Climate change and clean energy laws in California are not only helping the environment, but also providing jobs to people in need.

That’s according to The Greenlining Institute in Berkeley.

Bruce Mirken, with the institute, says state law requires a quarter of the cash raised by carbon-permit sales in California’s cap-and-trade-program benefits to go to projects that help highly polluted and poor communities.

That’s a boost of close to $300 million this fiscal year.