BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 901|
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CONSENT
Bill No: SB 901
Author: Steinberg (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 8-0, 1/10/12
AYES: DeSaulnier, Gaines, Harman, Huff, Kehoe, Lowenthal,
Pavley, Rubio
NO VOTE RECORDED: Simitian
SENATE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE : 6-0, 1/11/12
AYES: Simitian, Blakeslee, Hancock, Kehoe, Lowenthal,
Pavley
NO VOTE RECORDED: Strickland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SUBJECT : Air pollution: vehicle retirement program
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : 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 : AB 118 (Núñez), Chapter 750, Statutes of 2007,
created the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Program to augment
the state's existing vehicle retirement program, referred
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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
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
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.
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.
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
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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.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 1/18/12)
Consumer Federation of California
JJA:do 1/18/12 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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