Investments must be coupled with strong mandates. Subsidies and other incentives can play an important role in promoting emission reductions but must be accompanied by clear regulatory requirements and targets.
Investments should prioritize zero-emission technologies. California should invest in zero emission vehicles, equipment, and supporting infrastructure at goods movement hubs and along freight corridors. Combustion technologies, including natural gas and renewable natural gas-powered vehicles, should not be eligible for incentive funding.
Investments should prioritize technologies that have the highest criteria, toxic and greenhouse gas reduction outcomes. Particularly when funded through climate investments, California must ensure that our investments result not only in reduced criteria and toxic air emissions, but also reduced greenhouse gases.
Investments must avoid creating new burdens. California must carefully assess any unintended negative consequences of our climate investments and ensure that they do not cause any burdens in the very communities they are trying to help. Potential negative impacts include physical or economic displacement, harms or barriers for vulnerable workers, and localized air quality impacts.
Investments should prioritize community-led transportation solutions. Residents of the most impacted communities are developing and piloting innovative new transportation solutions to meet the needs and issues in their communities. Investments should prioritize solutions developed through long-term community engagement.
Investments should help increase clean transportation access and affordability and reduce barriers to adoption and use. This includes ensuring access to affordable, reliable clean vehicles, public transit, and other mobility options.
Investments must address the mobile source magnets in communities. Many environmental justice communities experience the congregation of thousands of vehicles and diesel trucks at a time with devastating health consequences. California must adopt indirect source regulations to clean up toxic freight facilities and use investments to help these facilities meet those requirements.
Investments must address and seek to correct existing economic inequities in communities and among workers. Our state’s use of public dollars, particularly climate investments, must ensure and promote high quality jobs and workforce development and access to such opportunities for disadvantaged workers and those with barriers to employment.