We Want To Hear From You!  

Before you dive in- please consider taking our surveys to help us learn more about your priorities for climate action and community involvement in San Benito County:  

Do you live or work in San Benito County? Take our Community Climate Priorities survey to help us learn more about San Benito’s community values, viewpoints, and priorities for climate action: English Survey - Spanish Survey

Do you work with or volunteer for a local organization that would be interested in collaborating to take climate action? Take our Organization Collaboration Survey to suggest events,collaboration points, and provide suggestions to the project team as we conduct outreach across San Benito: English Survey - Spanish Survey

Support Climate Resiliency in San Benito County

We are already seeing the effects of climate change in San Benito County, including heat waves, drought, and wildfires. The County is taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build a climate-resilient San Benito County to protect our residents, businesses, and natural and agricultural lands from the impacts of climate change.  

San Benito County and neighboring Santa Clara County are making strides to address climate change in our communities through a regional planning effort encompassing two climate action plans: the Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP), and the upcoming Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP). These planning grants are the foundation for accessing billions of dollars of federal funding for climate action, which will be described in the section below. Planning for climate action at the regional scale across California is critical to San Benito County’s ability to address climate change and unlock the potential of community-centered climate action to achieve net-zero emissions. It also offers an opportunity to invest in our communities by building resiliency and adopting green technologies like solar, battery storage, composting, high-efficiency electric heating and cooling, and carbon farming.  

About the Project 

Funding Overview:  EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG)  

The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program provides $5 billion in grants to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop and implement ambitious plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution. Authorized under Section 60114 of the Inflation Reduction Act, this two-phase program provides $250 million for noncompetitive planning grants, and approximately $4.6 billion for competitive implementation grants.

Project Scope 

San Benito County and neighboring Santa Clara County  are working together to address harmful air pollution, combat climate change, and bring in funding to support our communities. Through the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program (CPRG), we have successfully secured a grant to create ambitious plans focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality, for all communities throughout San Benito County and Santa Clara County.  

The Plans: Priority Climate Action Plan  & Comprehensive Climate Action Plan  

The Counties will be notified of implementation grant awards this summer, and will update this page with next steps as relevant for grant awards, and implementation progress as the project moves forward.  

Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) [Finalized] 

The PCAP includes a regional greenhouse gas emissions inventory, and high-impact, near-term priority projects that directly benefit both our communities and the environment. We collaborated with public agencies and local community-based organizations (CBOs) throughout the MSA region to coordinate efforts and gather valuable input. The PCAP is San Benito County’s first dedicated climate action planning document and priorities outlined in the document allowed to the county and its partners to apply for funding through the EPA Implementation Grants. This funding will help turn our visionary climate projects into reality, benefiting our most vibrant, but historically underserved communities and fostering a healthier environment for all.  

Here is the finalized PCAP for the Santa Clara and San Benito County MSA (metropolitan Statistical Area), completed March 1, 2024.  

Download the PCAP Above

Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) [In-Progress] 

Taking our commitment further, San Benito and Santa Clara Counties are creating a long-term comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce pollution, and benefit our communities through increased efficiency and job creation. 

The CCAP process is currently underway, with an expected completion date of Summer 2025. Community engagement will be essential to inform the strategies brought forward under the CCAP, which will include strategies to sequester carbon in our natural and working lands, electrify and improve resiliency in our built environment, and increase pollution-free transportation options.  

Read through the sections below to find out how community members, community-based organizations, and businesses can contribute to the CCAP. 

Project Calendar 

Summer 2024: Assessing San Benito County community priorities and values  

•  Upcoming In-Person and Virtual Outreach Events:
•  Keep checking this website for outreach events; dates; times as the Project team finalizes upcoming outreach events this summer 

Fall- Winter 2024-2025: Community feedback on strategies to reduce emissions, outreach on results of GHG emission Inventory  

Spring- Summer 2025: Community feedback on draft report, final list of strategies to reduce emissions. Build community support and input on long-term implementation of CCAP.

How Can I Engage? 

Project Questions?  

For questions related to the Conservation Climate Action Plan (CCAP) email: CCAP@sanbenitocountyca.gov