California Climate Investments Fund to Provide $206 Million for Clean Transportation Projects

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Oct. 8 announced that Caltrans will award $206 million for 149 clean transportation projects to support bus and rail services in disadvantaged communities, which are disproportionately impacted by pollution. With this, the state’s investment in these projects over the last decade surpasses $1 billion.

The awards are made through the Low Carbon Transit Operation Program, or LCTOP, funded by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction fund. This fund is a part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that allocates auction proceeds from the cap-and-trade program to projects that deliver environmental, economic, and public health benefits across the state. LCTOP, specifically, has contributed over $1 billion to more than 1,400 clean transport projects. According to estimates, LCTOP projects could reduce over 30 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

The award recipients include the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which secured $51.3 million for operations that benefit Metro’s E Line light rail service. The Free Muni Program, administered by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, received $18 million to serve seniors, youth, and people with disabilities. The Orange County Transportation Authority received $10.3 million to purchase 40 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses.

Since its establishment in 2014, California Climate Investments has provided over $28 billion toward climate investments, with $3.5 billion for transit projects. These projects helped to expand bus or rail services and funded zero-emission vehicle purchases for public transport. These investments are particularly important for disadvantaged communities, which often experience the disproportionate negative impacts of climate pollution.

In June, the California Air Resources Board launched a new online portal for easier access to information about California Climate Investments and funding opportunities. The portal, introduced even as the program completes its 10th year with over $11 billion in investments, provides a one-stop shop for implementation partners. It offers tools to help communities engage with the program’s success, including an up-to-date list of open funding opportunities, as well as a funding and public participation calendar including upcoming funding timelines, workshops, comment periods, and listening sessions. An interactive map highlights more than 500,000 funded projects across the state.

California continues to expand efforts to support electric vehicles. The state announced that in the first quarter of this year, zero-emission vehicle sales surpassed 100,000. This puts California two years ahead of its ZEV sales targets, for both light and heavy-duty ZEVs. The state has allocated a total of $10 billion from the $48 billion California Climate Commitment for ZEV and related infrastructure.