BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: SB 901
SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: Steinberg
VERSION: 2/18/11
Analysis by: Eric Thronson FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: January 10, 2012
SUBJECT:
Vehicle retirement
DESCRIPTION:
This bill changes the name of the Enhanced Fleet Modernization
Program to the Vehicle Retirement Program and prioritizes
expenditures from the program for the highest polluting vehicles
registered in air basins that are out of attainment with federal
air quality standards.
ANALYSIS:
In 2007, AB 118 (Núñez), Chapter 750, created the Enhanced Fleet
Modernization Program to augment the state's existing vehicle
retirement program, referred to as the Consumer Assistance
Program (CAP). Both programs retire high polluting passenger
vehicles and light to medium duty trucks from operation in the
state through the purchase and dismantling of these vehicles.
While CAP is available to vehicle owners when vehicles fail the
smog check, the program created by AB 118 is available to owners
of qualified vehicles at any time. Existing law requires the
state to focus the new program where the greatest air quality
impact can be identified.
This bill makes two primary changes to the Enhanced Fleet
Modernization Program. First, it changes the name of the
program to the Vehicle Retirement Program. Second, it
prioritizes program expenditures for the highest polluting
vehicles registered in areas that are out of attainment with
federal air quality standards.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose . The author introduced this bill to ensure that the
AB 118 vehicle retirement program's highest priority is
removing the highest polluting vehicles from the places in
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California where their removal can make the most difference.
This bill requires the program to target areas not meeting
federal air quality standards and permits the retirement of
only those vehicles known to be the highest polluters.
2.Program effectiveness . AB 118 required California Air
Resources Board (ARB), in consultation with the Bureau of
Automotive Repair (BAR), to begin the program by January of
2010. Approximately $30 million is available annually through
2015 to fund the program via a $1 increase in vehicle
registration fees. According to ARB, the available funding
allowed BAR to retire over 12,000 high-polluting vehicles in
the program's first year.
3.Statute closely aligns with state regulations . While the AB
118 vehicle retirement program is available for qualifying
vehicles registered throughout California, state regulations
currently encourage retirement of high polluting vehicles in
the most polluted areas. ARB's regulations direct BAR to use
existing emissions data to identify the highest polluting
vehicles and solicit program participation by providing
vouchers to owners beyond the purchase of the vehicle to be
used toward vehicle replacement or transit fares. These
vouchers are only available in the South Coast and San Joaquin
air basins, which are the areas in the state with the worst
air quality. This bill closely aligns with these regulations
by requiring the program to target the highest polluters where
air quality is the worst.
4.Double referral . The Rules Committee has referred this bill
to both the Transportation and Housing Committee and the
Environmental Quality Committee
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on
Wednesday, January
4, 2012)
SUPPORT: Consumer Federation of California
OPPOSED: None received.
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