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APCD reports $65M in grants over 35 years, surge in car‑buybacks and expanded incentives window
Summary
Planning staff told the Santa Barbara County APCD board the district has distributed nearly $65 million in state and local funds for voluntary grant and incentive programs over 35 years; the 2025 cycle received 65 applications and funded 29 projects, and a recent car‑buyback incentive boost led to 376 vehicles destroyed this fiscal year.
The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District on June 25 received a presentation summarizing its voluntary grant and incentive programs, outreach efforts, and program outcomes.
Planning Division Supervisor Mike McCay told the board the district has distributed almost $65 million in state and local funds over the past 35 years to support voluntary emission‑reduction projects across the county. Major funding sources include DMV funds and California Air Resources Board (CARB) programs; mitigation funds collected locally were used heavily in the 1990s.
McCay said the 2025 application window lasted 40 days and yielded 65 applications; the district funded 29 projects in that cycle (8 infrastructure, 2 school bus, 1 marine and 18 off‑road projects). Off‑road equipment historically receives a large share of funding because high‑use equipment tends to produce the greatest emission benefits.
He described program processes and checks: pre‑inspection to confirm existing equipment, post‑inspection to confirm new equipment matches the grant agreement, and salvage inspection to document destruction of replaced equipment (photos/video required) before reimbursement. The district also performs periodic audits on a sample of active projects.
McCay highlighted a significant increase in participation in the district’s car buyback program after incentive boosts and model‑year extensions: "in fiscal year 24–25 we destroyed only 37 cars; fiscal year 25–26 to date we've destroyed 376 cars," he said. He also announced that, as approved earlier in the meeting, the district will execute an MOU to receive just over $123,000 of unspent wood smoke reduction funds from the referenced APCD to bolster the district’s HEAT Clean program.
Looking ahead, McCay said the 2026 grant window opens July 27 and runs through Sept. 4, with updated application materials to be posted on the district website. The district is also preparing outreach materials for the CHRP category to help owners of permitted backup diesel generators replace older units with Tier 4 final or zero‑emission alternatives.
The board asked about program promotion among farmers and the potential for trade‑up models that pass used but functional equipment to smaller producers; staff noted such trade programs involve extensive tracking and administrative cost but that other districts have experimented with trade‑up approaches.
No public comments were received on the item.
