The California state legislature has passed a pair of bills (AB 134 and AB 109) that provide $1.5 billion for programs to cut emissions, including $895 million to reduce air pollution from mobile sources, which are responsible for 40% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The bills, which have been dubbed the “California Clean Air Initiative,” include a wide range of measures to fight air pollution and mitigate climate change, from restoring wetlands to fire prevention to upgrading old diesel engines in trucks and buses to natural gas.

There are a couple of EV-related items, including rebates to help low- and middle-income families purchase new and used zero-emission vehicles, and programs to promote zero-emission car-sharing and agricultural van pools.

There’s also new funding for a couple of existing EV programs: $180 million for the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Program, of which at least $35 million is earmarked for zero-emission buses; and $140 million for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Program.

Source: California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition via Green Car Congress