BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: AB 14
SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: lowenthal
VERSION: 5/6/13
Analysis by: Erin Riches FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: June 18, 2013
SUBJECT:
State freight plan
DESCRIPTION:
This bill requires the state's Transportation Agency to prepare
a state freight plan and establish a freight advisory committee.
ANALYSIS:
In July 2012, Congress passed and President Obama signed the
Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (Public Law
112-41), known as MAP-21. This legislation authorizes federal
transportation funding to states through September 30, 2014.
Among other things, MAP-21 requires the US Department of
Transportation (DOT) to:
Establish a national freight network to help states
strategically direct resources toward improved movement of
freight on highways.
Develop a national freight strategic plan in consultation with
states and other stakeholders, and update it every five years.
Encourage each state to establish a freight advisory committee
composed of a representative cross-section of public and
private sector freight stakeholders.
Encourage each state to develop a comprehensive plan for its
immediate and long-term freight-related planning and
investment.
Establish measures for states to use to assess freight
movement on the interstate system.
MAP-21 also authorizes DOT to increase the federal share of
project costs to 95 percent for an interstate highway project,
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or 90 percent for a non-interstate system project, if the
project makes a demonstrable improvement in the efficiency of
freight movement and is included in the state freight plan.
This bill :
Requires the Transportation Agency to prepare a state freight
plan that complies with MAP-21 and provides a comprehensive
plan to govern the state's short- and long-term planning
activities and capital investments relating to freight
movement.
Requires the Transportation Agency to establish a freight
advisory committee consisting of a representative cross
section of public and private freight sector stakeholders, as
specified.
Requires the freight advisory committee to:
o Advise the Transportation Agency on freight-related
priorities, issues, projects, and funding needs;
o Serve as a forum for discussion on state transportation
decisions affecting freight mobility;
o Communicate and coordinate regional priorities with
other organizations;
o Promote information-sharing between the public and
private sectors; and
o Participate in developing the state freight plan.
Requires the state freight plan to:
o Identify significant freight system trends, needs, and
issues;
o Describe freight policies, strategies, and performance
measures to guide freight-related transportation decisions;
o Describe how the plan will improve the state's ability
to meet DOT's national freight goals;
o Provide evidence of consideration of innovative
technologies and operational strategies, including
intelligent transportation systems, to improve the safety
and efficiency of freight movement;
o Describe improvements that may be required to reduce or
impede deterioration on routes which are heavily travelled
by heavy vehicles including mining, agricultural, energy
cargo or equipment, and timber vehicles; and
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o Provide an inventory of facilities with freight mobility
issues, such as truck bottlenecks, along with a description
of what strategies the state will use to address these
issues.
Requires the Transportation Agency to submit the state freight
plan to the Legislature, Governor, California Transportation
Commission, Public Utilities Commission, and State Air
Resources Board by December 31, 2014, and every five years
thereafter.
Provides that the Transportation Agency may develop the state
freight plan separately from, or incorporated into, the
statewide strategic long-range transportation plan and the
state rail plan.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose . MAP-21 encourages states to establish a freight
advisory committee and develop a state freight plan. The
author states that this bill goes beyond MAP-21 by mandating
these actions to emphasize the state's commitment. The author
notes the importance of developing a state freight plan that
meets the needs of an aging and congested infrastructure,
complies with federal and state clean air mandates, and
addresses public health issues related to freight movement.
2.Freight advisory committee . Caltrans, in collaboration with
the Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency, has formed a
freight advisory committee that began meeting quarterly in
April 2013. The committee has committed to ensure that the
state freight plans uses all six of the elements outlined in
MAP-21 and follows US DOT recommendations as closely as
possible while adding California-specific interest areas such
as air quality, climate change, and fuel diversity goals.
3.State freight plan . Caltrans is currently updating the Goods
Movement Action Plan (GMAP), which was originally issued by
the Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency and the
California Environmental Protection Agency in two phases in
2005 and 2007. The GMAP was a comprehensive plan to address
economic and environmental issues associated with moving goods
via the state's highways, railways, and ports. It also
provided guidance for allocating $3.1 billion of the $19.9
billion approved by voters in Proposition 1B, the Highway
Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality and Port Security Bond
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Act of 2006. The new plan, known as the Freight Mobility
Plan, will expand beyond the GMAP to address additional issues
such as greenhouse gas emissions goals, as well as to meet the
parameters outlined in MAP-21. The Freight Mobility Plan will
focus more attention on community impact issues, take a more
in-depth look at trucking, and more thoroughly identify the
freight needs of portions of California that did not receive
sufficient attention during implementation of the GMAP.
4.Other planning efforts . In addition to developing the Freight
Mobility Plan, the state is working on several related
efforts. Caltrans is developing a long-range California
Transportation Plan, known as CTP 2040, to address the state's
mobility needs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Caltrans is also preparing a state rail plan for passenger and
rail service. The state Air Resources Board is developing a
long-term plan known as the Clean Air Vision, which looks at
strategies to meet the state's multiple air quality and
climate goals well into the future, including how to reduce
emissions in the freight transport system. At the local
level, metropolitan planning organizations adopt regional
transportation plans and are developing sustainable
communities strategies pursuant to SB 375 (Steinberg), Chapter
728, Statutes of 2008.
5.Is this bill necessary ? This bill would place into statute
efforts already underway to establish a freight advisory
committee and develop a state freight plan. The author states
that by doing so, California sends a clear message to the
federal government of its commitment. The author also notes
that a state freight plan will help place California at the
front of the line for available federal money, since MAP-21
authorizes DOT to increase federal funding for projects that
are included in a state's freight plan. Many state planning
efforts, such as the CTP 2040 described above, are established
in statute.
Assembly Votes:
Floor: 59-18
Appr: 13-4
Trans: 13-2
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on
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Wednesday, June 12,
2013.)
SUPPORT: Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Orange County Transportation Authority
OPPOSED: None received.