To fight climate change, we need to make it easier for people to drive less, by supporting public transportation and helping people walk and bike more. The laws AB 32 and SB 375 point the way there, but the real test is what transportation projects actually get funded.

Good news! The state’s Air Resources Board has outlined a plan that should result in meaningful updates to regional greenhouse-gas reduction targets. At its meeting on October 24, the Board ultimately supported the direction outlined in the staff report. (This blog post offers more background.)

Here’s the upshot:

California is starting to make a huge change. The state is finally acknowledging that what’s bad for the environment (and for communities) is the amount of driving we do, not the amount of traffic.

Tomorrow, California’s Air Resources Board (ARB) staff will present a plan for how it will update SB 375’s greenhouse-gas (GHG) reduction targets. It’s been four years since the passage of SB 375 called on regions to meet GHG-reduction targets by improving their transportation and land use. This is the first opportunity for ARB to set new targets, to make sure regions are reducing greenhouse gases enough to fight climate change effectively. ARB is now proposing a process for the update.

The Strategic Growth Council has been busy! The agency has been creating two new programs to fund the creation of sustainable communities and preserve agricultural lands. Draft guidelines are now out, and we’ve summarized them below.