CARB Environmental Justice Blog

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced the release for public comment of its draft guidelines for the Community Air Grants Program (Air Grants Program). The Air Grants Program is a part of CARB’s overall efforts to implement Assembly Bill 617. AB 617 established a community-based framework to improve air quality and reduce exposure to toxic air pollutants in California communities most impacted by air pollution. As an initial step toward building the capacity of California communities to participate in the implementation of AB 617, CARB developed the Air Grants Program. The grants will fund projects that allow eligible applicants to participate in the AB 617 process and to build their own capacities to become active partners with government to help identify, evaluate, and ultimately reduce exposure to harmful air emissions in their communities.  Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis. This is only a draft and CARB is requesting your comments on this dra...

El Consejo de Recursos del Aire de California (CARB, por sus siglas en inglés) anunció el lanzamiento para el comentario público del borrador de las  guías  para el Programa de Subvenciones del Aire en la Comunidad (Programa de Subvenciones del Aire). El Programa de Subvenciones del Aire forma parte de los esfuerzos generales de CARB para implementar la ley 617 de la Asamblea. AB 617 estableció un marco basado en la comunidad para mejorar la calidad del aire y reducir la exposición a contaminantes tóxicos del aire en las comunidades de California más afectadas por la contaminación del aire. Como un paso inicial hacia el desarrollo de la capacidad de las comunidades de California para participar en la implementación de AB 617, CARB desarrolló el Programa de Subvenciones del Aire. Las subvenciones financiarán proyectos que permitan a los solicitantes elegibles participar en el proceso de AB 617 y desarrollar sus propias capacidades para convertirse en socios activos con el...

On October 29, CARB hosted an evening community meeting in Lost Hills, CA to discuss how an air monitoring study in the rural community can help better characterize local air quality.   Lost Hills is one of many communities in California located near oil and gas extraction fields, and the first selected by CARB for the Study of Neighborhood Air near Petroleum Sources (SNAPS), an effort to better understand air quality in these communities. This intensive study will measure toxic air contaminants, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, methane, metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons over three to four months in Lost Hills.   The SNAPS program was created in response to community member’s requests for air monitoring and recommendations in a report recently published by the California Council on Science and Technology.             The kickoff meeting was well-attended, and CARB staff discussed the purpose...

Luis Olmedo En octubre, Comité Cívico del Valle (CCV) albergó su 9ª Conferencia Anual de Salud Ambiental y Liderazgo en Heber, California. CCV es una organización comunitaria que sirve al Condado Imperial con el propósito de mejorar las vidas de las comunidades en desventaja a través de una variedad de enfoques como educación cívica, trabajo comunitario, investigación, ciencia ciudadana y crowdsourcing. Con el liderazgo del director ejecutivo de CCV, Luis Olmedo, el evento alcanzó a casi 300 participantes. Los participantes vinieron de todo el estado para hablar sobre la salud ambiental, la calidad del aire, la ley AB 617 y otros temas sobre la justicia ambiental. Entre los participantes figuraron representantes de organizaciones comunitarias; funcionarios y residentes de la región metropolitana Mexicali-Calexico; líderes ambientales juveniles del Valle Imperial; y personal de CARB, distritos de aire locales y agencias gubernamentales. Además   del Sr. Olmedo, otros l...

Luis Olmedo In October, Comité Civico del Valle (CCV) hosted its 9 th Annual Environmental Health and Leadership Summit in Heber, California. CCV is a community-based organization serving Imperial County with the endeavor of improving the lives of disadvantaged communities through a broad range of approaches such as civic education, outreach, research, citizen science and crowd sourcing. Under the leadership of CCV Executive Director Luis Olmedo, the event drew nearly 300 attendees from across the state to discuss environmental health, air quality, AB 617 and other environmental justice (EJ) issues. Participants included representatives of community-based organizations; officials and residents from the Mexicali-Calexico metropolitan region; Imperial Valley youth environmental leaders; and staff from CARB, local air districts and related government agencies. In addition to Mr. Olmedo, other California EJ leaders presented their work such as Nayamin Martinez, Rey León, Ms...

CARB adopts blueprint for statewide community air protection in areas most impacted by pollution Board also selects first 10 communities for additional focused actions under AB 617 SACRAMENTO – Opening a new chapter in California’s fight against air pollution, the California Air Resources Board took key steps toward implementing the Community Air Protection Program , a first-of-its-kind effort to improve air quality in local communities that face the worst impacts of air pollution.   “This program represents a completely new approach to improving air quality in California’s most impacted communities. The State, working together with local pollution control agencies and community-based organizations, will focus monitoring, enforcement and regulatory activities on the sources of greatest concern to residents.” said Chair Mary D. Nichols. At its September monthly meeting, the Board adopted a blueprint for the program describing how CARB will work with local residen...

On September 27, 2018, the California Air Resources Board (CARB)  collaborated with over a dozen state  agencies to host an environmental justice resource fair.  The fair ran during  the CARB Board meeting, which considered the AB 617 community selection recommendations.  As such, CARB expected a large number of community advocates and residents from across the state to attend.   Throughout our community outreach, CARB heard from community residents and organizers about the challenges of attending the many workshops targeted at disadvantaged communities. This includes workshops on the various CARB programs, in addition to those conducted by other state agencies.  Fourteen state agencies participated in the resource fair and provided information about their programs and projects. ·         California Air Resources Board – shared information on regulatory efforts by the Transportation and Toxics Di...