BILL ANALYSIS
SB 1328
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Senator S. Joseph Simitian, Chairman
2009-2010 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 1328
AUTHOR: Lowenthal
AMENDED: April 12, 2010
FISCAL: Yes HEARING DATE: April 19, 2010
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT: Caroll
Mortensen
SUBJECT : GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS: MOTOR VEHICLE
CABIN TEMPERATURE
SUMMARY :
Existing law , under the California Global Warming Solutions
Act of 2006 (CGWSA):
1) Requires the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to
determine the 1990 statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
level and approve a statewide GHG emissions limit that is
equivalent to that level, to be achieved by 2020. ARB must
adopt regulations for reporting and verification of GHG
emissions, monitoring and compliance with the program, and
achieving GHG emission reductions from sources or
categories of sources by January 1, 2011, to be operative
on January 1, 2012, subject to certain requirements.
(Health and Safety Code 38500 et seq.).
2) Requires ARB to prepare and approve a scoping plan for
achieving the maximum technologically feasible and
cost-effective reductions in GHG emissions from sources or
categories of sources of GHGs by 2020. ARB must evaluate
the total potential costs and total potential economic and
noneconomic benefits of the plan for reducing GHGs to the
state's economy, and public health, using the best economic
models, emission estimation techniques, and other
scientific methods. The plan must be updated at least once
every five years. (38561).
3) Authorizes the ARB to adopt GHG emission limits or emission
reduction measures prior to January 1, 2011, imposing those
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limits or measures prior to January 1, 2012, or providing
early reduction credit where appropriate. (38563).
This bill :
1) Requires the ARB, in developing regulations to reduce cabin
temperatures in vehicles in order to reduce GHG emissions,
to consider the following:
a) Potential reductions in air conditioning use that can
be achieved while a motor vehicle is moving, in addition
to reductions in air conditioning use when a motor
vehicle is parked.
b) Potential conflicts between, and relative benefits
of, motor vehicle cabin temperature reduction
requirements and technologies that provide motor vehicle
greenhouse gas emission reductions through various
means.
c) The manufacturing flexibility necessary to achieve
overall maximum greenhouse gas emission reductions from
motor vehicles.
COMMENTS :
1)Purpose of Bill . According to the author, SB 1328 will
provide policy guidance to ARB when it resumes its work on a
vehicle cabin temperature standard, to broaden the factors
it considers in how air conditioning based vehicle emissions
are achieved and to consider how it can avoid potential
conflicts between various beneficial new technologies that
will reduce vehicular greenhouse gas emissions. It ensures
that the ARB has all of the necessary tools to provide
flexibility to the auto and related industries with certain
regulations in order to achieve the greatest greenhouse gas
reductions possible associated with light and medium duty
vehicles.
2)Background .
a) Cool Cars. The concept behind 'cool cars' is to keep
cars and light trucks cooler so less fuel is needed to
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keep the cabin temperatures comfortable, thus reducing
fuel consumption and GHG and other pollutants. In May of
2008 the ARB embarked on a rulemaking process for cool
cars as part of the overall GHG reduction strategies. On
June 25, 2009, ARB adopted the cool car regulation that
required new vehicles starting with the 2012 model year
to be equipped with solar control windows. These windows
limit the amount of solar radiation entering the vehicle,
allowing the air conditioning units to be downsized or
used less frequently. Less air conditioning use or
smaller air conditioning units translates into less fuel
burned and lower greenhouse gas emissions emitted by the
vehicle. ARB staff estimated that the requirements when
fully implemented would have prevented over 1 million
metric tons of CO2 from being emitted into the air. The
solar controlled windows used a 'glazing' technology that
blocked solar energy and reduced heat build up in the
car.
On March 25, 2010 the ARB withdrew the regulation
approved on June 25, 2009, from the rulemaking process.
They issued a formal statement from the Executive
Director and the following on its listserve to interested
parties:
"On March 25, 2010 ARB announced that all rulemaking on
the Cool
Cars regulation has ceased. It was determined that
insufficient
time remained on the rulemaking calendar to achieve
consensus on
the rule, particularly with regard to perceived problems
with
metallic glazing and the operation of cell phones and GPS
ankle
bracelets. Because consensus could not be reached within
the
timeframe required, the 15-day Notice for Cool Cars will
not be
issued. The result is that the Cool Cars regulation,
while
approved by the Board in June 2009, will not become law.
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In its place staff will work to incorporate a
performance-based
approach to cooling vehicle interiors into the next
iteration of
the light-duty motor vehicle greenhouse gas regulations
for 2017
and later model years. This next phase of the motor
vehicle
greenhouse gas emission regulations will be linked with
the
formerly separate standards setting specific toxic and
criteria
tailpipe emissions limits (Low Emission Vehicle or LEV
standards)
into a single regulatory framework for advanced clean
cars. The regulation for the advanced clean cars (also
known as
LEVIII) is expected [to] be presented to the Board during
a hearing
later this year, with the new greenhouse gas portion
phasing-in
with the 2017 model year. At this time, it is unclear
what form
the performance-based approach to cooling vehicle
interiors will
take in the new rules. As a result, all activity by the
Cool
Cars performance option workgroups will cease. Instead,
the
public may participate in the development of the
performance
metric for cooling vehicle interiors as part of the
regulatory
development for advanced clean cars."
3)Next Steps . As indicated by ARB above, while the 'cool car'
regulations are not moving forward, they plan on taking a
different tact to address the issue of keeping cars 'cool'.
The guidance in SB 1328 is consistent with the future
direction ARB is projecting and provides guidance to ensure
that ARB is considering the factors to ensure GHG reductions
in an efficient and effective manner.
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SOURCE : Exatec, LLC
SUPPORT : None on file
OPPOSITION : None on file