The Strategic Growth Council (SGC) has issued a preliminary Draft of Grant Guidelines and Applications for a new program funded by the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Fund – the California Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALCP).  The SALCP will provide grants for development of Sustainable Agricultural Land Strategic Plans and for agricultural conservation easements.   In future years land management incentives will be added to the program.  

RCRC has submitted comments on the SALCP directed at the use of CalEnviroScreen.  The current SALCP proposal is to provide five additional points toward the total score for planning grant applications impacting CalEnviroScreen identified disadvantaged communities (DACs) in the top 20 percent.  Only six of RCRC’s 34 member counties have census tracts in the top 20 percent.  Thirty-four counties, many of them members of RCRC, do not have a single census tract in the top 20 percent.  RCRC’s comment letter can be accessed here.

The SGC intends to adopt the final SALCP at its December 11, 2014 meeting.  RCRC encourages member counties to submit comments, and send a copy of comments to RCRC Legislative Advocate Kathy Mannion atkmannion@rcrcnet.org.

The draft document can be accessed here.  Written comments will be accepted until Friday, October 31, 2014.  Comments should be submitted to AHSC_AG@sgc.ca.gov.  Additionally, three SALCP workshops have been scheduled.  Details on the workshop can be accessed here.