Comment Letters and Input Opportunities

The California Climate & Energy Collaborative (CCEC) is committed to working with state agencies to ensure that the programs they develop and administer are shaped and informed by the needs of local governments. Utilizing our deeply connected and highly engaged statewide network of local government staff, technical experts, and climate practitioners, as well as our regular engagement points such as our monthly Local Energy Resources Network (LERN) Meetings, Quarterly State/ Local Energy & Climate Coordination (SLECC) Meetings, and Annual CCEC Forum, we work to gather input from local government representatives and communicate their priorities as they relate to upcoming state-administered programs. To advance this effort, CCEC has submitted comment letters synthesizing our network’s valuable perspectives.

As we continue our work engaging state agencies and their partners, we will highlight the active opportunities for the CCEC network to provide input on upcoming state programs. See further down for previously submitted comment letters on relevant opportunities from state-agencies.

If you are aware of another opportunity to provide input that should be showcased on this page, please email eecoordinator@civicwell.org.

Active Input Opportunities & Other Engagement Activities

See below for a list of programs that have released a Request for Information.

Training for Residential Energy Contractors (CA-TREC) Program

Application Status: Future

Source: California Energy Commission

This program is not yet launched. In August 2023, the CEC issued a request for information for the CA-TREC Program. Comments were due on September 25, 2023. The comments are stored in the 23-DECARB-01 docket. Moreover, the CEC carried out a survey that was designed to supplement the request for information, and the survey closed on November 30, 2023. Survey results informed the design of the CA-TREC Program. CEC staff welcomes and continues to consider additional comments submitted to the docket as the CEC continues to work on this program. The CEC submitted its CA-TREC application to the DOE in January 2024 and is awaiting DOE approval. Upon the DOE’s consideration and approval of California’s application, the CEC will issue a grant solicitation for organizations interested in grants supporting contractor training.

Home Efficiency Rebate (HOMES) Program

Application Status: Future

Source: California Energy Commission

This program is not yet launched. In December 2023, the CEC issued a request for information, proposing to utilize HOMES funding to support the CEC’s Equitable Building Decarbonization Direct Install Program. In response to stakeholder feedback, in March 2024, the CEC held a public workshop, announcing its intent to split HOMES funding between the Equitable Building Decarbonization Direct Install Program and a statewide Pay for Performance Program, through which rebate values will be determined based on actual energy savings measured at the utility meter. The workshop also gathered public input on the design of the Pay for Performance Program. The Pay for Performance workshop presentations and recordings are available under Past Events at the bottom of this page. The CEC also held a pre-solicitation workshop for the Equitable Building Decarbonization Direct Install Program in March 2024, released a grant funding opportunity in April 2024, and released a notice of proposed award (NOPA) for Regional Administrators in August 2024.
The CEC submitted the application for HOMES rebate funding to the DOE in August 2024 and is awaiting DOE approval. The CEC expects the HOMES Direct Install Program to launch in 2025 and the Pay for Performance Program to launch in 2025. CEC staff welcomes and continues to consider additional comments submitted to the docket as the CEC works to implement the program.

Previous Comment Letters

See below a list of formal comment letters that CCEC has submitted on various state or federally-administered programs. These letters are informed by CCEC’s Statewide Best Practices Coordinator as well as CCEC’s broader statewide network of local government staff and climate practitioners.

The comments below respond to the demand scenarios and assumptions used in the Senate Bill (SB) 100 analysis presented on August 7th for the 2025 SB 100 Joint Agency Report. In these comments CCEC highlights key barriers expressed by its network of local governments as they relate to advancing their clean energy goals.
The full submitted comment letter can be found here.

The comments below respond to CARB’s Draft Funding Guidelines for Agencies that Administer California Climate Investment. CCEC’s key recommendations encourage California Climate Investment (CCI) administrators to take advantage of its strategic position and these Funding Guidelines to streamline processes for applicants and coordinate among 20+ agencies to reduce excessive engagement and application burden on local and tribal communities.
The full submitted comment letter can be found here.

The comments below respond to CNRA’s Draft California Climate Adaptation Strategy. CCEC supports most positions reflected in the Climate Adaptation Strategy and highlights a
few of the priorities of particular interest to our network to relay initial comments and suggestions.
The full submitted comment letter can be found here.

The comments below respond to the CEC’s RFI for the Inflation Reduction Act Residential Energy Rebate Programs. President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law on August 16, 2022, with a goal of helping households save money on energy bills, improve energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve indoor air quality. The Act also provides funding for contractor training. The United States Department of Energy (DOE) estimates the programs will save American households up to $1 billion on energy bills each year and support over 50,000 U.S. jobs.The two programs are being designed and implemented in accordance with requirements established by the DOE. To receive funding allocations, states must first submit applications to the DOE with detailed plans on program design.
The full submitted comment letter can be found here.

The comments below respond to the CEC’s Contractor Training for Inflation Reduction Act Residential Energy Rebate Programs RFI. They were compiled primarily from a discussion that took place during the CCEC’s Local Energy Resources Network (LERN) meeting on September 12, 2023 (meeting recording and slides can be accessed here). This meeting was attended by almost 80 members of our network consisting primarily of staff from local governments, regional & State agencies, and their partners in nonprofit and private sector companies. This meeting featured an interactive input session which followed a presentation by Carol Schmitt, Rebates & Incentives Supervisor with the Reliability, Renewable Energy & Decarbonization Incentives (RREDI) Division of the CEC. Comments shared during this input session were captured directly in this Jamboard, as well as in the chat and verbally.
The full submitted comment letter can be found here.

This letter provides comment to the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GHG RF). This program provides competitive funding for financial and technical assistance to enable zero-emission technologies and projects that reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions and criteria air pollution, including in low-income and disadvantaged communities.
These comments and recommendations respond to the questions posed by the EPA in the RFI and reflect the needs and priorities of the larger CCEC network. This letter highlights that the State of California, local governments, and other community-serving organizations can serve as the EPA’s best partners in achieving the emissions and equity goals outlined in the RFI and alleviating burdens and barriers impeding greater progress at the local level.
The full submitted comment letter can be found here.

This comment letter provides comment to the California Energy Commission’s 2022 Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR). This report provides updates on a variety of energy issues facing California and information on emerging topics related to energy reliability, western electricity integration, hydrogen, gasoline prices, gas transition, and distributed energy resources.
This letter highlights the ways in which local governments and other community-serving organizations can serve as the State’s best partners in achieving the clean energy and equity goals outlined in the IEPR while more effectively taking advantage of upcoming federal funding opportunities.
The full submitted comment letter can be found here.

This document was submitted in response to the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) request for public comments on its Draft 2022 Scoping Plan, released on May 10, 2022. These comments were compiled among the network served by CCEC, composed primarily of California local governments and those that work with them, including members of the Local Government Sustainable Energy Coalition (LGSEC). The CARB Scoping Plan lays out the sector-by-sector roadmap for California to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 or earlier, outlining a technologically feasible, cost-effective, and equity-focused path to achieve the state’s climate target.
These comments highlight the need for more effective local coordination and financial investment in local governments to effectively meet the goals outlined in the Scoping Plan.
The full submitted comment letter can be found here.

This letter provides comment on the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Competitive Program Request for Information. This program is designed to assist states, local governments, and Tribes in implementing strategies to reduce energy use, to reduce fossil fuel emissions, and to improve energy efficiency.
The comments in this letter highlight the ways in which California local governments and other community-serving organizations can serve as the DOE’s best partners in achieving the emissions and equity goals outlined in the RFI and alleviating burdens and barriers impeding 5greater progress at the local level.
The full submitted comment letter can be found here.