Exclusive: California climate budget to include $1 billion green loan fund

Originally posted at CalMatters

Contending that California needs to better encourage small players with ideas to address the climate crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to include a $1 billion revolving loan program in his new budget Friday to seed recycling, low-carbon transportation and climate-smart agriculture projects, according to a summary document obtained by CalMatters.

The Climate Catalyst Revolving Loan Fund, which would grow over four years, would offer low-interest lending to small businesses and organizations that have green ideas but may not be established or connected enough to compete for venture capital funding.

“California is the world capital of innovation,” Newsom said in a statement. “But as we grow, we must demand that the benefits of this growth be widely shared by workers and small businesses — not just those with access to huge amounts of capital. This fund aims to level the playing field as we build a greener, cleaner economy.”

The Golden State has set ambitious goals for the world’s fifth largest economy to go “carbon neutral” by 2045. That means creating new technologies to reduce the release of carbon dioxide and other emissions, as well as finding ways to capture greenhouse gas so the state’s net release is zero.

California already is pouring billions of dollars from the proceeds from cap and tradeinto a dizzying range of public climate projects, from clean vehicle rebates to high speed rail. The state is also a hotbed of venture capitalists, socially responsible lenders and others who operate in the private sector, investing billions in green products and businesses.

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