Incentive Programs

Old Car Buy Back Program

Carl Moyer, FARMER, and AB 617 Community Air Protection Incentive Programs

Clean Air Fund

Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program

 

Tyler Harris, Manager – Planning, Rules and Incentives (805) 303-3661

 

Holly Galbreath, Air Quality Specialist (805) 303-3666
Stephanie Lapeyre-Montrose, Air Quality Specialist (805) 303-3665
Danny McQuillan, AQ Engineer (805) 303-3678
Heidy Yupe, Air Quality Specialist (805) 303-3655
 

 

 

In 2020, VCAPCD Incentive Programs have provided:

 

In 2019 VCAPCD incentives programs

( English Version )

 

In 2019 VCAPCD incentives programs Spanish Version

( Spanish Version )

 

  • $5.4 million in grant funding to replace older diesel engines with newer engines with advanced emission controls.
  • $42,000 spent to retire 42 older vehicles utilizing the Old Car Buyback Program.
  • $12,831 in grants from the Clean Air Fund to install 2 EV charging stations and $43,601 for the replacement of 22 hand-operated landscaping tools and 1 riding mower with electric versions.
  • $39,996 in grants to maintain local school buses powered on natural gas.
  • $200,000 for the Voluntary Speed Reduction program which encourages reduced speeds of cargo ships in the Santa Barbara Channel.

 

 

Incentive Program Summaries and FAQs:

 

 

School Bus CNG Tank Replacement Grant Program

 

Documents


 

Old Car Buy Back Incentive Program

Ventura County APCD old car buy back program will pay you $1,000 to voluntarily retire your 1997 or older car, pick-up truck, van, or SUV. Funding of this program is limited and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis until this year’s grant funds are depleted.

 

Motor vehicles produce more than half of the air pollution in Ventura County. Removing older, high-emitting vehicles from the roadways helps clean up the air.

 

To qualify for the buy back program, vehicles must be operational and registered in Ventura County and additional eligibility requirements apply. To find out if your car qualifies, go to the Ventura County link on the Old Car Buy Back website: www.oldcarbuyback.com or call the Old Car Buy Back Hotline: (800) 717-7624.

 

APCD is required by state regulations to offer to sell any eligible vehicle to the public and hold the vehicle for a minimum of 10 days during which the vehicle will be made available for public inspection prior to dismantling. The Dismantler shall extend the waiting period for a minimum of 7 additional days if contacted by any person interested in the vehicle. A link to the available inventory of eligible vehicles may be found on the upper right hand corner of the Ventura County APCD page, which is linked to www.oldcarbuyback.com.

 

An advertisement for this program may be downloaded below.

 

Documents


 

Carl Moyer, FARMER, and AB 617 Community Air Protection Incentive Programs

BACKGROUND

The Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program (Carl Moyer Program) is an incentive program offered jointly by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and California’s local air districts. The program provides grants for cleaner-than-required engines and equipment to help improve air quality in California. The grants are administered by the local air districts. The program is named after the late Dr. Carl Moyer in recognition of his work in the air quality field and his efforts in bringing about this incentive program. In 2022, the District will also administer two additional incentive programs with structures similar to the Carl Moyer Program.

Initiated in 2018, the Funding Agricultural Replacement Measures for Emission Reductions (FARMER) Program is a grant program developed by CARB to implement Assembly Bill (AB) 109 (Ting, Chapter 249, Statutes of 2017) and AB 134 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 254, Statutes of 2017), signed by Governor Brown in September 2017. The Legislature directed the use of the monies to “reduce agricultural sector emissions by providing grants, rebates, and other financial incentives for agricultural harvesting equipment, heavy-duty trucks, agricultural pump engines, tractors, and other equipment used in agricultural operations.”

Also initiated in 2018, the Community Air Protection (CAP) Incentive Program is a new grant program developed by CARB to implement AB 134 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 254, Statutes of 2017) and AB 617 (C. Garcia, Chapter 136, Statutes of 2017). The Legislature directed the use of the monies to reduce exposure in communities most impacted by air pollution.
 

The District accepted applications for the 2022 Ventura County combined Air Quality Incentives Programs from March 31, 2022 through June 10, 2022. The full list of applications received is available here:

2023 Ventura County Air Quality Incentives Programs Applications

Since 1999, the Carl Moyer Program has awarded over $57 million to businesses operating in Ventura County. The Ventura County Air Pollution Control Board approved 43 new Carl Moyer Program grants proposed by staff totaling $4,072,108 during their March 14, 2023 public meeting. The grants help owners of heavy-duty diesel equipment upgrade to new, lower-polluting equipment. 2023 was the 24th year the District has administered the Carl Moyer Program. Information on the grants awarded to Ventura County businesses can found here:

Carl Moyer Program Board Letter January 13, 2024, with Attachment

The Board will consider proposed grants for the FARMER and CAP programs at their April 11, 2023 public meeting.

The list of grants proposed for funding through the Ventura County CAP Incentive Program is available here:

April 11, 2023 Ventura County CAP Incentive Program Proposed Projects

The list of grants proposed for funding through the Ventura County FARMER Program is available here:

February 13, 2024 Ventura County FARMER Program Proposed Projects


The District will begin taking applications for the 2024 Air Quality Incentive Programs starting on April 5, 2024. The application period will close on June 21, 2024 at 5 PM.

 

The District has prepared application forms that will be used for all three grant programs, and projects will be assigned to each program based on qualifying criteria. Eligible projects include the following:
 

 

For additional information, please email or call:

 

 

Information is also available at these links:

 

http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/moyer/moyer.htm

http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/moyer/guidelines/current.htm

 

Documents


 

California Climate Investments Logo The Ventura County FARMER Program and CAP Program are part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities.

 

Clean Air Fund

The Clean Air Fund was created by a donation from the 3M Company. The Clean Air Fund Advisory Committee reviews all grant proposals and makes recommendations for funding to the Air Pollution Control Board. We are currently accepting proposals for projects that reduce air pollutant emissions. In the past, Clean Air Fund grants were used for the Electric Vehicle Incentive Program, Electric Lawn Mower Trade-in Program, the Commercial Leaf Blower trade-in program, and Electric Vehicle Charging Station grants. Contact Holly Galbreath at (805) 303-3666.

 

2018 Clean Air Fund Project: Conversion of Landscaping Equipment from Gasoline to Battery Electric

 

On June 20, 2017, the Ventura County Air Pollution Control Board approved a grant award to the City of Ojai to convert gasoline-powered landscaping equipment to battery power for city park maintenance. This grant award for up to $60,000 will replace different types of equipment including leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, weed eaters, pruning chain saws, pruning pole saws, push mowers and a riding mower. The City of Ojai and the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at downtown Libby Park on August 2, 2018, at 11 am to display and describe the newly acquired equipment. The press release may be downloaded below. In addition, the Air Resources Board has authored a fact sheet on the significant air pollution from small off-road engines (see ARB Attachment). For more information, contact Holly Galbreath at (805) 303-3666.

 

Clean Air Fund Committee Meetings

 

Documents


 

Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program

 

Background
Protecting Blue Whales and Blues Skies is a partnership which provides monetary and public relations incentives to the operators of certain ocean-going vessels (OGV), cargo container ships and roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessels, to reduce speeds in specified areas off the California coast. Reducing ship speeds cuts emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), toxic diesel particulate matter (DPM), sulfur compounds, and greenhouse gases (GHGs); reduces the risk of fatal ship strikes on whales; and reduces underwater acoustic impacts.

In 2014, VCAPCD partnered with Santa Barbara County APCD and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) to launch a voluntary Vessel Speed Reduction (VSR) Trial incentive program in the Santa Barbara Channel, which was modeled after successful programs at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. See the 2014 VSR Trial Report.

The 2014 Trial was followed by a yearlong effort in 2015 by the Marine Shipping Working Group under the CINMS Advisory Council to develop strategies to further reduce air pollution and protect whales in the Santa Barbara Channel region. In its final report to the CINMS Advisory Council, the Working Group expressed unanimous support for a second VSR incentive program. The 2014-15 efforts of the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies partnership were recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with a national Clean Air Excellence Award in 2016.

The partnership conducted the second VSR incentive program in 2016. The Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies partnership has implemented a VSR incentive program every year during peak ozone and whale season since 2016. The current Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies partners include the following government agencies, non-profit organizations, private foundations and technical services companies:

 

  • Bay Area Air Quality Management District
  • Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District
  • Ventura County Air Pollution Control District
  • NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
  • NOAA Cordell Banks National Marine Sanctuary
  • NOAA Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
  • The Volgenau Foundation
  • California Marine Sanctuary Foundation
  • National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
  • Environmental Defense Center
  • Greater Farallones Association
  • Point Blue Conservation Science
  • Scripps Institution of Oceanography
  • Starcrest Consulting Group, LLC

 

Latest Results

The 2020 voluntary incentive program, where companies were asked to reduce speeds to 10 knots or less in both the Southern California Region and in the San Francisco Bay Area, started on May 15, 2020 and ended on November 15, 2020. For the 2020 season, the VSR zones were greatly expanded by including more navigable waters in Southern California and adding the “precautionary area” (semi-circular area designated by the US Coast Guard) just outside the entrance to the San Francisco Bay. Even though the incentives remained largely the same, the companies rose to the challenge and slowed their ships down even more than previous years, further reducing air pollution and making the ocean safer and quieter for whales. The 2020 VSR incentive program reduced NOx emissions from OGVs by 748 tons, the greatest emissions reduction yet. Five companies earned the coveted sapphire award and nine companies earned the gold award. The Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies partners appreciate all the effort that these companies have been making, and recognition advertisements will be coordinated throughout the year to celebrate their continued successes.

 

 

Recent publications of 2020 VSR incentive program results:

 

 

Current Activities

The voluntary 2021 VSR incentive program started on May 15, 2021 and will conclude on November 15, 2021. Eighteen shipping companies enrolled their eligible ships (container ships and Ro-Ro ships, also known as car carriers) in the 2021 VSR incentive program, the highest enrollment since the inception of the program. Program partners are collecting and analyzing ship speed data from various Automated Identification System (AIS) data sources. Participating companies will be rewarded based on the percent of distance their fleets travel at speeds of 10 knots or less in the designated VSR zones (Southern California Region and San Francisco Bay Area).

 

More information on the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies partnership and VSR incentive programs can be found on the Santa Barbara County APCD website and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary website (links below).

 

 

Contact Tyler Harris at (805) 303-3661 if you have any questions about the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies program.
 

 

EV Incentives from VCAPCD no longer available

 

The Ventura County APCD Electric Vehicle Rebate Funds have been depleted and are no longer available. APCD has stopped issuing reservations. Please contact Holly Galbreath at (805) 303-3666 if you have any questions. We do not anticipate any new funds for this program in the foreseeable future. The resources provided below offer alternative EV incentive and grant programs that you may qualify for.

Drive Clean Search Tool – A search tool provided by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to find incentive programs in your area.

Clean Vehicle Rebate Project - The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) promotes clean vehicle adoption in California by offering rebates from $1,000 to $7,500 for the purchase or lease of new, eligible zero-emission vehicles, including electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles.

Clean Vehicle Assistance Program - The Clean Vehicle Assistance Program provides grants and affordable financing to help income-qualified Californians purchase or lease a new or used plug-in hybrid, fuel cell, or electric vehicle.

California HVIP - California’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) provides point-of-sale vouchers to make advanced vehicles more affordable. Individual owner-operators, small businesses, corporate leaders, school districts, and municipal fleets are all eligible.

Southern California Edison Rebates - Take advantage of federal and state rebates and incentives to save costs when you buy a pre-owned or new EV. Ownership may also qualify you for reduced electricity rates, and you may even be able to cover the cost of your EV charging station with certain incentives.