The
Kern County Air Pollution Mitigation Fund was created in 2005
to fulfill the intent of a series of settlements between the Sierra
Club and residential building developers in the Bakersfield area.
As required by these settlements, the Fund receives mitigation
fees paid by property developers to offset the cumulative air
pollution impacts of the new developments. These cumulative air
quality impact fees shall be paid over a period of years as the
new homes are built. Therefore, the Fund is anticipated to operate
for a period of years, until all monies deposited into the Fund
are fully disbursed. The Fund will produce an Annual Report during
each year of its operation describing projects supported and their
nexus with improving air quality in Kern County.
Nexus
With Kern County Air Quality
The
Fund may only be used to award grants in support of direct,
pro-active projects in Kern County designed to reduce particulate
or ozone air pollution. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District serves as the technical advisor in calculating
the air quality benefits resulting from the fund's grants. As
required by the settlements, specific projects that may be eligible
for funding may include the following:
-
Direct proactive air pollution mitigation projects
-
Street or intersection projects which provide a nexus to air quality
benefits
- Diesel
conversion projects
- Diesel
emission reduction programs
Based
on the advice of the Air District, the Fund's first step has
been to look into ways to cost-effectively reduce diesel emissions.
The specific initial focus has been to investigate the feasibility
of making grants to farmers to help convert diesel irrigation
pumps to solar electric power. Air quality benefits and cost
estimates are currently being prepared and reviewed. These estimates
will guide a decision to either move forward with a request
for proposals, or to conduct additional research to determine
a different scope and focus of the grantmaking program. When
the Fund determines the appropriate scope and focus of the grantmaking
program, a Request for Proposals will be prepared and widely
circulated in Kern County. Based on the availability of funds,
it is anticipated that the grantmaking process will commence
in the later half of 2005.
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Governance
of the Fund
As directed by the settlements, the Fund is guided by the Kern
County Air Pollution Mitigation Fund Committee, an oversight
body with joint representation from the homebuilding and environmental
community. In accordance with the instructions of the settlements,
the Committee has three members:
-
One
member appointed by the developers.
-
One
member appointed by the Sierra Club.
-
One
member appointed by the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment.
The
Trustee
The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, a public
charity organized under IRS Code Section 501(c)(3), serves as
the Fund's trustee and administrator. As trustee, the Rose Foundation
receives payment of the cumulative air quality impact fees,
holds these funds in trust for their designated purposes, and
will disburse grants from the Fund in support of air pollution
control projects in accordance with the terms of the settlements
as advised by the Kern County Air Pollution Mitigation Fund
Committee. The Rose Foundation has considerable experience in
acting as a neutral trustee to oversee grant programs funded
by settlement payments. Excluding the Kern County Fund, the
Foundation has acted as a neutral third party under the supervision
of state and federal courts in California to receive and disburse
over $6 million in mitigation fees from over 100 separate settlement
funds over the last 10 years.
For
More Information Contact:
Tim
Little, Executive Director
Rose Foundation
6008 College Ave., Suite 10
Oakland, CA 94618
(510)658-0702
rose@rosefdn.org
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