State grant to focus on replacing old ag equipment
EL CENTRO — Imperial County is expected to receive more than $1.2 million under a state grant program designed to help farmers in securing funds to replace old and highly emissive vehicles and equipment for more efficient equipment.
Under the first round of funding, the state will allocate $135 million as part of the Funding Agriculture Replacement Measures for Emission Reductions, a program funded by the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
On Tuesday, the County Board of Supervisors authorized the Air Pollution Control District to participate in the FARMER Program, accept the funds, follow all the requirements of the programs and disburse those funds.
Air Pollution Control Officer Matt Dessert told the board the county could receive up to $2 million in grants and said his office intends to use those monies to target equipment from cattle yards and feedlots whose equipment usually doesn’t qualify for other programs.
“This money will be geared toward specific areas that have not received support in the past such as low-mileage vehicles that are registered under special ag permits which typically don’t qualify,” Dessert said. “Cattle yards and feedlots have water trucks that they have used above and beyond. They’re old with heavy emissions. I believe this is the perfect target market for this grant.”
The FARMER program like other state programs helps farmers replace old and highly emissive farm equipment such as agricultural harvesting equipment, heavy-duty trucks, agricultural pump engines, tractors and other equipment used in agricultural operations in an effort to reduce ozone and particulate matter pollution in throughout the state.
Despite securing only a small percentage of the total amount of funds the state is making available for the program, the funds the county will get are much higher than the initially proposed amount of $350,000.
During a visit to the Imperial Valley in February, Air Resources Board staff spoke to local farmers, farm groups and Dessert about the program. Those parties voiced their concerns regarding the disparity of how the state intended to allocate the funds.
CARB officials said they had heard similar concerns in other communities and assured local officials they would take another look at the disbursement of funds.
CARB officials said during the February meeting the goal is to move forward with spending the monies in a wise and expedited manner and, during the process, to continue to look for region-specific opportunities to help meet the state’s greenhouse emission goals.
The formula CARB used for the distribution of the funds was based on off-road, mobile agricultural equipment population. Other factors quantified were a district’s higher agrarian activity, extreme non-attainment status and large populations affected by harmful emissions.