandemic having occurred. Agree 17 with both of those. When do we see the data for where we 18 are from 2017? And if I missed it, I apologize. 19 DEPUTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER SAHOTA: Yes. Board 20 Member Takvorian, this is Rajinder. We are going to be 21 looking at modeling what the emissions would look like if 22 we took no further action over this summer and into fall, 23 because we want to make sure that we do have that public 24 discussion on what the models are, how they're structured, 25 and the inputs into those models. So it will be much
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1 later in this year, probably towards late fall or winter 2 before we are able to come back and share how the pandemic 3 is going to reflect the new future, in terms of a 4 reference scenario. But we will also be pulling together 5 a report on the sectors so far and how they have 6 responded, and some of the factors that have influenced 7 our impacted those sectors. 8 The challenge again will be that we will be 9 limited into only being able to speak to the 2019 data, 10 because the inventory we are putting out this year will be 11 through 2019. The inventory will not have the 2020 data 12 in it, because that data is still being collected and 13 reported to us and to the federal agencies from where we 14 pull it from to develop the inventory. So later this 15 year, we will have both of those to bring back. 16 BOARD MEMBER TAKVORIAN: That's helpful. Thank 17 you. So when we have our Board meeting, which is 18 projected for the fall, we'll be seeing that data is what 19 hearing you say. 20 DEPUTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER SAHOTA: That is the 21 hope. 22 BOARD MEMBER TAKVORIAN: Thank you. 23 CHAIR RANDOLPH: All right. Any other Board 24 member questions or comments? 25 Okay. Seeing none. Thank you very much to
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1 staff, and EJAC members, and public commenters. That was 2 a really good discussion. 3 Okay. The next item on the agenda is Item number 4 21-5-5, an informational update on the AB 617 Technology 5 Clearinghouse. If you wish to comment on this item, 6 please click the raise hand button or dial star nine now. 7 We will call on you when we get to the public comment 8 portion of this item. 9 CARB continues to work with air districts in 10 communities to implement AB 617 with the goal of reducing 11 emissions and exposure in communities most impacted by air 12 pollution. Underpinning AB 617 is the principle that 13 community members are active partners with CARB and 14 California's 35 local air districts in envisioning, 15 developing, and implementing strategies to clean up the 16 air in their communities, a paradigm shift in how we truly 17 partner with communities, one in which we aspire to 18 achieve, but frankly have a ways to go to fully deliver on 19 AB 617's vision. 20 AB 617 calls for a reduction in criteria 21 pollutants and toxic air contaminant emissions at the 22 course and an up-to-date statewide listing of the cleanest 23 technology options for stationary, area, and mobile 24 sources will help realize that vision. 25 So the topic of this item is an update on the
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1 development of that statutorily required Technology 2 Clearinghouse. The goal of the Technology Clearinghouse 3 is to help identify opportunities to reduce emissions in 4 communities across the state. 5 To do this, the Technology Clearinghouse must 6 transparently collect and provide information on available 7 technologies that meet the needs of a diverse set of 8 users, from air district permit engineers to high school 9 students. The Technology Clearinghouse will significantly 10 enhance public access to reliable information on emission 11 control options, including available zero-emissions 12 technology, and will highlight opportunities for achieving 13 emissions reductions in communities statewide. 14 It brings together emissions control policy 15 information from all of the 35 air districts and CARB in a 16 way that is accessible, and user-friendly, and designed 17 around direct community input we have received. 18 With that, Mr. Corey, would you please introduce 19 the item? 20 EXECUTIVE OFFICER COREY: Yes. Thanks, Chair. 21 AB 617 establishes a Community Air Protection 22 Program, and amongst several provisions directed CARB to 23 develop and maintain a Technology Clearinghouse. This 24 system will serve as an important resource to support the 25 identification of emission reduction strategies in
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1 communities, as well as to inform local air district 2 permitting decisions. It will enhance the access to 3 up-to-date emission control technology information and 4 help to drive down emissions in communities. The 5 Technology Clearinghouse brings together existing policy, 6 emission limits, and control technology from California's 7 35 air districts and CARB programs. The system will 8 present this information in a way that allows users to 9 identify the control technologies and regulatory measures 10 required today for specific categories of 11 emission-producing sources, as well as available next 12 generation technologies that are cleaner than currently 13 required. 14 Making this information available at a statewide 15 level will support more robust deliberation and discussion 16 of emission controls in regulatory processes, such as 17 permitting of stationary sources or in opportunities to 18 use incentive funding to replace existing equipment with 19 new zero-emission technologies. 20 The effort meets the intent of AB 617 to increase 21 transparency for community members and other stakeholders 22 as they participate in these processes. The ultimate 23 goals of the Technology Clearinghouse are to increase use 24 of lower and zero-emission technologies and drive down 25 emissions in communities as well statewide.
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1 CARB has worked closely with local air districts, 2 community groups, and industry to develop and release a 3 number of stand-alone prototype tools. While these 4 prototypes do not have the full functionality of the final 5 system, which is being developed over the next two years, 6 they provide an important bridge by making data available 7 today. The prototypes have already proven their utility 8 with over 20,000 combined hits today from users browsing 9 advanced technologies for back-up engines, comprehensive 10 air district rules, and other currently available 11 information. 12 This informational item will update you all on 13 the status and the process -- or rather progress of the 14 Technology Clearinghouse and demonstrate some of these 15 prototype tools. 16 With that, I'll ask Alex Huth of the Office of 17 Community Air Protection to give the staff presentation 18 Alex. 19 (Thereupon a slide presentation.) 20 OCAP AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER HUTH: Thank you, Mr. 21 Corey. Good afternoon, Chair Randolph and members of the 22 Board. I'm Alex Huth and I'm happy to speak with you 23 today. You've heard from the Office of Community Air 24 Protection before about community selection and emissions 25 reduction programs under AB 617.
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1 Today, I'll update you on another critical 2 element of the program, the Technology Clearinghouse. The 3 Clearinghouse is an online, interactive, searchable 4 database that will contain the rules, regulations, and 5 equipment that will collectively drive the use of the 6 cleanest technology throughout the state. 7 --o0o-- 8 OCAP AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER HUTH: AB 617 is the 9 most comprehensive air quality program in California in 10 decades and the first to truly recognize the longstanding 11 nature of the disparities in air pollution that leave many 12 communities behind. This is why communities are at the 13 center of the program. 14 Now, the law calls for CARB and the air districts 15 to work together and use all existing authorities to 16 support community-driven local air quality protection. 17 We rely on technical expertise and evidence-based 18 approaches, and our policies are grounded in science. We 19 use both investments and incentive funding and rules and 20 regulations to reduce air pollution and mitigate climate 21 change. We develop and implement strategies for enforcing 22 our rules and ensuring compliance, while our incentives 23 and regulations drive the development of new cleaner 24 technologies. This is where the Clearinghouse fits in. 25 The Technology Clearinghouse is a new system that
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1 brings together information on requirements and emission 2 controls for all sources, stationary, mobile, and area in 3 order to drive advancements in technology in a transparent 4 way. 5 --o0o-- 6 OCAP AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER HUTH: By the end of 7 today's presentation, my goal is for you to understand how 8 the Technology Clearinghouse supports the goals of AB 617. 9 The law calls on CARB to increase transparency around air 10 quality decision making. The Clearinghouse helps address 11 the significant challenges facing community members as 12 they try to compare how similar sources are controlled in 13 different locations and jurisdictions across the state. 14 We'll also take a video tour of some of the 15 Clearinghouse prototype tools that are available to the 16 public today and highlight how feedback from stakeholders, 17 primarily community members and air districts, has 18 influenced our work. 19 After the video, we'll talk about next steps for 20 the Technology Clearinghouse project and what you can 21 expect from the full Technology Clearinghouse system once 22 our software development contract is complete. 23 --o0o-- 24 OCAP AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER HUTH: So what is the 25 role of the Technology Clearinghouse in 617
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1 implementation? First and foremost, the Clearinghouse 2 provides easy access to emission control information for 3 stationary, area, and mobile sources in one location on 4 the web. Users can quickly identify what rules and 5 regulations may apply to a given source and browse the 6 record of what emission controls have actually been 7 required in specific instances. 8 The Clearinghouse database ties this information 9 together with rich context and cross-references to help 10 users identify the cleanest technologies available. To 11 support continuous improvement, the Clearinghouse also 12 offers a window into the next generation of clean 13 technology. Centralizing information about the cleanest 14 technologies available and showcasing zero-emission 15 choices will help community members compare technology 16 options for reducing emissions below current regulatory 17 limits. 18 Industry can also benefit by using the 19 Clearinghouse to identify categories that offer the most 20 opportunity for cleaner products and solutions. Bringing 21 together past requirements, today's requirements, and a 22 view of where technology can take us in the future is the 23 kind of transparency that communities want, need, and 24 deserve. 25 --o0o--
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1 OCAP AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER HUTH: The program 2 implementing AB 617 was designed with many elements to 3 support improvements in local air quality for selected 4 communities, for AB 617 eligible communities, and 5 statewide. Each of these elements is described in detail 6 in the program's governing document, called the blueprint. 7 Appendix F to the blueprint in particular 8 outlines new tools and resources, including the Technology 9 Clearinghouse and the ways in which this system supports 10 critical elements of the program to extend its benefits 11 statewide. 12 --o0o-- 13 OCAP AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER HUTH: So why is the 14 Technology Clearinghouse necessary for identifying 15 reduction opportunities? 16 You're looking at a representation of a 17 moderately complex stationary course. This example is 18 based on a real facility, a landfill that captures waste 19 gas and uses it to produce grid electricity. There are 20 over 70 different pieces of equipment involved. But the 21 information describing this equipment and all required 22 controls is spread across three separate permits and 13 23 prohibitory rules. 24 The permits and rules themselves have further 25 exemptions, conditions, references to other standards and
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1 methods, and so on. It's effectively impossible today for 2 a member of the public to find all this documentation, 3 compare what they learn about this facility to other 4 facilities in the State, and reach an understanding of any 5 reduction opportunities that may exist here, not because 6 members of the public are incapable or unwilling, but 7 because the information is so scattered and decentralized. 8 It is essential for this information to be 9 accessible and transparent for members of the public, 10 especially regarding sources of concern for their 11 community. Having this information empowers members of 12 the public to work directly with regulatory agencies to 13 identify and pursue reduction opportunities. 14 --o0o-- 15 OCAP AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER HUTH: That's where 16 the Technology Clearinghouse comes in. We've taken the 17 fundamental questions that community members and air 18 district staff alike must answer when identifying 19 reduction opportunities and priorities, and designed the 20 Clearinghouse to address those questions in a way that's 21 both accessible and effective. 22 What sources emit pollutants of concern can be 23 answer with detailed data from the emissions inventory. 24 Once the user identifies a source of concern, our system 25 can tell them what emission limits may apply. It can lead
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1 them to understand why a limit applies to one course, when 2 a similar source may be exempt, and it can show them what 3 controls are currently installed on that source in the 4 context of all the control options that we know to be 5 available for that type of source. 6 Armed with this information, members of the 7 public can engage with confidence as we work together to 8 address the core question of what opportunities may or may 9 not be available to reduce emissions from that source in 10 their community. 11 This is a challenge that AB 617 selected 12 communities have been tackling for some time and one that 13 many more communities are dealing with today, but it's not 14 just the public who feel that need. Air districts also 15 have to gather and compare information on technology, so 16 they can issue permits with the best possible 17 requirements. Every district does this individually. The 18 Technology Clearinghouse is CARB's way of taking a more 19 active role in supporting the integrity and efficiency of 20 that process across the state. 21 Now, building a first-of-its-kind system like the 22 Technology Clearinghouse is a major undertaking and won't 23 happen overnight. But our stakeholders can't wait for the 24 conclusion of a lengthy software development process to 25 identify and pursue clean technology. There is a clear
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1 and immediate need for solutions now. 2 --o0o-- 3 OCAP AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER HUTH: That's why, in 4 2018, we released the first of a series of focused 5 publicly available prototype modules that can meet the 6 short-term need while also informing the final design of 7 our system. 8 The process for developing these prototypes 9 starts with outreach to a wide list of stakeholders. We 10 have traveled to communities to ask what tools and 11 features people want. Our joint work group with air 12 district staff helps us account for caveats and 13 complexities in our system design. And we've formed a 14 focus group that gives us rapid feedback as we develop and 15 release new tools. 16 Understanding the need allows us to define the 17 solution. And from there, we've taken an iterative 18 approach. We start with a modular design, build out small 19 pieces of that design as prototypes and bring those 20 prototypes quickly to the public. 21 The feedback we receive on a prototype allows us 22 to make refinements to the design of the larger system, 23 while also improving the prototypes. The guiding 24 principles of this development process are continuous 25 improvement and quick response to user needs.
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1 --o0o-- 2 OCAP AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER HUTH: Here are some 3 of the things that community members have told us they 4 need and we take that feedback very seriously. You'll see 5 in a moment how our prototype tools incorporate many of 6 these needed features and capabilities. 7 We have worked closely with air district staff to 8 make sure that the Technology Clearinghouse, along with 9 each of these prototype tools is designed to be accessible 10 to an audience starting at around the eighth grade level. 11 Our iterative process helps us to stay in line with that 12 goal, while also working towards the greater goal of being 13 able to combine more varied data and documents into the 14 sort of comprehensive reports that will make the 15 Technology Clearinghouse a one-stop shop for understanding 16 particular sources and technologies. 17 But why keep telling you when we can show you. 18 I'm really excited to present the following three minute 19 video demonstration of some of the prototype tools that 20 we've already released 21 (Thereupon a video was played.) 22 VOICE-OVER: CARB has released multiple prototype 23 tools which are available today for public use. These 24 prototypes provide an important bridge by giving access to 25 data today and allowing for ongoing feedback. However,
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1 they do not encompass the expected features and utility of 2 the final system. 3 To get to the Technology Clearinghouse, search 4 CARB Technology Clearinghouse and choose the Clearinghouse 5 tools on the left. The first two modules, BACT and Rules, 6 bring together data on existing regulatory requirements 7 across the state. 8 These tools allow users to search, filter, and 9 compare data. For example, you could search for emergency 10 in the BACT tool to obtain more information on emergency 11 backup power requirements for all air districts across the 12 state. You can then compare emissions limits graphically 13 for selected pollutants. The graph shows multiple NOx 14 limits for this emissions category. You can select other 15 pollutants in the drop-down. 16 While the tool makes information easier to 17 understand, there is still a lot of context to be 18 considered when comparing data, such as differences in 19 limit units. To help better understand this data, 20 additional information is included in the tool along with 21 corresponding source materials. 22 The Rules module also contains a new prototype 23 for CARB regulatory programs. This prototype is in early 24 development and only contains data for CARB's Airborne 25 Toxic Control Measures so far.
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1 Once complete, this prototype will provide one 2 location for users to explore all of CARB's regulatory 3 programs. Users can search using alternative names or 4 keywords to assist in finding programs of interest. 5 While the BACT and Rules modules describe what is 6 required today, one primary goal of the Technology 7 Clearinghouse is to highlight technologies that are beyond 8 existing regulatory requirements using the Next 9 Generation, or NextGen, module. 10 The commercial backup power tool shows commercial 11 installations of NextGen technologies across the country 12 that are cleaner than currently required. This 13 information allows users to determine opportunities for 14 additional emissions reductions. 15 These prototypes provide immediate value. 16 However, we envision substantial improvements in the final 17 Technology Clearinghouse system. The final system will 18 bring together all of these prototypes into one consistent 19 environment with improved features, speed, and user 20 experience. 21 (Thereupon the video ended.) 22 OCAP AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER HUTH: I hope you 23 enjoyed that video. I want to quickly note that you can 24 find the video on the CARB YouTube account. The air toxic 25 control measures prototype tool mentioned in the video is
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1 now live. And as of earlier today, our prototype tools 2 have been viewed nearly 27,000 times and rank in the top 3 10 percent of CARB web pages for weekly traffic. 4 --o0o-- 5 OCAP AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER HUTH: Now, here's an 6 example of how powerful this approach can be. Recent 7 years have seen a large increase in demand for backup 8 power generation. In the Bay Area, new permit 9 applications for backup power at data centers since 2019 10 will more than double the total backup power installed, 11 with over 60 percent of these new engines being proposed 12 within disadvantaged communities. 13 This was an important opportunity for CARB and 14 air districts to address potential emissions increases. 15 In 2020, CARB, South Coast, and Bay Area collaborated to 16 identify installed technology with emission rates below 17 existing limits and publish this data in a new prototype 18 tool. 19 As a result, Bay Area was able to greatly reduce 20 their regulatory limits on new backup power generators 21 above 1,000 horsepower. This action significantly 22 mitigates the emissions for new backup power in the Bay 23 Area and it is directly protective of disadvantaged 24 communities, but it also applies to the rest of the 25 District and will likely spread throughout the state.
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1 And there's our last queue. Thank you. 2 --o0o-- 3 OCAP AIR RESOURCES ENGINEER HUTH: We've made a 4 lot of progress toward addressing community needs, but we 5 still have a lot of work left to build out the Technology 6 Clearinghouse as a true integrated system. Here are some 7 next steps. 8 We're continuing to gather feedback on our 9 prototypes and use that feedback to inform and refine the 10 development of the larger system. We'll begin working 11 with an external contractor for software development later 12 this year. 13 In the meantime and throughout that development 14 process, we'll continue to release new prototypes, gather 15 feedback, and keep expanding and improving on all the 16 resources that we can make available now to support AB 617 17 communities and statewide strategies. 18 Thank you. This concludes my presentation. 19 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Okay. Thank you very much. 20 Now, we will hear from the public who raised 21 their hand to speak on this item. Will the Board 22 member -- the Board Clerk please call the first few 23 commenters. 24 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes. Thanks, Chair. 25 There are currently eight people with their hands raised
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1 for this item. First three commenters will be Timothy 2 Jeffries, and phone number ending in 841, and Katrina 3 Fritz. 4 Timothy, I have activated your microphone. You 5 may unmute yourself and begin. 6 Timothy, are you there? 7 You should be prompted to unmute or dial star 8 nine -- star six, if you're on the phone. 9 All right. I'll come back to you. 10 Phone number ending in 841, I have activated your 11 mic. You can unmute yourself and begin. 12 Phone number ending in 841, can you press star 13 six to unmute yourself? 14 INDIA ROGERS-SHEPP: Hello. Can you -- Okay. 15 Perfect 16 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes. 17 INDIA ROGERS-SHEPP: Hello. Thank you, Madam 18 Randolph -- Chairwoman Randolph, and the CARB Board, and 19 the rest of the CARB team. My name is India Rogers-Shepp 20 and I'm here for the rest of the Stanford Climate and 21 Health Group. Here with me are Avanthi Puvvula and 22 Sohayla Eldeeb. 23 AVANTHI PUVVULA: Yes. So this past year, we 24 have worked with other institutions in Northern California 25 and with our community partners in Stockton to support
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1 Stockton in its transition to becoming an AB 617 2 community. And one of our goals was to pinpoint 3 Pollutants and pollution sources through a variety of 4 pollution tracking tools, like the CARB Pollution Mapping 5 Tool. 6 So related to this tool and other Clearinghouse 7 tools, we really appreciate the easy breakdown of 8 industrial pollutants and their sources placed visually in 9 a map in their respective communities and areas. This 10 makes the tool much easier to use. However, the majority 11 of data was upwards of three years old. And in the 12 Stockton area, only five industrial polluters were present 13 were and compared to nation databases which showed dozens. 14 So it is difficult to provide current solutions 15 with outdated and incomplete data. Updated and more 16 through data reporting is crucial for both the public and 17 other researchers. 18 Additionally, many Stockton residents expressed 19 to us that many databases and tools are awfully hard to 20 use due to their heavy use of jargon or lack of 21 familiarity with the tools. And I know that Mr. Huth 22 addressed this, but we just fear that these 23 characteristics may also be found in the mapping and 24 Clearinghouse tools. And we urge the Board and the team 25 at CARB to continue their efforts to designing and fitting
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1 the data tracking tools for the demographic that they 2 serve and not just for the researchers in the program. 3 SOHAYLA ELDEEB: With that being said, we'd like 4 to offer some other like factors and things that we 5 noticed when using the Clearinghouse tool. Also, with 6 some of the comments that we've received from community 7 members and organizations that we chatted with, one, when 8 looking at the zip code breakdown, the level of facilities 9 reported proved to be not enough as in many zip codes, if 10 the data is taken literally. And it would seem that there 11 are no industrial pollutants affecting those areas. 12 Also, the Clearinghouse tool could be easier to 13 navigate for any community member by easily choosing their 14 geographical location that provides information more 15 specifically on air monitoring and their pollutants and 16 polluters within -- found within their backyard and 17 possibly a Spanish language version for the Spanish 18 speaking population. 19 And in the support module, there could possibly 20 be more intersections between health and pollutants to 21 inform the community members of all possible risks. 22 INDIA ROGERS-SHEPP: Lastly, I just wanted to say 23 that we noted in the previous presentation that there 24 was -- they showed how certain permits have been expired. 25 And we think that these expired permits -- or who has
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1 permits that have expired and those that are still 2 relevant are shown on the Clearinghouse Tool and would 3 like to thank CARB so much for the time you've allowed for 4 us to speak here. 5 Thank you. 6 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. And if I 7 could have you, for the record, if those of you that spoke 8 could state you name one more time in the order that you 9 spoke -- in the order -- 10 INDIA ROGERS-SHEPP: India Rogers -- 11 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Sorry. Go ahead. 12 INDIA ROGERS-SHEPP: Sorry. India Rogers-Shepp. 13 AVANTHI PUVVULA: Avanthi Puvvula. 14 SOHAYLA ELDEEB: And Sohayla Eldeeb. 15 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Okay. Thank you. 16 INDIA ROGERS-SHEPP: Thank you. 17 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Okay. Our next speaker 18 was Katrina Fritz. Katrina, I have activated your 19 microphone. You can unmute yourself and begin. 20 KATRINA FRITZ: Good afternoon Chair Randolph, 21 Board members, staff, and the public. This is Katrina 22 Fritz, Executive Director of the Stationary Fuel Cell 23 Collaborative. The Collaborative would like to express 24 appreciation and support for the continued development of 25 the AB 617 Technology Clearinghouse as an important public
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1 tool to show the vast portfolio of commercially available 2 near-zero and zero-emission technologies to improve air 3 quality today in local communities. 4 Prior to the development of this Clearinghouse, 5 public information was only available on best available 6 control technologies for permitted emitting stationary 7 sources. Because non-combustion fuel cell systems are low 8 or zero carbon emitting resources with no criteria air 9 pollutants, they are exempt from air quality permits. 10 In contrast cast to combustion engines commonly 11 used for electricity generation from similar fuel sources, 12 non-combustion stationary fuel cells provide clean, highly 13 efficient, energy conversion from small kilowatt units for 14 individual buildings to multi-megawatts for supporting the 15 grid and utility generation, all with virtually zero 16 emission of criteria pollutants and virtually zero water 17 consumption. 18 Fuel cell systems provide continuous clean, 19 reliable, load following power and can be configured to 20 transition to meet critical loads in the case of a utility 21 grid outage, eliminating the need for backup diesel 22 generators. Fuel cells can also support combined cooling, 23 heat, and power generation, as well as hydrogen generation 24 that can be used for fuel cell electric vehicles, medium-, 25 light-, and heavy-duty vehicles, and cargo and material
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1 handling equipment. This hydrogen can also be used in 2 small scale zero-emission fuel cell systems that are used 3 today as a direct replacement for backup diesel generators 4 in places like telecommunication towers and hubs, traffic 5 signals and railroad crossings. 6 Many of these fuel cell systems are listed in the 7 Technology Clearinghouse prototype system. The Technology 8 Clearinghouse next generation technology area provides a 9 new and critical designation for low- and zero-emission 10 resources that are exempt from permits and therefore have 11 historically not been considered to be BACT and which 12 simply had no other public listing for community access. 13 The Collaborative is already using the prototype 14 tools within the Clearinghouse website in our education 15 and outreach work. We're very please with the progress of 16 the prototype tools and look forward to utilizing the 17 final technology Clearinghouse to continue promoting 18 clean, stationary, primary, and backup power resources for 19 air quality improvement and carbon reduction. 20 Thank you for the opportunity to provide these 21 comments and your time and attention. 22 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 23 Our next three speakers are Carsten Baumann, 24 Christopher Chavez, and Cynthia Pinto-Cabrera. 25 Carsten, I have activated your microphone. You
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1 can unmute yourself and begin. 2 CARSTEN BAUMANN: Yeah. Good afternoon, Madam 3 Chair and Board members. My name is Carsten Baumann. I'm 4 a Director of Strategic Initiatives and represent 5 Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management 6 and automation for homes, buildings, data centers, and 7 infrastructure in general and industries. 8 We provide technology solutions that help data 9 center customers implement more energy efficient designs. 10 And most recently, we invested in research to find 11 sustainable and cost effective solutions to diesel backup 12 generators. 13 According to CBRE's 2021 U.S. real estate outlook 14 report, data center demand is projected to grow nearly 14 15 percent in 2021 alone. Silicon Valley currently provides 16 280 megawatt of data center capacity with about another 25 17 megawatt under construction. That capacity represents to 18 2.5 terawatt hours of energy consumption annually. It 19 makes Silicon Valley the third largest data center 20 concentration in the United States. And traditionally, 21 all these data centers are using diesel backup generators 22 to provide resiliency. 23 And with Public Safety Power Shutdowns measures, 24 these hundreds of megawatt assets will run more and 25 longer. As these diesel assets are designed and planned
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1 to operate for 20 plus years, we need to enable data 2 centers with sustainable alternatives. And I believe that 3 that time is actually right now. As a result, it is our 4 opinion that the Technology Clearinghouse would be a great 5 tool to not only catalogue proven technologies, but to 6 also include emerging ones, which then could enable 7 California citizens and businesses that want to 8 familiarize themselves with sustainable deployed projects, 9 their benefits, costs, and compare those to other fossil 10 fuel based projects. 11 Number two, it's our opinion that such a resource 12 would also foster collaboration amongst vendors and 13 customers, to participate in federal grant opportunities, 14 as well as leverage existing and future State-funded 15 activities. 16 And number three, the Clearinghouse would also 17 bring together different stakeholders on specialized 18 topics around alternatives to fossil fuel backup 19 generation solutions. We believe that a combination of 20 different technologies can provide next generation and 21 substitute diesel backup generators to lower pollution and 22 greenhouse gases and other emissions. Our research shows 23 that a combination of more sustainable technologies 24 installed behind the meter, such as fuel cells, natural 25 gas, specifically renewable natural gas, photovoltaic, and
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1 energy storage system offer a reliable solution. 2 Thanks for giving me the opportunity to speak on 3 behalf of Schneider Electric on this matter and I 4 appreciate everything CARB is doing. 5 And I yield my remaining time. 6 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 7 Chris Chavez, I have activated your microphone. 8 You can unmute yourself and begin. 9 CHRISTOPHER CHAVEZ: Yes. Good afternoon, Board 10 members. This is Chris Chavez with Coalition for Clean 11 Air. 12 Today's conversation on the BARCT clearinghouse 13 is important, because it is a key component of answering 14 two questions, one, what is considered BARCT, and two, 15 when will it be implemented? 16 First, regarding what is classified as BARCT is a 17 significant concern for environmental and public health 18 advocates. Some districts have tended to go for the low 19 bar when defining BARCT. For example, backup newer tier 20 diesel-powered generators have been defined as BARCT, 21 while fuel cells, battery backup systems, and other 22 zero-emission options are available. 23 CARB and the air district should strive to define 24 BARCT as a technology that provides the greatest emission 25 reductions. And if that option isn't chosen, either the
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1 Clearinghouse or the districts should be able to explain 2 why other less effective technologies were selected. 3 The other question, when will BARCT be -- 4 technologies be deployed is also relevant to this 5 discussion. AB 617 creates a 2023 deadline for BARCT 6 implementation. Yet, we have heard multiple air districts 7 are on track to fail meeting this deadline. For example, 8 at South Coast AQMD, rule 1109.1, which relates to NOx 9 emissions from refineries is projected to be fully 10 implemented by the early 2030s. 11 This rule, by the way, is overdue by two years. 12 It is likely to be delayed again by the oil industry 13 stalling tactics, which have even suggested the continued 14 use of reclaim in violation of both AB 617 and the South 15 Coast 2016 AQMP. To their staff's credit, South Coast 16 staff has been pretty resistant to that proposal. And we 17 appreciate that, but it goes to show the length and the 18 amount of stalling that has gone in this process because 19 of industry pushback. 20 The BARCT clearinghouse should help push forward 21 AB 617 implementation. While CARB and the air districts 22 deserve praise for much of AB 617's implementation, BARCT 23 implementation and enforcement remains a weak point. 24 Thank you very much. 25 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. Cynthia
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1 Pinto-Cabrera, I have activated your microphone. You can 2 unmute yourself and begin. 3 CYNTHIA PINTO-CABRERA: Hello. Good afternoon. 4 Cynthia Pinto-Cabrera again, the policy assistant with the 5 Central Valley Air Quality Coalition. Thank you for the 6 opportunity to comment. CVAQ staff and members have 7 provided feedback throughout the process of developing the 8 Clearinghouse. And we appreciate that outreach from staff 9 to provide input on this tool. Overall the Clearinghouse 10 is a useful resource, with one of the most noteworthy 11 features being able to compare rules between air 12 districts. 13 Before this rule, it was a time-consuming process 14 going into each air district website and trying to search 15 for different rules. I personally did this research on my 16 own when reviewing some of the rules for the San Joaquin 17 Valley PM2.5 SIP. 18 And while this tool has great information, we 19 would like to suggest that it be more directly integrated 20 into the -- into supporting the AB 617 process in the San 21 Joaquin Valley. Additional outreach and information 22 sharing with community steering committee members would be 23 beneficial. Oft -- many times, for example, in the 24 Stockton 617 community, where we -- our CSC members, there 25 was a lot of delay in the process due to technical -- due
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1 to lack of technical knowledge from the community members. 2 And that would have -- this kind Of information would have 3 allowed for community residents to able to understand some 4 of the more technical details. 5 The user video -- the user-guide videos are very 6 helpful, but they are not enough. The Clearinghouse is 7 still difficult to navigate. And as the presentation 8 measure -- mentioned, assuming an eighth grade level is 9 not adequate for a lot of communities in the San Joaquin 10 Valley. And another area for continued improvement would 11 be to request that CARB continue to work on streamlining 12 information available from the air districts. For 13 instance, we'll -- it is easier to search for similar 14 rules and best available control technology, air districts 15 use those different units and measurements for their 16 emissions limitations and thresholds creating yet another 17 barrier for the public to be able to use this tool to 18 conduct their own comparisons. 19 We appreciate the investments of the staff and 20 the resources in making this information available and 21 easily accessible to the public and we look forward to 22 continuing to be engaged in utilizing and enhancing the 23 Clearinghouse. 24 Thank you. 25 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you.
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1 Our final three speakers for this item are 2 Melissa Vargas, Amy Kyle, and Julia May. 3 Melissa, I have activated your microphone. You 4 can unmute yourself and begin. 5 Melissa, it looks like you've unmuted, but we 6 cannot hear you. 7 You're unmuted again. If you can try hitting 8 that again and unmuting. You're unmuted currently. 9 Unfortunately, we cannot hear you still. 10 I'm going to ask if you can call into the number 11 that is posted that is shared on the screen now and raise 12 your hand by dialing star nine, then we will be able to 13 call on you then, and I'll try again after the next couple 14 commenters. 15 Okay. So that goes -- brings us to Amy Kyle. 16 Amy, you can unmute yourself and begin your comments 17 DR. AMY KYLE: Thank you. My name is Amy Kyle. 18 And I'm an environmental health scientist. I was at UC 19 Berkeley for a number of years and I'm now retired. And I 20 have been before the Board a number of times to talk to 21 about various issues related -- especially to stationary 22 sources of air toxics and rules for reporting, et cetera, 23 how to make that system work better. 24 And so I'm a -- I have a couple things to say 25 about this technology system. And one is I think it's a
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1 great idea. I mean, you've heard all the comments about 2 how it is to work through it. There's a lot to do, et 3 cetera. Those -- I think that's all been covered. 4 But there's so much that the Board, and the 5 staff, the ARB as a whole could do to bring information 6 that is scattered and buried everywhere in technologies of 7 50 years ago forward into the public view that would 8 really help everybody to understand better what's 9 important to do, what's possible to do, what we can learn 10 from each other. 11 It's not just in this area. I mean, there are 12 obvious examples of that for the Scoping Plan. You know, 13 where it -- where is the data dashboard for that? There 14 is -- there isn't one for the climate policy. So I 15 commend this, even though it's not there yet. 16 One thing I wanted to say particularly - I have 17 two main comments about it - is that I am concerned about 18 portraying the value of the emissions inventory for toxics 19 as it currently exists. The emissions inventory for 20 toxics that the State maintains is really terrible and 21 inconsistent, and everybody doesn't report the same thing, 22 and some of the numbers are probably, to use a word, 23 bogus. 24 So I think that needs a caveat when people are 25 talking about that and it should be more carefully
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1 caveated online. 2 I would remind you that you all adopted rules 3 last November to fix some of that and we're still waiting 4 the completion and filing of those rules. So I would make 5 a plea for can we get those done and then a few years from 6 now we -- maybe we will have emissions data for toxics 7 that we can actually use. 8 The last thing I want to say though is that this 9 problem of things that are scattered and not well 10 represented anywhere that you can reach is broader, even 11 with -- within air pollution than the current 12 technologies. And I think there are opportunities to 13 address that, both in a forward- and backward-looking way. 14 And, you know, I encourage you to support creative 15 thinking on that. One thing that would seem valuable to 16 do as well, and some other people have mentioned this in 17 other contexts, is to put a focus on new technologies as 18 well that will come into being as part of the climate 19 transition and look for what is the state-of-the-art on 20 things that we may need more of like maybe battery 21 facilities as well. 22 Thank you. 23 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. I'd like to 24 try this phone number ending in 410. Melissa, I believe 25 that is you, if you can try to unmute yourself. I believe
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1 you press star six. 2 MELISSA VARGAS: Hi. 3 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Is this Melissa? 4 MELISSA VARGAS: Hello. Sorry. Yes. Sorry 5 about that. 6 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Oh, perfect. 7 MELISSA VARGAS: Good -- Good afternoon, Chair, 8 CARB Board and CARB staff. My name is Melissa Vargas and 9 I'm with the Environmental Justice Program at Catholic 10 Charities Diocese of Stockton. Today, I would like to 11 express our gratitude for the Technology Clearinghouse and 12 CARB staff, in particular Cassandra Lopina and her team. 13 When we had the opportunity to collaborate with 14 Stanford and Santa Clara University students on air 15 quality research in Stockton, Cassandra and her team were 16 actively seeking feedback from the community and the 17 student research teams about how they can make the 18 Technology Clearinghouse tools more efficient and clearer 19 to use, as well as learning about the challenges students 20 face while undergoing the technical analysis of the AB 617 21 process. 22 We thank the students of Stanford and Santa Clara 23 for their hard work, and additionally, Cassandra and her 24 team took the suggestions from students about organizing 25 air quality information in a way that is easily digestible
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1 for the community, and developed a new video series that 2 shares information about air quality control and how to 3 navigate the Clearinghouse. 4 So we're very excited to see the huge benefits 5 that holistic collaboration with academia, community-based 6 organizations, and State agencies can bring so that we can 7 protect the public health of our communities. 8 Thank you. 9 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 10 We have Julia May. And then after Julia, Paula 11 Torrado. 12 Julia, I have activated your microphone. You can 13 unmute yourself and begin. 14 JULIA MAY: Julia May, Senior Scientist with 15 Communities for a Better Environment representing 16 Wilmington, which is the largest concentration of oil 17 refineries on the west coast representing for CBE. 18 And I'm speaking spontaneously. I commented on 19 the Scoping Plan, but I couldn't resist on this item. 20 Thank you for your work. These kinds of tools are great. 21 But it may also help to have some follow-up support from 22 CARB staff and the Board to make sure that good measures 23 get implemented. 24 As Chris Chavez mentioned earlier, rule 1109.1 in 25 the South Coast District is under attack by the oil
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1 industry. It's a long overdue measure. Boilers and 2 heaters at refineries drive the energy use and there's an 3 overlap with greenhouse gases as well. There's over 230 4 massive ones in the refineries in the South Coast. 5 Over -- just in Wilmington, Carson and West Long Beach 3.4 6 million pounds a year of NOx. And now the refineries are 7 proposing that they want to wait until 2035 and they want 8 to use cap-and-trade as the bridge standard, rather than 9 meeting the tight NOx standards that could cut emissions 10 95 percent using standard SCR, selective catalytic 11 reduction. It has been available for decades. 12 So this is a good example of a technology that's 13 been around for a good long time, could have cut millions 14 of pounds a year of NOx in EJ communities. It would also 15 have cut greenhouse gases, if CARB had implemented the 16 boiler and heater rules it was looking at in, you know, 17 early in the scope -- first scoping plan instead of 18 Cap-and-Trade. 19 But now we've had Cap-and-Trade and we've had 20 RECLAIM programs with pollution trading that failed to 21 implement these technologies that have been around for a 22 long time. So we're way behind. We could really use 23 CARB's help in ensuring that we get these emission 24 reductions from boilers and heaters at refineries. If 25 they're not willing to meet the tight two part per million
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1 standard that's achievable and that could cut 95 percent 2 of these millions of pounds per year of NOx, then they 3 should be required to shut down, which would also cut the 4 greenhouse gases out, and that would eliminate these old 5 dinosaur boilers and heaters there at refineries. 6 So we appreciate your staff's work. We could use 7 some help in implementing the Clearinghouse as well as 8 just listing the measures. 9 Thank you. 10 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 11 Paula Torrado, I have activated your microphone. 12 You can unmute yourself and begin. 13 PAULA TORRADO PLAZAS: Thank you. Thank you. 14 Good afternoon, everyone. This is Paula Torrado Plazas 15 with Physicians for Social Responsibility, Los Angeles. 16 And I am the Air and Toxics Policy Analyst currently part 17 of the South LA AB 617 community steering committee. 18 And I wanted to comment and say thank you to OCAP 19 and the EJ -- the CARB EJ's office for engaging us in this 20 process of the development of the Tech Clearinghouse 21 tools. And I wanted to mention how important these tools 22 are for us to identify best practices and best available 23 control technologies to reduce emissions. 24 And I'm looking forward to seeing how this -- the 25 implementation of these tools can help us pursue a
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1 sector-based multi-pollutant approach to AB 617 that can 2 reach equal or greater emissions reductions for -- of all 3 emissions. And it's also an approach, how can we use 4 these tools towards developing an approach that can help 5 transition and transform toxic industries that are overly 6 concentrated in many EJ communities. How can these tools 7 collaboratively with EJ communities, and CARB, and 8 agencies help develop those sys -- those best strategy -- 9 strategies that might exist already within the BACT Tech 10 Clearinghouse tool, and develop real emissions reductions, 11 and support and be shared with all other communities, not 12 just the ones that have been selected for a community 13 emissions reduction plan. 14 And so we are thankful and we really are looking 15 forward to being part of the process. We really want to 16 ensure and develop a simpler regulatory system that 17 reduces redundancy across regulations in ways that that 18 can significantly reduce emissions. And that can only be 19 approached -- achieved by looking at what exists right now 20 and what we can do moving forward in terms of moving 21 upstream. 22 But the goal is to get into real emissions 23 reductions on the ground. And that cannot be achieved 24 without sharing best lessons learned and in getting those 25 benefits to all communities, not just those that have been
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1 selected through AB 617. 2 Thank you very much. I appreciate your time. 3 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thank you. 4 Madam Chair, that concludes the list Of 5 commenters for this item. 6 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Thank you. 7 This is an informational item only, so there is 8 no need to officially close the record. So I will turn 9 this over to the Board. Do any Board members have 10 questions or comments? 11 Board Member De La Torre. 12 BOARD MEMBER DE LA TORRE: Thank you. I actually 13 wanted to say the point that was said right at the very 14 end there, that I've talked numerous times about AB 617 15 being a sampler platter of solutions statewide. And so 16 this is the sampler platter. This is putting it all out 17 there, so that all of the communities, whether they're 617 18 or not, if they're facing these challenges, that they have 19 access to the information, so that they can push for these 20 solutions at the local level with all the relevant 21 jurisdictions. 22 I would only hope that after this piece of it is 23 done, we would add things -- like we had the enforcement 24 review earlier today. I know that the Enforcement team 25 has put together proposals that local jurisdictions can
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1 take on, things like idling ordinance -- ordinances, truck 2 idling, truck routes, some of the transportation stuff 3 that we think are best practices and put those on the 4 website, along with this information, so again these 5 communities can advocate for those changes at the local 6 level that would improve their air quality. 7 So thank you. 8 CHAIR RANDOLPH: All right thank you. 9 Board Member Kracov. 10 BOARD MEMBER KRACOV: Just checking my video 11 here. Sorry. 12 Board Member De La Torre ditto, agree with that a 13 hundred percent, and thank you for the comments. I want 14 to acknowledge also staff for this presentation, all of 15 the work that I've learned has gone into this 16 Clearinghouse. Ms. Lopina, Mr. Hughes -- I think I 17 pronounced it right, Mr. Huth, all the others who were 18 working, who I haven't mentioned, so hard on this tool. 19 And I'll keep my comments on it, you know, mercifully 20 short. It's been a long day. And I believe that 21 Assemblymember Garcia, the author of 617, that her staff 22 are watching this, take a bow. AB 617 has many elements. 23 And we focus so much on the 617 communities, the CERPs, 24 and there are six in the South Coast. It's undoubtedly a 25 priority, you know, for my work certainly here as the
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1 representative from the South Coast. 2 But this presentation reminds us that there are 3 other aspects of the law, the Technology Clearinghouse and 4 statewide efforts, and the BARCT retrofit technology rule 5 work, which is so important. Now, we are in the process 6 of approving and implementing many of those rules in the 7 South Coast. You heard about one or two of them from the 8 commenters. And this rule work has to remain a priority 9 too in all the other air districts along with the CERPs, 10 the incentives, you know, really to make AB 617 all that 11 it can be, all that the author intended it to be. 12 So I just wanted to raise that. And, of course, 13 this Clearinghouse work has real promise, very supportive 14 of these efforts and commit being an ally to staff in 15 supporting this work. 16 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Okay. Thank you. 17 I see no other Board members commenting and this 18 is an informational-only item, so I'll just join in my 19 thanks to staff for all of their hard work and the tool is 20 looking very, very user-friendly. I really appreciate 21 that. 22 Okay. That concludes our agenda items, so we 23 will now move to open public comment. If you wish to 24 provide a comment regarding an item of interest within the 25 jurisdiction of the Board that is not on today's agenda,
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1 please raise your hand in zoom or dial star nine if you 2 are on the phone. 3 Will the Board please call those who have raised 4 their hand. 5 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes. Thank you. 6 Sean Edgar, I have activated your microphone. 7 You may unmute yourself and begin your comment. 8 It looks like you're unmuted now. 9 Sean, are you there? 10 I will come back to you. 11 Phone number that is ending in 528, I'ver 12 activated your microphone. You can unmute and begin. 13 LAURA ROSENBERGER HAIDER: Hello. Can you hear 14 me. 15 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Yes. 16 LAURA ROSENBERGER HAIDER: This is Laura 17 Rosenberger. Do you hear me? 18 Oh, yeah. I have an idea that's going to help a 19 lot of low income people go a hundred percent solar like 20 next month and it will also reduce vehicle miles traveled. 21 Well, the idea, but it -- the one thing it needs from you 22 is to get small lots of land and half the lot will be for 23 a tiny house the size of tool shed like eight feet by 24 eight feet and have solar panels on the roof, and battery 25 storage, and -- like it will be so small scale that it
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1 will be so cheap and even have a small little hot plate 2 run off solar -- batter solar and electric -- the electric 3 stove. 4 But the thing is they won't need a freezer, 5 because they'll have a -- making -- suggesting a 6 greenhouse so people can grow their own food year-round, 7 instead of -- because when you put something in the 8 freezer, you've got to -- also a lot of the frozen food 9 has be heated to high temperatures like 160 degrees and 10 thawed also. And that's a lot of energy required to do 11 it. It's better just to grow something fresh. It costs 12 less energy to cook in. And then you didn't talk about 13 the refrigerator trucks and everything that bring -- 14 transport all this refrigerated frozen food, and all the 15 time it takes to drive to store and the farmers market to 16 get stuff. 17 But the thing is and the air filters could 18 actually put -- did you ever examine passive air 19 filtration using wind. When the wind blows through the 20 window, the air is filtered or else the window -- and 21 nothing will go through the window if there's no air 22 current. I think that will work. I don't know. It's 23 just a possibility I was considering. 24 And also -- and some people don't even need heat. 25 Some people are adapted to cold climates or -- or some
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1 people don't need air conditioning, because they're 2 adapted to -- just genetically adapted for generations for 3 being out in the summer heat. They don't need air 4 conditioning. They don't need -- some people, northern 5 Europeans that don't need heating in the winter in Fresno. 6 And -- but the thing is like organic food is very 7 healthy. And when they have the vegetable scraps, instead 8 of throwing in -- instead of throwing them in the garbage 9 pail so they rot and make a lot of methane, is to compost 10 them immediately to reduce the food waste. 11 And what was also in this -- oh, the no -- what's 12 going to reduce the vehicle miles traveled, first growing 13 your own food. The second thing is when they realize that 14 EMF radiation of electric cars. It's kind of -- it's bad 15 news, but not that bad. There's not -- 16 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: Thirty seconds remaining. 17 LAURA ROSENBERGER HAIDER: -- it's not unsafe. 18 The levels of EMF from electric cars is not unsafe. It's 19 20 percent -- it's not unsafe. It's 20 percent of the 20 maximum amount, but yet it's twice the EMF radiation from 21 a car that's oil based -- gasoline based and not electric. 22 And, of course, people want to reduce their exposure. 23 They don't want to get cancer. There's a link to a small 24 probability of cancer from EMF frequencies over exposure 25 to it, so they'll drive less miles to be on the safe side.
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1 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: You've exceeded your 2 time. 3 LAURA ROSENBERGER HAIDER: All right. Thanks. 4 BOARD CLERK ESTABROOK: All right. Let's try 5 Sean Edgar one more time. Sean, I have activated your 6 microphone. You can unmute yourself and try again. 7 You are unmuted. 8 All right. Sean, I will come back to you one 9 more time after this next commenter. 10 We have a phone number ending in 050. You can 11 unmute yourself by dialing star six and begin. 12 It doesn't look like you've been able to unmute, 13 phone number ending in 050. Please dial star six on your 14 keypad. 15 All right. Then let's try Sean one more time. 16 Sean, are you able to unmute? 17 Unfortunately, the last two commenters that are 18 in the queue, Madam Chair, are unable to access the line. 19 CHAIR RANDOLPH: Okay. Thank you for trying. 20 Okay. So since, we have no other commenters, the June 21 24th, 2021 CARB Board meeting is adjourned. 22 (Thereupon the Air Resources Board meeting 23 adjourned at 5:07 p.m.) 24 25
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1 CERTIFICATE OF REPORTER 2 I, JAMES F. PETERS, a Certified Shorthand 3 Reporter of the State of California, do hereby certify: 4 That I am a disinterested person herein; that the 5 foregoing California Air Resources Board meeting was 6 reported in shorthand by me, James F. Peters, a Certified 7 Shorthand Reporter of the State of California, and was 8 thereafter transcribed, under my direction, by 9 computer-assisted transcription; 10 I further certify that I am not of counsel or 11 attorney for any of the parties to said meeting nor in any 12 way interested in the outcome of said meeting. 13 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand 14 this 6th day of July, 2021. 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 JAMES F. PETERS, CSR 23 Certified Shorthand Reporter 24 License No. 10063 25
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