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Update: Climate Implementation Program - Deputy Director Riske-Gomez
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Requested Action(s)
recommendation
Informational presentation on the Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) & Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) work program, including status of the Baseline VMT Data Source Evaluation Memo (Admin Draft) and the Tehama County Asset Assessment Analysis (Admin Draft).
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Financial Impact:
None.
Background:
On November 15, 2021, Congress enacted the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which created the federal Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) at 23 U.S.C. ?175 to fund projects and strategies that reduce transportation emissions. CRP funds are contract authority from the Highway Trust Fund and remain available for obligation for up to four years (the fiscal year of apportionment plus three), allowing small agencies to sequence planning and near-term implementation activities.
Tehama's Technical Advisory Committee received an informational briefing on CRP on January 4, 2023 and discussed a regional allocation of $116,471 to support a carbon-reduction strategy. The briefing outlined eligible uses-importantly including development of a carbon reduction strategy, intelligent transportation systems, active transportation, and support for zero-emission infrastructure-providing a flexible path for Tehama to advance planning and early actions.
Consistent with that direction, staff recommended utilizing CRP to complete a regional Climate Implementation Program (CIP) bundled with VMT tool development and a Zero-Emission Rollout Plan, so that planning, CEQA/SB 743 compliance tools, and transition strategies move in tandem. The recommendation also aligns with statewide policy drivers, Governor's climate executive orders (N-19-19 and N-79-20) on transportation decarbonization, and statutory greenhouse-gas targets, framing the County's need to cut emissions while maintaining essential services.
Two workstreams anchor this effort. First, SB 743 requires lead a...
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