Title
El Dorado County Air Quality Management District (AQMD) recommending the Board of Supervisors, acting as the Board of Directors of the AQMD, approve AQMD's acceptance of up to $2,314,560 of Targeted Airshed Grant funding from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and authorize AQMD's Air Pollution Control Officer to execute memorandums of understanding with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District and the Placer County Air Pollution Control District with County Counsel and Risk Management approval.
FUNDING: Federal Targeted Airshed Grant funding.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides financial assistance to local air districts under the Targeted Airshed Grant (TAG) Program. The overall goal of the TAG Program is to fund emission reduction activities to reduce air pollution in nonattainment areas with the highest levels of ozone and PM 2.5 ambient air concentrations in the United States. The EPA identified Sacramento, California as one of the nonattainment areas eligible for this funding. The Sacramento Federal Ozone Nonattainment Area (SFNA) is comprised of all of Sacramento and Yolo counties, and parts of Solano, Sutter, El Dorado and Placer counties.
On June 23, 2021, the EPA awarded $2,742,540 of TAG funds to the Sac Metro Air District as the recipient of the five-year grant for the SFNA.
The El Dorado County Air Quality Management District (El Dorado AQMD) is not eligible to receive the TAG funding directly from the EPA and requires an approved agency to receive the monies from the EPA and administer the disbursement of the funds as a pass-through. The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (Sac Metro Air District) will serve as the TAG recipient and El Dorado AQMD will be a subrecipient of the grant. El Dorado AQMD will administer the project on behalf of the Placer County Air Pollution Control District (Placer County APCD) and will request reimbursement from Sac Metro Air District for the applicable Placer County APCD supply and advertising costs related to the TAG project. The maximum grant funding for the projects in El Dorado and Placer County is $2,115,056, with a maximum administrative (labor & advertising) funding of $199,504.
The El Dorado AQMD portion of the TAG project includes two PM 2.5 reducing components to be implemented in the El Dorado, and Placer communities within the SFNA. Those components and the anticipated accomplishments are:
• Woodstove Replacement: Replace 1,484 (+/-) residential non-certified wood-burning appliances in El Dorado and Placer counties with cleaner-burning devices
• Unpaved Road Paving: Pave 4.7 miles of unpaved roadways in El Dorado County. Funding for paving will be passed though to the County Department of Transportation (DOT). DOT will pave sections of Oriental Street, Sand Ridge and Bear Creek Roads.
On January 27, 2022, the Sac Metro Air District Board of Directors passed a motion to authorize their Air Pollution Control Officer (APCO) to execute an MOU with the El Dorado AQMD for the Sac Metro Air District to provide the administrative function for the TAG funds and for the pass-through of TAG funds to the sub-recipient. The term of this MOU will commence on upon full execution and terminates August 29, 2026.
Since El Dorado AQMD will be administering the woodstove replacement component of this grant project for Placer County residents, El Dorado AQMD will be entering into an additional MOU with the Placer County APCD defining each district’s role in these projects. In exchange for administering the program, Placer County has agreed to allow El Dorado AQMD to expend the administrative funds originally budgeted for Placer County APCD staff in the TAG budget.
As part of this MOU with Placer County APCD, El Dorado AQMD will administer other woodstove replacement programs for Placer County residents, utilizing funds provided by Placer County APCD or through grants secured by Placer County APCD. This work continues El Dorado AQMD’s successful administration of two rounds of State Woodsmoke reduction program funds for Placer County APCD over the past 3 years.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could choose to not accept this grant and/or not approve the El Dorado AQMD's APCO to execute the MOUs, relying on local funds to reduce emissions in El Dorado and Placer counties.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
N/A
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Acceptance of the grant requires cost sharing (matching) funds, the majority of which comes from the woodstove replacement incentive recipient's share of the cost of new heating devices ($4,498,004), with smaller amounts coming from a 20% salary benefits match for AQMD staff ($33,114), and El Dorado County Department of Transportation road prep work costs for the road paving projects ($444,766). The grant funding was included in the budget for FY 2021-22 and no budget amendment is required.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Clerk of the Board shall forward a copy of the minute action to the Air Quality Management District.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Good Governance
CONTACT
Dave Johnston, Air Pollution Control Officer