Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program.

Existing law establishes the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, administered by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission. Existing law requires the program to provide funding measures to certain entities to develop and deploy innovative technologies that transform California's fuel and vehicle types to help attain the state's climate change policies. Existing law requires the commission to provide preferences to projects that maximize the goals of the program based on certain criteria, including the project's ability to provide economic benefits for California by promoting California-based technology firms, jobs, and businesses. Existing law specifies that projects eligible for funding include workforce training programs related to various sectors or occupations related to the purposes of the program. This bill would add a project's ability to transition workers to, or promote employment in, the alternative and renewable fuels and vehicle technology sector as additional criteria on which preference under the program shall be provided. The bill would revise the eligibility criteria for workforce training programs, as specified. The bill would require the commission to collaborate with entities, as specified, that have expertise in workforce development to implement the workforce development components of the program.