Now at its one-year anniversary, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach's highly successful Clean Trucks Program got its start with a program funded in part by the MSRC. In 2002, the Gateway Cities Council of Governments (GCCOG) began its Truck Fleet Modernization Program, designed to provide incentive grants for older model diesel trucks toward the purchase of newer, cleaner diesel trucks to help reduce air pollution in Southern California.
Gretchen Hardison's first introduction to the MSRC was when her boss presented her with a stack of more than 40 proposals to review. That was more than 13 years ago, and she still keeps coming back for more.
As the MSRC prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary next year, it is worth looking back to see how far it has come and where it's headed. Created in 1990, the MSRC's mission is unique in that its sole purpose is to distribute Clean Transportation Funding to projects that help reduce emissions from mobile sources throughout the South Coast Air District. It's also unique to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) - there's only one MSRC in the state.