California Green Business Program.

Existing law creates the California Environmental Protection Agency, consisting of various boards, offices, and departments, including the State Air Resources Board and the Department of Toxic Substances Control. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting 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 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. This bill would establish the California Green Business Program within the California Environmental Protection Agency. The bill would require the California Green Business Program to, among other things, develop baseline, beyond compliance, sector-specific environmental standards, as defined, for green business certification programs operated by local governments or their designees. The bill would also provide for the establishment of these local programs, which would certify small- and medium-sized businesses and public agencies as California green businesses, or an equivalent designation of the local program's choosing, for voluntarily adopting environmentally preferable business practices, including, but not limited to, increased energy efficiency, pollution prevention, reduced greenhouse gas emissions reduction, water conservation, waste reduction practices, and efficient and active transportation initiatives. The bill would delete an existing authorization for the Department of Toxic Substances Control to create a similar program.