Report 2020-114 Recommendation 12 Responses

Report 2020-114: California Air Resources Board: Improved Program Measurement Would Help California Work More Strategically to Meet Its Climate Change Goals (Release Date: February 2021)

Recommendation #12 To: Air Resources Board, State

To provide transparency to the Legislature and other stakeholders, beginning in 2022 and using the metrics and data described above, CARB should make funding and design recommendations in its funding plans and annual reports based on which programs are effective in producing socioeconomic benefits and at what cost.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2023

CARB staff continues to develop draft valuation methodologies for use in evaluating socioeconomic benefits on a cost basis. Multiple years of data are required for this type of analysis across all projects, and sufficient data will not be available to complete an analysis until the timing of the FY 2025-26 Funding Plan, at the earliest. At that time, CARB will endeavor to make funding and design recommendations based on the socioeconomic benefits and at what cost.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2022

CARB continues to implement changes in response to this recommendation. CARB staff is in the early stages of developing draft valuation methodologies that will be used to evaluate the socioeconomic benefits on a cost basis. CARB will describe the process by which metrics and data will be folded into the funding and design decision making process in the FY 2023 24 Funding Plan. Multiple years of data are required for this type of analysis, and sufficient data likely will not be available to complete an analysis until the FY 2025-26 Funding Plan after which CARB can start making funding and design recommendations based on the socioeconomic benefits and at what cost.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

As noted in our assessment of recommendation #11, we will continue to work with CARB to assess the data it collects from these programs and the conclusions it draws from that data about the programs' effectiveness.

1-Year Agency Response

As noted in CARB's responses to recommendations 10 and 11, CARB has already identified clear and measurable metrics for each of its incentive projects that focus primarily on socioeconomic benefits as well as the process to collect data to measure and report on each metric. These are described in the FY 2021-22 Funding Plan for Clean Transportation Incentives published on October 8, 2021 and approved by CARB's Board on November 19, 2021. CARB staff is developing a draft cost valuation methodology that it will use to start evaluating the socioeconomic benefits on a cost basis. CARB will start making funding and design recommendations based on this analysis starting in the FY 2022-23 Funding Plan. CARB expects this approach to be refined and expanded over multiple funding cycles. For projects in the early stages of implementation where data are not yet available, staff will include in the FY 2022-23 Funding Plan the process by which metrics and data will be folded into the funding and design decision making process when sufficient data do become available.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending

See our responses to CARB's updates on the status of Recommendations 10 and 11. The issues raised in those responses are relevant to fully implementation this recommendation.

6-Month Agency Response

CARB staff has begun data analysis for some of the projects where existing data are available, and will make funding and design recommendations based on this analysis starting in the FY 2022-23 Funding Plan, including providing information on which programs are effective in producing socioeconomic benefits and at what cost. For projects in the early stages of implementation where data are not yet available, staff will include in the FY 2022-23 Funding Plan the process by which metrics and data will be collected, measured, and reported.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

Once the actions from recommendations 10 and 11 have progressed to the point where better data is available, CARB staff will utilize that data to help inform funding and design recommendations in its funding plans and annual reports.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2020-114

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.