Yesterday, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (Air District) sent notice to all stakeholders and equipment dealers that the application intake is being paused for the highly popular Ag Equipment Replacement Program on July 31st. Applications submitted prior to the deadline will be accepted and processed once funding is made available. The reasoning for the hold application submittals is a combination of the large backlog of existing equipment replacement applications currently at the Air District, paired with a lack of funding provided by the State of California to achieve meaningful and significant emission reductions. The Equipment Replacement Program is the most cost-effective program in achieving the state’s emission reduction goals.
The Association has submitted a formal letter to state legislative leadership, as well as discussed the need for equipment replacement funding with every legislator that we have met with this legislative session. We have been hopeful that a multi-year commitment will be developed in order to try and secure the necessary funding to keep the program working efficiently. With prior year’s funding coming from the Cap & Trade Program, the legislature has signaled that there could be an opportunity to secure future year’s funding through Cap & Trade program reauthorization negotiations. Stay tuned for more updates!