Incentive Programs’ Background
To mark the 25th anniversary of the longest running, continuously funded CARB incentive program, the Carl Moyer Program Guidelines are undergoing a complete and comprehensive update.
Since 1998, the Carl Moyer Program has reduced criteria pollutant emissions, including oxides of nitrogen, reactive organic gases that contribute to ozone formation, and particulate matter. The Carl Moyer Program provides grants that fund up to the incremental cost of cleaner-then-required engines, whether equipment or vehicles, and emission reduction technology. The projects, except for infrastructure projects, must yield emission reductions above and beyond, or before, what is required by regulation and are constrained by cost-effectiveness limits for projects meeting the required emission standard, an optional advanced technology standard, or a zero-emission standard. Emission reductions produced by Carl Moyer Program-funded projects must be creditable in the State Implementation Plan. The Carl Moyer Program has filled a critical niche in California’s strategy to achieve clean air and complements California’s regulatory programs by funding emission reductions that are surplus.
The last comprehensive update to the Carl Moyer Program Guidelines was a legislative driven update in April 2017. This Carl Moyer Program Guidelines update is driven by a partnership between CARB and the local 35 air districts to modernize, streamline, and provide alignment with other incentive programs that benefit from each other’s continued success.
Similar to the Carl Moyer Program, the FARMER Program provides funding to replace older vehicles and equipment with cleaner options; only FARMER is specific to vehicles and equipment used by agricultural operations. Approved in 2018, the FARMER Program Guidelines describe air district funding allocations, eligible project categories and criteria, program implementation details, and the justification for these investments. Subsequently, additional and modified project categories have also been approved for inclusion into the FARMER Program through various Executive Officer memos.
CARB staff are updating the FARMER Program Guidelines to consolidate current program guidelines and memos, modify existing project categories, and otherwise aid in air district implementation of the program.
To introduce the process of updating the Carl Moyer Program Guidelines, CARB staff will be holding a kick-off public workshop on December 19, 2023. During this workshop, CARB staff will also discuss the process for similar updates to the FARMER Program Guidelines. Public notices for future separate Carl Moyer Program Guidelines and FARMER Program Guidelines public workshops will be released at a later date.
CARB staff plans to take the proposed updates for the Carl Moyer Program Guidelines and the FARMER Program Guidelines to the Board for consideration in June 2024.
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