On Board With… California Air Resources Board Chair Liane M. Randolph
Liane Randolph was appointed Chair of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in December 2020 by Governor Gavin Newsom. Randolph has been a Commissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission since 2015. She was Deputy Secretary and General Counsel at the California Natural Resources Agency from 2011 to 2014 and an Attorney at Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, Pittman from 2007 to 2011. She served as Chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission from 2003 to 2007, where she also served as a Staff Attorney from 1996 to 1997. Randolph served as San Leandro City Attorney and was a Principal at Meyers Nave from 2000 to 2003, where she was an Associate from 1997 to 2000. She was an Attorney at Remcho, Johansen and Purcell from 1994 to 1996 and an Associate at Manatt, Phelps and Phillips from 1993 to 1994. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. Her term as CARB Chair will end December 31, 2026.
Transit California:
How will having served as a Commissioner at one of the state’s top regulatory agencies, the California Public Utilities Commission, and being Deputy Secretary and General Counsel at the California Natural Resources Agency, along with your other experiences help and inform your efforts as CARB Chair and your approach to stakeholder engagement?
Liane Randolph:
One of the things I most enjoy about working in government in California is inter-agency partnership. We are a state with ambitious goals – for our climate, for our transportation system, for our communities – and we need to work together if we’re going to achieve them. Having worked at the Public Utilities Commission and Natural Resources Agency, I have established relationships with many of the sister agencies that CARB works with and am experienced in doing that sort of inter-agency work. I enjoy being a problem solver, talking to all the different people involved in the work we do, and building partnerships with them to tackle challenges together.
As an example, CARB is partnering with many other agencies to implement Governor Newsom’s executive order on zero-emission vehicles. One of the most exciting things about the executive order is that it unites the entire state government in working towards our climate and environmental goals. We at CARB are preparing our next set of clean vehicle regulations, the Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development is developing the market for zero-emission vehicles, the Energy Commission is working to deploy infrastructure for those vehicles, the Public Utilities Commission is working on grid reliability to support that infrastructure – and that’s just to name a few of the players involved in these efforts.
Transit California:
Advancing social equity, transportation safety, and zero-emission vehicle technologies, requires well-resourced public transit agencies and robust service levels, however, when the global pandemic mitigation restrictions took effect in California in March of 2020, public transit ridership plummeted leaving agencies across California struggling to survive. Even as U.S. President Joe Biden’s sweeping $2.3 trillion plan to rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure proposes doubling federal funding for mass transit and spending $80 billion to expand and modernize passenger rail service, public transit in many ways remains oversubscribed and underfunded. How can CARB help to communicate with policymakers and advocates to place a priority on transportation funding that overtly supports public transit?
Liane Randolph:
COVID 19 has taken a large toll on transit, affecting vulnerable groups and essential workers in the greatest need of services. At the same time, California is not on track to meet regional greenhouse gas reduction targets established pursuant to the SB 375 program, and we need to do more to reduce vehicle miles traveled.
The State’s climate, health, mobility, and equity goals depend on providing more transportation choices – including public transit and shared mobility options, as well as options for people to walk and bike – that allow people to depend less on individual cars. We are actively collaborating with other State agencies, as well as regional and local governments, to support transit and provide zero emission mobility options that meet community needs.
For example, we are working with Caltrans on the California Integrated Travel Project to facilitate easy and accessible travel planning and payment for all. This could later be integrated and supported by our incentive programs. And through California Climate Investments, we are supporting projects for active transportation, increased mobility options, and transit-oriented affordable housing.
There is much more work to do on this front. CARB’s Mobile Source Strategy, which is in development, and our upcoming 2022 Climate Change Scoping Plan Update are important opportunities to further this work. Partnership and collaboration will be critical to meeting our climate and air quality goals, and transit will be a key ingredient in our success.
Transit California:
From 2015 through 2018, the Association worked productively with CARB to craft the Innovative Clean Transit regulation. As you know, the regulation requires transit agencies to begin to purchase zero-emission buses, beginning in 2023, with the goal of transitioning all transit buses in California to zero-emission technologies by 2040. Our transit agency members support the goals of the regulation, but are facing the unforeseen funding challenges we just discussed, which have slowed capital expenditures. What role can CARB play in assisting transit agencies in making continued progress on zero-emission bus deployment and ultimately, implementation of the regulation?
Liane Randolph:
We appreciate transit agencies’ support and applaud their leadership and dedication to zero-emission technologies. As the first fleet that has to go 100 percent zero-emission, there is a lot of planning and preparation, as well as potential obstacles that you and your members have to address. This is a major undertaking.
We also understand that deploying zero-emission buses is more than just purchasing vehicles. We want to make sure that all transit agencies have a chance to gain some pilot experience before large deployment takes place. Participating in a pilot allows transit agencies to gain experience with synchronizing vehicle procurement, infrastructure build out, and fuel cost management, which is important to successful deployment. CARB’s Hybrid Zero-Emission Truck & Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) is particularly effective in supporting transit agencies with the pilot experience.
CARB is committed to continuing to work with the Association and individual transit agencies to provide regulatory compliance assistance and to create forums to exchange information and share technology updates. We are also committed to collaborating with industry and other state agencies to provide quality products and address the energy supply. And we will continue to help identify and maximize funding opportunities to support the transition of transit buses to zero-emission.
Transit California:
In January 2021, Governor Newsom introduced a new budget proposal to invest $1.5 billion in zero-emission charging/refueling infrastructure and zero-emission vehicle incentives. What must our members know about the proposal?
Liane Randolph:
Beyond the $1.5 billion investment in infrastructure, the Governor’s proposed trailer bill contains investments in the billions over the next 20+ years for projects that support reducing air pollution via programs like the Carl Moyer Program. This program provides incentives to fund the incremental cost of cleaner-than-required engines, equipment, and other emissions sources and covers pollutants like oxides of nitrogen, reactive organic gases, and particulate matter.
We are working towards a zero-emission technology future, not just to achieve our climate goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also to achieve our air quality targets and public health goals by reducing criteria pollutant emissions.
Funding for zero-emission infrastructure and vehicle incentives won’t just achieve cleaner air in the future – it helps clean up California’s air today. This investment signals the State’s unwavering commitment to its clean air and climate goals and establishes market certainty needed to attract private investment.
While it may appear that the Legislature can wait until 2023 to reauthorize these programs and the fees that support them, I believe that if the Legislature does not act this year there will be unavoidable consequences. CARB must begin a potentially years-long alternative rulemaking process to comply with federal law to make up for lost emission reductions, if the Legislature fails to pass the Governor’s trailer bill reauthorizing these programs this year.
Programs like the Carl Moyer Program play an important role in protecting public health. Every year, thousands die prematurely because of air pollution, making improved air quality one of the State’s top equity issues. Quickly turning over the on-road and off-road fleet to cleaner alternatives is essential to protecting public health and will require robust incentives.
Transit California:
You are coming into a leadership role with CARB at the same time as a change of administration in Washington, D.C. How do you see this change at the federal level benefitting the work of CARB?
Liane Randolph:
In California, we have long understood the economic, environmental, and societal benefits of transitioning to clean technologies. We are glad to see renewed support at the national level for meeting our air quality and climate goals by making firm commitments and smart investments in good jobs and sustainable infrastructure.
At the international level, the Biden-Harris Administration has recommitted to climate efforts that will support California in achieving our own goals. The administration has rejoined the Paris Agreement, committed to the U.S. reducing greenhouse gases by 50 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, and on Earth Day convened international leaders to support the global effort to meet climate goals. This international leadership by the U.S. is critical. We are excited to see what comes next and have offered our support to help the administration achieve its goals.
The Biden-Harris Administration is taking its first steps to develop new national rules and policies in the transportation, electric, and other sectors to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has just announced that it is beginning work to restore California’s authority to implement its own greenhouse gas emission standards and zero-emission vehicle mandates. This will support California’s efforts to create a clean and sustainable transportation system, both in California and in the 13 other states that have adopted California’s vehicle rules.
In addition, the Biden-Harris Administration’s proposed $2 trillion infrastructure package would support California priorities like clean transit and school buses, active transportation and other mobility options that reduce our need for vehicles, increased equitable access to zero-emission vehicles and infrastructure, and updates to our electric grid to support zero emission vehicles deployment.
Transit California:
As California moves toward its zero-emission vehicles goals, electricity demand will increase significantly and we will be forced to confront questions related to the resiliency of our energy systems. Do you feel our energy systems, as they exist today, are up for the task of supporting our zero-emission future? How might CARB, in partnership with other state agencies and departments, ensure we are building redundancies to the grid to ensure a seamless transition to zero-emission vehicles?
Liane Randolph:
California is taking aggressive action to strengthen the grid and ensure reliability, while it integrates electric vehicle charging needs with the needs of the electric grid. As we have seen from California wildfire seasons in recent years and the power safety shutoffs in response, having a reliable and stable grid is a public safety issue. This work is complex because agencies and energy providers are pursuing multiple goals at the same time: providing clean, reliable, and affordable electricity from renewables, creating high-quality jobs and next-generation energy solutions, and ensuring benefits from clean technology are available to all – especially those most impacted by climate change and environmental racism. The CEC, CPUC, and CARB have jointly prepared a report on pathways to achieve a decarbonized energy future that will guide and inform CARB’s update of the state’s climate action Scoping Plan to ensure that California is effectively and efficiently reducing emissions throughout the economy. CARB and its agency partners are united in this effort and will continue to collaborate as we develop rules and policies to ensure the energy grid can support the transformation to a zero-emission transportation system.
Finally, I’ll note that the $2 trillion federal infrastructure proposal that includes support for electric grid revitalization could be an exciting opportunity for California to support its work in this area.
Transit California:
As you stepped into your role as Chair, you stated a deep commitment to low-income communities of color that is often disproportionately harmed by poor air quality and environmental damage. How will you be an agent of positive change at CARB and bring strategies and solutions that advance environmental justice? Are there key initiatives we should be aware of?
Liane Randolph:
California has significantly reduced air pollution over the past 50 years, but these air quality and health improvements are not shared by all. Nearly a third of Californians, predominantly people of color, live in communities with disproportionately dirty air. This pollution burden is the result of a long history of structural and environmental racism, poor land use decisions, poverty, and disinvestment.
One key tool for addressing this pollution burden is AB 617, the Community Air Protection Program. This program is unique in that it requires us to tackle air pollution at the community scale and to center community voices and priorities in the partnerships between air districts, community-based organizations, and CARB. Finding ways to make the AB 617 program as effective as it can be is one of my top priorities. I want to make sure the program is meeting its goals in AB 617 communities, and I want to explore how we can leverage the solutions we come up with in those communities to address air pollution in the hundreds of other disproportionately impacted communities across the state.
Another effort that will be key to helping us address environmental justice is the Environmental Justice Advisory Committee. The Committee, composed of representatives from communities with the most significant exposure to air pollution, will provide guidance as we develop the next iteration of the Scoping Plan, which will lay out our climate policy strategy and path to achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.
It is also a priority for CARB to ensure that equity – including racial equity – is addressed in all of our policies, regulations, and programs. CARB is committed to equity and environmental justice as a way of doing business, and clean air in every community is our goal. One recent example is the partnership between our research division and our new Deputy Executive Officer of Environmental Justice, who worked together to find ways to integrate equity and community engagement into our Triennial Strategic Research Plan.
Transit California:
Multiple state agencies and departments, including CARB, recently partnered with the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) to produce the California State Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI). This framework is intended as a guide for state transportation investments to help meet urgent climate, health, and equity goals. How does public transit fit into the plan?
Liane Randolph:
We are very excited and thankful to be able to partner with CalSTA and others to help develop the draft CAPTI in response to Governor Newsom’s executive orders N-19-19 (directing CalSTA to reverse the trend of increased fuel consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the transportation sector) and N-79-20, (directing CARB to set a glide path to 100 percent zero-emission technology for cars in 2035, and all trucks and heavy-duty vehicles in 2045). As the largest contributor to California’s greenhouse gases, it is critical that we reduce emissions from the transportation sector, if we are going to achieve the State’s climate goals. CAPTI provides the State with an investment framework to do that.
We see the framework outlined in CAPTI as an important opportunity to uplift and prioritize transit investments and accelerate transit funding programs to make funding available sooner. This framework will support projects that reduce Californians’ dependence on driving, reduce congestion, and enhance connectivity. Transit checks all of these boxes and is a necessary component in meeting the State’s goals.
Transit California:
As the new Chair, what additional policy goals or thoughts would you like to share with our readers?
Liane Randolph:
One thing I’m particularly interested in and excited to work on is the transition to zero-emission trucks. Diesel air pollution remains a major issue in California, and the transportation sector is responsible for over 90 percent of this pollution. Diesel pollution is particularly problematic for frontline communities who are exposed by their proximity to ports, railyards, and freight corridors.
The Governor’s zero-emission executive order has set clear goals for zero-emission trucks. To meet these goals, CARB has passed a first-in-the-world Advanced Clean Truck rule that requires manufacturers to transition from diesel to zero-emission trucks starting in 2024 and to achieve 100 percent zero-emission truck sales by 2045. We are also currently developing our Advanced Clean Fleets regulation for medium- and heavy-duty truck and bus fleets, including last-mile delivery and drayage. Alongside these regulations, we have incentive programs to further support the transition to zero-emission, including programs specifically targeted to lower-income and impacted communities.
By investing in the transition to clean freight and drayage vehicles, we can simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and protect public health in these frontline communities. The technology development that our truck regulations drive will also spill over to the transit sector, accelerating the commercialization of zero-emission buses, shuttle buses, and other vehicles used by transit.
Transit California:
The California Transit Association members and staff look forward to working with you in your new role as Chair of the California Air Resources Board. What is the best way for Transit California readers to stay informed with ongoing CARB news and activities?
Liane Randolph:
A great way to learn more about CARB’s work is to watch our monthly Board meetings, which are open to the public and easily accessible, since they are currently virtual! You can find dates and agendas for upcoming Board meetings on our website.
You can also sign up for newsletters on the different program pages. For example, the sign up for Innovative Clean Transit is here, and you can find the latest news and press releases (and sign up to receive them) here.
Another way to keep up with CARB’s work is to follow us on Twitter at @AirResources and @CARBespanol, and on my personal Twitter account: @mslianeran.