What Are You Grateful for in 2025?

As each year comes to a close, Valley Vision staff reflect on what we have been grateful for over the past year. It’s an annual tradition, and we are excited to share our reflections with you. Thank you for continuing to support and collaborate with us!

Building Momentum Around Biomass as an Economic Driver and Environmental Necessity

Highlights from Valley Vision’s Second Legislative Roundtable

Launched in 2025, the Legislators’ Roundtable builds on the success of the annual Livability Summit, bringing together the twenty-one state and federal District Directors representing our region with civic and nonprofit leaders. Meeting quarterly, these bipartisan convenings provide a powerful platform for strategic communication, relationship-building, and collaboration to directly shape solutions that impact communities across Sacramento.

As the regional convener for California Jobs First, Valley Vision is providing legislators with exclusive, real-time insights into the region’s most innovative and impactful work. This roundtable offers a first-hand look at groundbreaking data, research, and cross-sector initiatives that can help align efforts with legislative partners and drive meaningful progress in areas such as housing, education, workforce development, manufacturing, and economic mobility. By ensuring alignment between legislative offices and community leaders, the roundtable fosters collaboration that drives meaningful, lasting impact, equipping policymakers with the insights they need while empowering regional partners to advance shared priorities.

Takeaways from the August 14th Roundtable

We appreciate the dedication of the Capital Region delegation who continues to show up for their communities and join us in the Legislators’ Roundtable series. This second convening was designed to strengthen partnerships between policymakers and regional leaders, highlighting the momentum behind the region’s bioeconomy as a driver of innovation, resilience, and good jobs.

Federal and state district staff explored the current landscape of biomass utilization projects, identified key challenges, and discussed legislative strategies to accelerate progress.

Elizabeth Betancourt, Natural and Working Lands Policy Advisor with the California Department of Conservation, highlighted how biomass utilization aligns with several of the state’s most pressing priorities, including California’s commitment to carbon neutrality and zero-carbon electricity by 2025, while also addressing urgent wildfire prevention and forest management needs. She noted the potential to avoid more than $3.1 billion annually in public health costs by reducing wildfire damages and improving overall air quality. Her remarks underscored both the scale of the opportunity and the need to scale investments to realize these benefits.

A panel of industry and community leaders further highlighted opportunities in renewable fuels, grid resilience, rural manufacturing, and workforce development. They emphasized the importance of legislative and policy alignment to accelerate progress and overcome barriers in permitting, financing, and infrastructure that often delay project development.

Panel Facilitated by Lindsey Nitta, Camptonville Community Partnership

• Matt Boeger, COO, Regen Biofuels
• Dr. Matt Summers, COO, West Biofuels
• Sam Kang, COO, Pioneer Community Energy
• Amy Berry, CEO, Tahoe Fund

Attendees engaged in a candid exchange of ideas about the future of biomass in the Capital Region. Discussions reinforced the need for stable funding streams to scale projects, integration of biomass into California’s broader clean energy portfolio, and development of strong workforce pipelines so local communities can fully benefit from emerging opportunities. The Roundtable emphasized that sustained collaboration with legislators will be essential to scaling solutions and realizing these benefits.

Get Involved in Local Biomass Solutions

Encourage continued collaboration, investment, and advocacy to keep biomass at the forefront of the region’s clean economy strategies. 

Join us for the 2025 “Biomass & Beyond” Symposium on November 5th! Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1571550532949

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Gretchen James is a Project Manager focused on the Leadership & Civic Engagement and Clean Air & Climate impact areas. Outside of work, Gretchen enjoys spending time in nature and supporting local artists.

We Prosper Together Awards an Additional $4 Million to Advance 11 High-Impact Projects in the Capital Region

This completes the distribution of $9 million worth of funding aimed at advancing sustainable industry growth and economic resilience across the eight counties

MEDIA CONTACT – Ronit Sholkoff (valleyvision@wearerally.com)

SACRAMENTO, CA — August 5, 2025 —We Prosper Together is investing $4 million in 11 transformative initiatives across the eight-county Capital Region to advance economic resilience and prosperity. This round of funding completes We Prosper Together’s latest effort to fund local and regional projects that create, attract, and increase access to quality jobs. Projects selected in this round cover a diverse range of critical focus areas — including biotechnology, small business support, community health, and accessible workforce pathways. These projects are poised to address key community needs, expand economic opportunities, and drive impact for residents across the region. 

“These community-led projects will help unlock the potential of the Capital Region’s most promising industries, while investing in our workers and economy in the process. We’re excited to see how these projects, combined with the ones we selected during our first round of funding, will help residents build a more secure, prosperous, and sustainable future for themselves and their families,” said Evan Schmidt, CEO of Valley Vision. 

The funding represents the second and final round of investments in the Catalyst Phase, a critical step in enacting the strategies outlined in We Prosper Together’s Regional Plan: Strategies for a Thriving and Inclusive Economy. The Catalyst Phase funding is designed to get projects ready for full implementation and position them to compete effectively for future federal, state, or private funding. In total, the Catalyst Phase awarded $9 million to a total of 22 high-impact projects throughout the Capital Region’s eight counties. 

The selected projects of this round tackle critical regional challenges through activities like creating remote work opportunities for full-time caregivers, hiring Spanish-speaking small business advisors, laying the groundwork for a thriving local biotechnology workforce, and developing a sustainable program to train justice-impacted individuals for careers in fire service. 

“As someone who works with disinvested communities, especially mothers with children and caregivers, it was really affirming for me to be in a space where that population was being prioritized. In addition to that, being a part of this project broadened my perspective as to what economic development is, and reaffirmed for me that the work we’re doing at my organization is helping families across our region prosper and thrive.” said Jeneba Lahai, Executive Director of Yolo County’s Children Alliance (YCCA).

The full list of funding recipients is as follows: 

• AgHIRE Expansion Planning Initiative, Center for Land-Based Learning 
• Bio-Mass Recycle to Energy 7 County, Nevada-Sierra Connecting Point Public Authority 
• Colusa USDA and CDFA Certified Meat Processing Facility, City of Colusa 
• Community Health and Working Lands Workforce Pilot, Yolo County Children’s Alliance 
• Justice-Involved Fire Service Planning Project, Future Fire Academy 
• NextGen BioFab: AI-Powered Training for Tomorrow’s Biotech Innovators, University of California, Davis 
• Project IGNITE (Investigating Growth Needs in Inclusive Technical Education), Green Technical Education and Employment (Green Tech)
• Rooted to Rise: Working Lands Economic Master Plan, El Dorado Economic Generator & Germination Fund (Our EGG) of the El Dorado Community Foundation
• Tahoe Business Catalyst Pilot, Tahoe Prosperity Center 
• Working Lands Workforce Development Pipeline, Yuba College 
• WorkReady: Remote Careers for Moms and Caregivers in Business Services, Playzeum Yuba Sutter 

To learn more about the projects listed, visit our website: weprospertogether.org/catalyst-projects. 

The work of We Prosper Together is supported by the statewide initiative California Jobs First and builds on the newly released California Jobs First Economic Blueprint. 

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About We Prosper Together 

Representing eight counties in the Capital Region, over 150 organizations, and hundreds of community leaders and residents, We Prosper Together is driving a community-led approach to building a stronger regional economy. We Prosper Together is working to elevate diverse voices, encourage investments, amplify local solutions, and create living-wage jobs for families in Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties. Visit weprospertogether.org to learn more and get involved.

Cap-to-Cap 2025 Highlights from Valley Vision Staff

Valley Vision has a long history of participating in the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s Capitol-to-Capitol program, which serves as our region’s premier federal advocacy opportunity each year. This program provides opportunities to meet with the Sacramento Region’s federal legislators and encourages participants to meet with federal agencies, many of whom oversee competitive funding programs.

This year’s 53rd annual “Cap-to-Cap” was the largest on record, with 450+ leaders participating. Valley Vision staff led and supported many of the topic-based teams and, in keeping with tradition, have documented their experiences below.

Evan Schmidt, CEO (Business Climate Team): “As always, it is great to see our region coming together for common purpose. There really is nothing like travelling with 400+ regional leaders to make new connections across people and issues that help us all get things done! While funding constraints and rapid change in agencies are presenting challenges for the region, it is also clear that our regional elected leaders in DC are committed to creating wins for our region whenever possible. Our ability to lean in together on key asks and aligned goals will be critically important – Valley Vision is committed to helping shape that cohesive vision through our work.”

Trish Kelly, Managing Director (Food & Agriculture Team): “The 2025 Cap-to-Cap program was a different experience for our Food and Agriculture team from previous years given the intensity of budget negotiations; recent and pending program funding terminations that are affecting our region; changes and gaps in agency staffing; and overall uncertainty. It was a timely visit for us to communicate our priorities to the Senate and House Agriculture Committees which are negotiating the passage of the Farm Bill and facing difficult decisions to reach targeted budget cuts, especially for SNAP food security programs that also provide important revenues for our farmers, grocers and food producers. It’s very special to join our dedicated partners as we elevate the assets of our food system and break bread together in shared purpose.”

Renee John, Managing Director (Business Climate Team): “Cap to Cap provides a unique opportunity to connect with decision makers on key issues facing our region. From meetings on Capitol Hill, to networking events, and the spontaneous “walk and talk” that happens as we are hustling between meetings and events, the shared experience of this program encourages deeper conversations that can really move the needle on regional economic prosperity.”

Adrian Rehn, Director (Air Quality Team): “It was a very interesting year in D.C. I’ve been participating in Cap-to-Cap since 2019 and have not experienced the “vibe” of scarcity that we saw in 2025. Offices told us that there was little money for our programs, or – as in the case of U.S. EPA – that they would not be enforcing basic functions that business, government, and community members rely on. That said, there were some opportunities that became apparent to our Air Quality Team members – energy resilience is still a priority, and there is bipartisan interest in biomass utilization solutions that protect our landscapes from wildfire, create rural jobs, and generate high-value products. We look forward to pursuing these threads through the year through the Cleaner Air Partnership and other avenues.”

We Prosper Together Awards $5 Million to Advance 11 High-Impact Projects in the Capital Region

This marks the first of two rounds of funding aimed at catalyzing economic resilience in the eight-county region

MEDIA CONTACT – Sabina Li (valleyvision@wearerally.com)

SACRAMENTO, CA — March 6, 2024 — We Prosper Together is investing $5 million in 11 transformative initiatives across the Capital Region to advance economic resilience and create high-quality jobs. Spanning a diversity of sectors—including biotech, clean energy, food and agriculture, and precision manufacturing—these projects are poised to strengthen key industries, foster innovation, and expand economic opportunities for residents across all eight counties.

“We’re creating a pipeline of transformative projects that address our region’s economic challenges, leverage promising industry sectors, and create equitable economic growth. This funding is just the beginning. We’re excited to continue supporting high-impact projects that will help residents earn a living wage and build a more secure future for themselves and their families,” said Evan Schmidt, CEO of Valley Vision.

The funding represents the first round of investments in the Catalyst Phase, a critical step in enacting the strategies outlined in We Prosper Together’s Regional Plan: Strategies for a Thriving and Inclusive Economy. The Catalyst Phase funding is designed to get projects and ideas ready for full implementation and position them to compete effectively for future federal, state, or private funding. The second round of Catalyst Phase funding will open within the next three months and distribute an additional $4 million to projects across the region.

The selected projects tackle critical regional challenges from multiple angles, including expanding workforce training programs to address labor shortages, building opportunities in future-ready jobs, strengthening the local agricultural ecosystem through food hubs and incubators, and providing students with hands-on learning opportunities in high-demand careers.

“We Prosper Together is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring communities together to chart the future of good jobs in our region. This funding lets us take our workforce development programs into eight counties and work with community members of all ages to introduce them to jobs available now and the jobs that are coming up next,” said Orville Thomas, CEO of the California Mobility Center.

The full list of funding recipients is as follows:

• Building a Healthcare Talent Pipeline: Quality Jobs for Stronger Communities, Los Rios Community College District
• Capitol Region Biotech Talent Partnership, Sacramento Employment and Training Agency
• Cultivating Resilient Rural Food Ecosystems, Sierra Commons
• District Ranch Agritourism and Workforce Pilot, Nevada Joint Union High School District
• EPIC on the Road, Cal EPIC [California Energy, Power, and Innovation Collaborative], formerly the California Mobility Center
• Forest Biomass Business Center – Feasibility Study and Business Planning, Camptonville Community Partnership
• Greater Sacramento TPM Manufacturing Collaborative: Digital Tools Initiative, Roseville Area Chamber of Commerce
• Growing Quality Working Lands Jobs: Last-Mile Development of the Yolo Food Hub to Benefit Rural Agricultural Workers, Small Farms and Food Businesses, New Season Community Development Corporation
• Skilled Trades Workforce Pipeline Project, Sacramento Municipal Utility District
• The Plant Food and Agriculture Innovation Center Pre-Development Project, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Yuba Sutter Food Hub Feasibility Study, Yuba Sutter Food Bank

The work of We Prosper Together is supported by the statewide initiative California Jobs First and builds on the newly released California Jobs First Economic Blueprint.

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About We Prosper Together

Representing eight counties in the Capital Region, over 150 organizations, and hundreds of community leaders and residents, We Prosper Together is driving a community-led approach to building a stronger regional economy. We Prosper Together is working to elevate diverse voices, encourage investments, amplify local solutions, and create living-wage jobs for families in Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties. Visit weprospertogether.org to learn more and get involved.

Community Innovator, We Prosper Together, Shares Strategies Primed to Increase Economic Growth in the Capital Region

The Regional Plan: Strategies for a Thriving and Inclusive Economy charts a bold path to a more resilient, inclusive, and prosperous future
 
SACRAMENTO, CA — October 28, 2024 — We Prosper Together unveiled its Regional Plan: Strategies for a Thriving and Inclusive Economy, a community-driven framework providing the blueprint for a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable economy for the Capital Region. This strategic plan—the result of a two-year-long collaboration—identifies key priorities that will shape future investments, including those supported by We Prosper Together through California’s Regional Investment Initiative.

“The completion of We Prosper Together’s Regional Plan is another step towards building an equitable and sustainable regional economy,” said Evan Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer of Valley Vision. “Shaped by economic research and input from communities across our region, this economic framework will create more quality jobs by helping to move innovative ideas to fruition, bring projects to life, and accelerate the region toward a future where all families can thrive.”

The Regional Plan outlines actionable strategies to achieve more high-quality jobs, lower barriers to access, and foster more equitable outcomes for local families. The plan identifies two primary strategies:

• Target Sector Strategies: Strategies focusing on investments in four high-growth sectors with the greatest potential for quality job creation. These sectors include Business Services, Precision Manufacturing, Working Lands, and Research & Development.
• Economic Mobility Strategies: Approaches connecting disinvested communities with existing high-quality job opportunities ensuring future economic growth results in equitable outcomes for the region’s residents. These approaches include workforce development, outreach and awareness, transportation, childcare, and housing.

Developed through robust community feedback, stakeholder interviews, surveys, and comprehensive research conducted by Brookings Institute-affiliated Cities GPS, the Regional Plan takes into account the distinct needs, strengths, and opportunities across the region to create a collective vision for the future. 

“The Regional Plan not only exemplifies the strength and opportunity of cross-regional collaboration but also sets us up to make targeted investments that can transform our region,” said James Corless, Executive Director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments. “Only by coming together can we create a local economy that works for everyone and ensures all have access to the resources they need to prosper.”

The Regional Plan: Strategies for a Thriving and Inclusive Economy serves as a unifying roadmap cultivating a resilient, sustainable, and equitable economy empowering all local residents. The Regional Plan builds upon July 2023’s Capital Region Economic Assessment, a holistic assessment of the Capital Region’s economic, climate, and public health as part of the California Jobs First program. The Regional Plan concludes a two-year planning phase that included establishing We Prosper Together’s Collaborative, extensive community engagement, and the development of a shared regional strategy. We Prosper Together will now transition from planning to implementation, leveraging existing strategies and subregional efforts to drive progress.

The full Regional Plan can be found at https://www.weprospertogether.org/our-regional-plan.  

The Global Shapers Sacramento Hub Aims to Erase Millions of Dollars in Medical Debt Through “Shred the Debt” Campaign

This Youth-led Effort Aims to Eliminate Medical Debt for Thousands of Residents in the Greater Sacramento Region for Pennies on the Dollar

Sacramento, California November 4th – Today, The Global Shapers Sacramento Hub announces the launch of Shred the Debt, a project aimed at erasing medical debt across the Greater Sacramento Region. Through this initiative, the Global Shapers Sacramento Hub aims to purchase and eliminate millions of dollars in medical debt, focusing on those disproportionately burdened by medical debt. 

“Our goal is to alleviate some of the financial stress that medical debt imposes on our neighbors,” said Gustavo Garcia, Curator of the Global Shapers Sacramento Hub. “Through Shred the Debt, we’re not just erasing numbers on a balance sheet—we’re giving people a fresh start and lifting a heavy burden that affects health, families, and futures. We have an ambitious goal to buy a medical debt portfolio worth $3.7 million, and are confident that our region will come together to tackle this.”

Shred the Debt is made possible through a partnership with Undue Medical Debt, which specializes in purchasing medical debt at a fraction of its original cost. Through this partnership, a donation of just $1 has the power to erase over $200 of medical debt, amplifying the impact of each contribution. 

The Global Shapers Sacramento Hub will be collecting donations through the middle of February, and will match the first $500 donated – eliminating over $100,000 worth of medical debt for our neighbors, families, and communities in the Greater Sacramento Region. For more information, and to sponsor our efforts, please contact David Sievers at sacramento@globalshapers.org.

For more information on how our project works or to make a donation, please visit our donation page.

Valley Vision has been fiscal agent for the Global Shapers – Sacramento Hub for several years. Through this formal partnership, the Sacramento Hub has access to a high-performing and trusted local nonprofit that manages its finances and records, keeping things running smoothly. For Valley Vision, the Global Shapers bring a unique connection to the global community not found in other young leaders groups, which further boosts VV’s toolset in advancing the livability of the Sacramento region.

Valley Vision Helps Showcase Sacramento As Co-Host of California Economic Summit

Valley Vision helped co-host this year’s California Economic Summit, organized by California Forward and held for the first time in Sacramento since 2016. Held October 8-10, 2024, the latest iteration of the annual Summit proved to be an incredible showcase for the Sacramento region’s leadership on inclusive economic development, workforce, innovation, and more.

Valley Vision organized a set of regional tours on the first day of the Summit, which gave participants an on-the-ground perspective of how local communities are tackling some of our biggest economic and environmental challenges. By showcasing everything from sustainable food systems to novel workforce training programs, these tours highlighted the solutions that are helping to build a more resilient, inclusive future for California. See below for photos highlighting the tours:

The welcome reception followed the tours, and served as a kickoff for both the California Economic Summit and the Growth Factory’s GFX Summit. In addition to showcasing our region’s topline facility for advancing clean mobility, attendees could taste several gourmet foods created with plant-based, lab grown meat alternatives. Innovative!

The main days of the Summit (October 9 and 10) featured plenary sessions, action-packed workshops, networking events, and more. See below for a few highlights:

Finally, the Summit ended with a “handoff” from Valley Vision’s Evan Schmidt to leaders in Stockton, California, which is hosting next year’s Summit the week of October 20th, 2025. We wish Stockton the best and look forward to learning how they are building a vibrant economy. Subscribe to California Forward’s email newsletter for more updates! Thank you to California Forward, its staff, and partners for a fantastic showcase of Sacramento.

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Adrian Rehn is a Senior Project Manager overseeing air quality and environmental projects as well as Valley Vision’s communications.

Valley Vision Takes On Longstanding Regional Climate Collaborative

We are thrilled to announce that the Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative (CRC) has officially transitioned from CivicWell to Valley Vision. CRC was established in 2014 to improve collaboration and coordination between government, business, and community as it relates to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Valley Vision joined the Collaborative in 2015 and has had leadership roles in the Collaborative since.

This transition marks a new and exciting chapter for CRC, as Valley Vision is already working to advance climate resilience and collaboration in the greater Sacramento region through several programs such as the Cleaner Air Partnership and We Prosper Together, a California Jobs First Initiative.

As CRC’s new home, Valley Vision will continue to facilitate regional conversations to improve coordination and take action on climate adaptation and mitigation. The Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative has long been a crucial platform for bringing together a diverse set of stakeholders, including local governments, businesses, nonprofits, and community groups, to address climate challenges facing the region, such as warming air and water temperatures, risk of wildfire, more extreme heat waves, variable precipitation and seasonal shifts, and loss of ecosystem habitat, to name a few. Now, with Valley Vision’s leadership, we are positioned to build on these efforts and bring even greater capacity to support regional resilience and collaboration.

We invite Valley Vision’s partners to learn more about the Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative and consider joining the Collaborative as a member. Whether you are a business leader, government agency, academic institution, or community organization, your participation will help strengthen our collective ability to build a climate-resilient future for all.

Upcoming Events You Don’t Want to Miss

To kick off this new chapter, we’re excited to host/cohost a series of events designed to engage our community and provide opportunities for learning, networking, and collaboration.

November 20th, 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM, Biomass Workshop, Folsom Community Center 

• Join for an in-depth workshop focused on the role of biomass in climate resilience. This event is in collaboration with the Cleaner Air Partnership, the Los Rios Community College District, and CRC. With over 100 attendees expected, this workshop will establish a shared understanding of biomass utilization, explore the future of forest management and agricultural careers in our region, and mobilize leaders and decision-makers for action. It’s an incredible opportunity to connect with regional experts, researchers, and policymakers.  Registration link.

December 12, 12:30 PM – 4:00 PM – CRC Members-Only Meeting, Sierra 2 Center – 2791 24th Street, Sacramento CA 95818 (Room 10) 

• This meeting, exclusively for CRC members, will feature presentations on the state of climate adaptation in the Capital Region. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in roundtable discussions, identify collaboration opportunities, and explore how CRC can better support members’ efforts in addressing climate challenges. If you are already a member, this is your chance to help shape the future of climate action in the region. If not, consider joining to be part of this important conversation! Registration link 

Join the Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative

There has never been a more critical time to take action on climate resilience. CRC is a diverse and growing collaborative, and with Valley Vision’s leadership, we are ready to take CRC’s impact to the next level. We invite you to join us as a member and be part of the solution as we work together to create a more climate-resilient Capital Region.

To learn more about membership opportunities, visit https://climatereadiness.info/about-us/join-the-collaborative or contact Grace.Kaufman@valleyvision.org.

Navigating the Waves: Insights from the Water Careers Event

The Energy, Construction, and Utilities (ECU) Advisory event offered a view of water-related career opportunities within the region, delivering valuable perspectives for program development in the field. The event highlighted the opportunities and the challenges of an imminent skill shortage.

Ramzi Mahmood, Director of the Office of Water Programs (OWP) at Sacramento State, and Patrice McElroy, Deputy Administrative Officer from Valley Water, were keynote speakers and shared impactful presentations on the landscape of workforce development in the region, the Labor Market Data presented by the Center of Excellence showed signs of growth, with estimates of an increase from 7,150 positions in 2022 to an anticipated 8,003 by 2027, marking a notable 12% expansion in the region.

However, amidst this positive outlook of job growth, tackling the worker shortage was a predominant theme. Mahmood spoke on the forthcoming wave of retirements over the next 5-10 years, compounded by a nationwide hiring squeeze, presenting challenges in filling critical positions. The keynote stressed the inadequacy of relying solely on chance to attract students to water-related careers. Instead, Mahmood advocated for a comprehensive strategy encompassing early education, specialized training programs, hands-on experiences, recognized certifications, and pathways to successful career attainment. The employer panel echoed similar sentiments. Specifically, Samantha Blackwood from the Department of Water Resources (DWR) explained that one in ten DWR employees are currently eligible for retirement, and in five years the numbers will jump to 20 percent, or one in five, and in 10 years roughly one of three DWR employees are eligible for retirement.

In response to this anticipated shortage, panelists advocated for strategic investments in internships and grant programs. Additionally, training institutions and employer agencies can collaborate to provide practical experience and financial support to prospective employment candidates, laying the groundwork for a skilled future workforce.

As the dynamics of the regional water job market evolve, a focus on planning, education, and investment becomes imperative. Insights gathered from events like this advisory serve as an opportunity to share strategies and networks to navigate this shifting industry landscape. Additional information including the full event recording and presentation materials can be found here.

Air Quality and “Exceptional Events” – A Primer

For more than 35 years, the Cleaner Air Partnership (CAP) has been the Sacramento region’s most prominent voice focused on advancing partnerships between local government, industry, and environmental groups to improve air quality. Key to our mission is the identification of win-win-win opportunities for collaboration between these sectors.

Some of our coalition “wins” have included successful advocacy for legislation in 1997 to require the Bay Area to implement NOx reduction in their smog check program (which was disproportionately impacting our region), establishing a permanent CARB Board seat for a Sacramento region representative in 2012, and the designation of South Sacramento-Florin as a first-round AB 617 environmental justice community in 2018.

Public education is particularly important as we think about issues that impact public health – simplifying complex air quality topics is a core Cleaner Air Partnership activity as part of our quarterly Luncheons, Technical Advisory Committee meetings, and related efforts.

Last month, our region’s largest public radio station, Capital Public Radio, published several pieces related to the “exceptional events rule” utilized by air quality regulators across the nation:

• Insight: Loophole Lets Air Regulators Wipe Pollution From Records
• What is the exceptional events rule? The loophole letting US regulators wipe air pollution from the record
• Revealed: how a little-known pollution rule keeps the air dirty for millions of Americans

The best definition of “exceptional events” comes from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD): “Exceptional events are unusual or naturally occurring events that can affect air quality but are not reasonably controllable using techniques that tribal, state or local air agencies may implement in order to attain and maintain the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Exceptional events may include wildfires, high wind dust events, fireworks, prescribed fires, stratospheric ozone intrusions, and volcanic and seismic activities.”

All of the news articles question the value of the exceptional events rule to public health, purporting that the rule “wipes air pollution from the record.” Put simply, this is inaccurate information that mixes up different air agency activities, resulting in a false characterization of what the rule actually does. These processes are described below:

• Activity #1: Air Quality Management: At its core, air quality management in the United States means implementation of the Clean Air Act, “the comprehensive federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources.” The Act sets policy interventions such as emission standards for anticipated and controllable sources of pollution. By definition, an “exceptional” event is unanticipated and not amenable to policy controls.
• Activity #2: Federal Air Quality Monitoring: The purpose of air agencies conducting Federal air quality monitoring is to track the progress of regulatory actions and pollution reduction measures taken by federal, state, or local authorities for emission sources under their control (such as permitted facilities). However, “exceptional events” are outside the control of air agencies. For example, when there’s a wildfire in Paradise that creates toxic air pollution in Sacramento, there isn’t a policy mechanism at the local government level to do anything about it beyond exposure reduction. To say that pollution from wildfires is being “erased from regulatory consideration” isn’t accurate, considering the jurisdictional ownership over the issue.
• Activity #3: Data Management: All Federal air quality monitoring data, whether it is collected during an exceptional event or not, is always available to the public and is never deleted. It is critical that the air monitoring results, which are collected and reported by air agencies on an hourly basis, are made available in a transparent and easily accessible manner.
• Activity #4: Public Health Communications: Air agencies are also tasked with communicating air quality conditions to the public, via tools like our local Spare The Air. These important tools help communities decide how and when to protect themselves from exposure to any air pollution throughout their day. Contrary to the reporting cited above, air quality data from exceptional events *is* indeed included in all public health-related communications from air agencies, including Spare The Air, and public health agency records.

As you can see, it’s important to understand the role of federal, state, and local air agencies under the Clean Air Act. Data is not gathered for one single purpose, as agencies have multiple obligations to serve the public. While the exceptional events rule is rather technical, it is important for media outlets to understand the nuances of the issue before broadcasting misleading information to the public.

“In partnership with regulatory agencies, environmental health organizations and the public, we have been steadily improving the region’s air quality over the past five decades,” said Jennifer Finton, CEO of Breathe California Sacramento Region. “Exceptional events are merely a designation to account for unforeseen concentrated increases in air pollutants. During these exceptional events and throughout the year, the public can take steps to protect their lung health by following the guidance provided by local health departments and air districts. Individuals can play a critical role in minimizing climate change’s effects on these exceptional events by using active and clean transportation modes, among other behavior changes.”

In a world without the exceptional events rule, our region would have a lot of problems: (1) legally-binding air quality attainment (whether we meet specific air quality goals set by the Clean Air Act) by air agencies would not be possible,  (2) As a consequence, we would lose out on funding for transportation and land use projects, and (3) air agencies would not be able to actually do anything to address the sources of the exceptional events, because they lack the regulatory authority.

”The exceptional events rule is a critical tool in understanding the progress the region is making in continuing to reduce emissions from our local sources,” said Erik White, Director of the Placer County Air Pollution Control District. “Without it, we would not be able to craft effective local strategies to continue reducing emissions, especially for our most vulnerable citizens.”

The Cleaner Air Partnership is committed to simplifying and successfully communicating these complex topics to our communities. As with the “exceptional events rule,” we will continue to ensure that accurate information about air quality is disseminated as a resource for the public. To keep up with the Cleaner Air Partnership, sign up for our “Cleaner Air News” email newsletter here (select ‘Clean Economy’).

Agricultural Biomass: Putting the Pieces Together

California’s progress on biomass utilization is like putting together a puzzle – we have the edges in place, but we are still figuring out how everything connects in the middle. Biomass is an enormous opportunity to address our energy and agricultural/forest management needs, but there are significant barriers to scalable use of the abundant resource – or waste stream, depending on how you view it.

Source: Fruit tree orchard in Winters, CA (Yolo County)

On October 5th, 2023, Valley Vision staff had the opportunity to visit the City of Winters in Yolo County for a two-day conference on the opportunities and challenges of agricultural biomass. The conference was hosted by the Sacramento Valley Basinwide Air Pollution Control Council, who brought together a group of local and state stakeholders including agricultural businesses, regulators, policymakers and researchers. At the conference, stakeholders zeroed in on the current landscape of agricultural biomass, and fueled discussions around opportunities for agricultural biomass utilization. 

We were able to hear from business and research experts in the biomass space, discuss benefits of alternative uses of agricultural biomass, and learn from agricultural producers about their experiences with agricultural biomass applications.

The Current Landscape of Agricultural Biomass

Source: Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Rural-Urban Connections Strategy (2014)

There are three primary sources of biomass – biomass derived from municipal waste, biomass derived from agriculture, and biomass derived from forests. Agricultural biomass is agricultural waste, comprising food scraps, orchard trimmings, nut shells, and livestock waste. In the Central Valley, the agricultural industry is a leading economic driver, resulting in abundant and renewable agricultural biomass from farming operations as a continuously-generated resource. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture in 2022, agriculture accounted for $55 Billion in economic activity, equating to tons of agricultural waste that either ends up in landfills or is discarded in open burning.

Why Ag Biomass?

Adding to the abundance of agricultural biomass present in our local and regional economy, there is an increasing need to sustainably, economically and equitably manage this resource. At the conference in Winters, diverting agricultural biomass for alternative uses and associated benefits was discussed. Below are some key takeaways from the conference:

• Climate change impacts – the largest source of methane gas is from the agricultural sector, followed by landfills and the energy sector
• Open burning of agricultural biomass contributes to poor air quality through increased emissions and prevents our region from meeting state and federal air quality standards
• There is an increasing need for clean, renewable energy and fuel sources 
• Open burn piles endangers residents and wildlife
• Benefits to agriculture include improved soil, plant health and water efficiency from compost and mulching applications

Envisioning a Future for Ag Biomass:

Source: Agricultural Biomass Conference in Winters, CA (Oct. 2023).

Notably, we are in the middle of a clean energy transition and biomass utilization plays a key role in this transition. Agricultural biomass utilization is a multi-benefit approach to managing agricultural waste and mitigating climate change impacts. It is a viable strategy that strengthens rural-urban connections and public-private partnerships, which is what we need in order to solve our region’s most pressing issues. Agricultural biomass should be branded as a value-added resource and not just waste that ends up in landfills or burned in open piles. 

Currently, there is a high demand for renewable fuel sources as our state moves towards carbon neutrality and more modernized biomass facilities are much needed in our region. Modernized facilities are an opportunity for the agricultural industry, including local and regional governments and private sector interests to manage agricultural waste efficiently and sustainably, as well as provide valuable and marketable resources that support other sectors, too. The time to act is now as massive federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act are coming our way. If we envision a more sustainable and resilient future, we must collectively get behind a solution and the opportunities for agricultural biomass must be put on the table. 

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Kathy Saechou is a Valley Vision Project Coordinator staffing the Clean Economy and Food & Agriculture Impact Areas.