Title
a. Authorize the County Administrative Office to apply for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant opportunity by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for a total award amount not to exceed $7 million; and,
b. Authorize the County Administrative Office to execute all necessary forms and documents for the application to this grant opportunity; and,
c. Direct staff to return to this Board for authorization to accept a grant award if awarded.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Authorize the County Administrative Office to apply for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant opportunity by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for a total award amount not to exceed $7 million; and,
b. Authorize the County Administrative Office to execute all necessary forms and documents for the application to this grant opportunity; and,
c. Direct staff to return to this Board for authorization to accept a grant award if awarded.
SUMMARY:
The Sustainability Program has identified the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant opportunity by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as beneficial towards reducing transportation related emissions within the County, which account for 44% of County greenhouse gas emissions. This grant would fund an “Ag Worker EMobility Network” of electric van pools for agricultural workers and a rural community electric vehicle (EV) carsharing program and bilingual/bicultural electric vehicle EV outreach, purchase guidance, technical assistance, and shared mobility enrollment assistance focusing on low-income residents. To apply for this program, staff will partner with Ecology Action as a co-applicant and will subcontract to providers able to implement car sharing and van pool services to County residents. There is no match requirement for this grant opportunity. The grant period is up to five years after the date of award estimated at October 1, 2024. For more information on project tasks and the initial budget breakdown, please see the CPRG Project Summary attached to this report.
DISCUSSION:
The Sustainability Program has identified the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant opportunity by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as beneficial towards reducing transportation related emissions within the County, which account for 44% of County greenhouse gas emissions. This grant would fund an “Ag Worker EMobility Network” of electric van pools for agricultural workers and a rural community electric vehicle (EV) carsharing program and bilingual/bicultural electric vehicle EV outreach, purchase guidance, technical assistance, and shared mobility enrollment assistance focusing on low-income residents. The grant period is up to five years after the date of award estimated at October 1, 2024. To apply for this program, staff will partner with Ecology Action as a co-applicant and will subcontract to providers able to implement car sharing and van pool services to County residents.
Partnering with Ecology Action allows for the County to leverage their successful EVs para Todos program, which provides step-by-step purchase guidance and technical assistance to County residents considering EV adoption. This guidance helps maximize incentive benefits to low-income residents and facilitates EV adoption, which are often less expensive to operate. The Ag Worker Mobility Network will provide Pajaro and Salinas Valley residents accessible and affordable options to reduce or forego car ownership and limit vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by providing 75 new agricultural worker vanpools and vanpool drive jobs and 3-4 new EV carshare hubs. This network approach was informed by the completion of a Transportation Needs Assessment of low-income Salinas residents in 2020-2021 which indicated that residents lacked alternatives to driving alone and had limited familiarity with sustainable mobility modes and a high rate of unlicensed residents. To generate community ownership and use of new EMobility Network solutions, the project will be delivered by and in collaboration with the Monterey Bay Area Climate Justice Collaborative whose members include the County, Ecology Action and social equity and sustainability-focused CBOs, regional and local governments, and participating community residents. Selection of EMobility service providers will prioritize organizations who are attuned to the needs of rural and low-income communities. It is estimated that this network will reduce transportation emissions by over 16,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030. For more information on project tasks and the initial budget breakdown, please see the CPRG Project Summary attached to this report.
FINANCING:
The grant period is up to five years after the date of award estimated at October 1, 2024 and there is no match requirement for this grant opportunity. Additionally, 10% of the award, or $700,000, will be reserved to cover County administration costs and for implementation of Community Climate Action & Adaptation Plan activities.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
This application is designed to implement transportation mitigation strategies to meet the County’s greenhouse gas reduction goals as set forth in the upcoming Community Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. On-road transportation accounts for approximately 44% of greenhouse gas emissions in the County.
Mark a check to the related Board of Supervisors Strategic Initiatives
_X_Economic Development
___ Administration
_X_Health & Human Services
_X_Infrastructure
_X_Public Safety
Prepared by: Cora Panturad, Management Analyst I x5338
Approved by: Deborah Paolinelli, Assistant County Administrative Officer x5309
Attachments:
CPRG Project Summary