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Air District warns of early wildfire season, urges clean-air preparedness and flags state GGRF changes as a local funding risk
Summary
The district reported an early start to wildfire season, reminded residents about clean-air centers and bilingual alerts, and expressed concern that CARB's proposed Cap-and-Invest modifications could reduce GGRF funding for local AB 617 programs that have provided over $6.3 million for local emission-reduction projects.
At the board's May 21 meeting staff opened the director's report by highlighting an early onset to wildfire season and describing the district's coordinated outreach and smoke-management tools.
Staff emphasized the district's real-time resources (ourair.org, linked Fire & Smoke maps) and bilingual alerts, and urged residents to prepare clean-air rooms and air purifiers. The district also described its coordination with the County Health Department and the County Office of Emergency Management on issuing air quality alerts when prolonged unhealthy conditions are anticipated.
In the same report staff raised concerns about proposed state-level changes to the California Air Resources Board's Cap-and-Invest program that would reallocate some Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) dollars to utilities and manufacturing incentives. Staff warned those changes could reduce funds available for locally delivered programs created under AB 617, which the presenter said had supplied Santa Barbara County with approximately $6,300,000 for 74 local emission-reduction projects, about $1,500,000 for district operations, and close to $2,000,000 for community organizations and monitoring in disadvantaged communities.
Staff asked the board to consider these funding risks and said the district is working with CAPCOA and stakeholders to advocate for funding that sustains local programs while meeting state climate goals.
The director's report closed with logistical items (a scheduling conflict with SBCAG for later meetings and plans for a joint board lunch at the June meeting).
