The Imperial County Air Pollution Control District (ICAPCD) is accepting proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and exposure to particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions, through the implementation of Urban Greening and Vegetative Barrier Projects within the Assembly Bill (AB) 617 Community Corridor of El Centro-Heber-Calexico and West of the Corridor to include Seeley. Proposals must be in accordance with the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Community Air Protection Incentives 2024 Guidelines, (CAP Guidelines) and the ICAPCD Project Plan for the Urban Greening Program. Urban Greening grants may be awarded to a city, county, special district, non-profit, tribal government, or public agency or entity for projects to be implemented within the Corridor and Seeley. Only trees and grass planting or green barrier projects will be considered with its respective irrigation system.

Applicants must commit to the following criteria in order for projects to be considered for funding grants:

• Applicant must be the owner of the potential Urban Greening project area or have authority to construct and maintain the project on the property.
• Applicant must maintain the green space during the entire contract period, including tree maintenance up to and including removal and replacement of dead trees, and make project available for inspection to ICAPCD and/or CARB staff.
• Applicant is responsible for contacting Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office before obtaining any plant material originating from outside Imperial County to ensure all the requirements for movement of plant material into Imperial County are met.
• Applicant must use CARB Urban Greening Benefits Calculator Tool to determine GHG emissions reduced. Project benefits are calculated over a 40-year period, and applicant must fill out tabs “Project Info,” and “Tree Planting – ITP.”
• Applicant must use three external tools to use the above calculator, as follows:
• (1) University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Water Use Classification of Landscape Species (WUCOLS IV) tool.
• (2) California Department of Water Resources Water Budget Workbook.
• (3) i-Tree Planting Tool.
• All property taxes must be current at the time of application and recipient is responsible for obtaining any permits required to do the project.

Applicant or their sponsor must have financial capacity to complete, operate, and maintain the project.

Routine maintenance and rehabilitation projects are not eligible for funding.

Please use the following Appendix B links as a guideline through the application process:

APPENDIX B: URBAN GREENING TOOLS – USER GUIDES

B-1. i-Tree Planting Calculator User Guide

B-2. WUCOLS IV Tool User Guide

B-3. DWR Water Budget Workbook User Guide