VENTURA — On November 10, 2020, the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (VCAPCD) approved $3.7 million in emission reduction grants for Ventura County businesses. This year’s grants will help pay for new, lower-emission equipment to replace 63 older, higher-pollution diesel engines in agricultural equipment and commercial fishing boats. In addition, this year’s grants will help fund the installation of 14 publicly-accessible electric vehicle charging ports. The total investment in 2020 air quality projects, including the cost-share contributed by grant recipients, will be over $5.6 million. Since 1999, VCAPCD has awarded over $48 million to help businesses operating in Ventura County replace older equipment with cleaner, low-emission equipment.
“Our incentive programs provide cost-effective emission reductions without additional regulations on local businesses, farmers, and other stakeholders. Incentive funds allow local operators to modernize their equipment to the cleanest available technology and help us clean the air for all residents and especially those in disadvantaged and low-income communities of Ventura County,” said Dr. Laki Tisopulos, Air Pollution Control Officer of VCAPCD.
VCAPCD has three separate incentive programs through which grants are awarded to the most cost-effective projects. These grants seek to maximize the reduction of smog-forming and toxic diesel particulate emissions countywide, with a large portion of the grants focusing on reducing pollution in disadvantaged and low-income communities.
The total annual emissions reductions from this year’s grants are 42.4 tons per year of ozone precursors, 2.6 tons per year of diesel particulate matter, and 301 metric tons per year of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
VCAPCD will begin accepting applications for next year’s combined incentive program grants in the spring of 2021. To be placed on an email list to be notified when applications become available or when community meetings are being held for our incentive programs, interested parties can email Miles Bergeson at miles@vcapcd.org and specify the mailing list they wish to subscribe to.
Further information can also be found at the following links:
VCAPCD Grant Programs:
http://vcapcd.org/grant_programs.htm
VCAPCD Community Air Protection (CAP) Program:
http://vcapcd.org/Community-Air-Protection.htm
CARB Carl Moyer Program:
CARB CAP Program:
https://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/cap/capfunds.htm
CARB Funding Agricultural Replacement Measures for Emission Reductions (FARMER) Program:
https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/farmer-program