Green Assistance Program.

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation by the Legislature. Existing law generally designates the state board as the state agency with the primary responsibility for the control of vehicular air pollution, and air pollution control and air quality management districts with the primary responsibility for the control of air pollution from all sources other than vehicular sources. This bill would establish the Green Assistance Program, to be administered by the Secretary for Environmental Protection in concert with environmental justice programs, that, among other things, would provide technical assistance to small businesses, small nonprofits, and disadvantaged communities in applying for an allocation of moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The bill would declare that the secretary use existing resources for the program.