Railroad services

(1)Existing law establishes the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, administered by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (commission), to provide to specified entities, upon appropriation by the Legislature, grants, loans, loan guarantees, revolving loans, or other appropriate measures, for the development and deployment of innovative technologies that would transform California’s fuel and vehicle types to help attain the state’s climate change goals. Existing law specifies that only certain projects or programs are eligible for funding, including block grants administered by public entities or not-for-profit technology entities for multiple projects, education and program promotion within California, and development of alternative and renewable fuel and vehicle technology centers. Existing law requires the commission to develop and adopt an investment plan to determine priorities and opportunities for the program. This bill would provide that the State Air Resources Board (state board), until January 1, 2024, has no authority to enforce any element of its existing clean fuels outlet regulation or other regulation that requires or has the effect of requiring any person to construct, operate, or provide funding for the construction or operation of any publicly available hydrogen fueling station. The bill would require the state board to aggregate and make available to the public, no later than January 1, 2014, and every 2 years thereafter, the number of vehicles that automobile manufacturers project to be sold or leased, as reported to the state board. The bill would require the commission to allocate $20 million each fiscal year, as specified, and up to $20 million each fiscal year thereafter, as specified, for purposes of achieving a hydrogen fueling network sufficient to provide convenient fueling to vehicle owners, and expand that network as necessary to support a growing market for vehicles requiring hydrogen fuel, until there are at least 100 publicly available hydrogen fueling stations. The bill, on or before December 31, 2015, and annually thereafter, would require the commission and the state board to jointly review and report on the progress toward establishing a hydrogen fueling network that provides the coverage and capacity to fuel vehicles requiring hydrogen fuel that are being placed into operation in the state, as specified. The bill would authorize the commission to design grants, loan incentive programs, revolving loan programs, and other forms of financial assistance, as specified, for purposes of assisting in the implementation of these provisions. The bill, no later than July 1, 2013, would require the state board and air districts to jointly convene working groups to evaluate the specified policies and goals of specified programs. (2)Existing law requires the commission, in partnership with the state board, to develop and adopt a state plan to increase the use of alternative transportation fuels. This bill would require the commission and the state board, among other things, to coordinate efforts to measure the progress of alternative fuels use. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with the state board, on or before November 1, 2014, to update a specified economic analysis. The bill would require the commission and the state board, to evaluate how the use of new and existing investment programs could be used to increase the state alternative transportation fuels use, and evaluate how the impact of federal fuel policies and existing state policies will help increase the use of alternative transportation fuels in the state. The bill would require the commission and the state board, on or before November 1, 2015, and every 2 years thereafter, to report in the integrated energy policy report, as specified, the status of the state alternative transportation fuels use, as specified, and make specified evaluations. The bill would require the state board to include a finding on the effect of proposed regulations on state alternative transportation fuels use. (3)Existing law, until January 1, 2016, increases vehicle registration fees, vessel registration fees, and specified service fees for identification plates by a specified amount. Existing law requires the revenue generated by the increase in those fees to be deposited in the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund, and either the Air Quality Improvement Fund or the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Subaccount, as provided. Existing law, until January 1, 2016, imposes on certain vehicles a smog abatement fee of $20, and requires a specified amount of this fee to be deposited in the Air Quality Improvement Fund and in the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund. This bill would extend those fees in the amounts required to make these deposits into the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund, the Air Quality Improvement Fund, and the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Subaccount until January 1, 2024, at which time the fees would be reduced by those amounts. (4)Existing law establishes the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program (Carl Moyer program), which is administered by the state board, to provide grants to offset the incremental cost of eligible projects that reduce emissions of air pollutants from sources in the state and for funding a fueling infrastructure demonstration program and technology development efforts. Existing law, beginning January 1, 2015, limits the Carl Moyer program to funding projects that reduce emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx). This bill would extend the current authorization for the Carl Moyer program to fund a broader range of projects that reduce emissions until January 1, 2024, and would make other conforming changes in that regard. (5)Existing law authorizes the district board of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District to adopt a surcharge on motor vehicle registration fees applicable to all motor vehicles registered in the counties within that district. Existing law, until January 1, 2015, raises the limit on the amount of that surcharge from $4 to $6 for a motor vehicle whose registration expires on or after December 31, 1990, and requires that $2 of the surcharge be used to implement the Carl Moyer program, as specified. Beginning January 1, 2015, existing law returns the surcharge limit to its previous amount of $4. This bill would extend indefinitely the $6 limitation on the surcharge until January 1, 2024, with the limit returning to $4 beginning on that date. (6)Existing law authorizes each air pollution control and air quality management district (district) that has been designated a state nonattainment area by the state board for any motor vehicle air pollutant, except the Sacramento Air Quality Management District, to levy a surcharge on the registration fees for every motor vehicle registered in that district, as specified by the governing body of the district. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to collect that surcharge if requested by a district, and requires the department, after deducting its administrative costs, to distribute the revenues to the districts. Existing law, until January 1, 2015, raises the limit on the amount of that surcharge from $4 to $6 and requires that $2 of the surcharge be used to implement the Carl Moyer program, as specified. Beginning January 1, 2015, existing law returns the surcharge limit to its previous amount of $4. This bill would extend indefinitely the $6 limitation on the surcharge. (7)Existing law imposes, until January 1, 2015, a California tire fee of $1.75 per tire on every person who purchases a new tire, with the revenues generated to be allocated for prescribed purposes related to disposal and use of used tires. Existing law requires that $0.75 per tire on which the fee is imposed, be deposited in the Air Pollution Control Fund, these moneys to be available upon appropriation by the Legislature for use by the state board and districts for specified purposes. Existing law reduces the tire fee to $0.75 per tire on and after January 1, 2015. This bill would instead establish a tire fee of $1.50 per tire until January 1, 2024, and reduce the tire fee to $0.75 per tire on and after January 1, 2024. (8)This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. Hide