BILL ANALYSIS Ó ACR 160 Page 1 ASSEMBLY THIRD READING ACR 160 (Hadley) As Introduced March 30, 2016 Majority vote ------------------------------------------------------------------ |Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------| |Transportation |15-0 |Frazier, Linder, | | | | |Baker, Bloom, Brown, | | | | |Chu, Daly, Dodd, | | | | |Gomez, Kim, Mathis, | | | | |Medina, Melendez, | | | | |Nazarian, O'Donnell | | | | | | | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------ SUMMARY: Encourages motorists to not idle their vehicles near places where children congregate. Specifically, this resolution recounts the dangers of idling in the proximity of children, including: 1)Idling of motor vehicles contributes to global warming and is linked to asthma, decreased lung function, cardiac disease, cancer, and other serious health problems; ACR 160 Page 2 2)Children's lungs are still developing and are especially at risk of developing health problems when they are exposed to elevated levels of pollutants. Monitoring at schools has shown higher levels of benzene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and other air toxics during the afternoon hour coinciding with parents picking up their children; 3)Asthma is the most common chronic illness among children, the largest cause of school absences, and is the third leading cause of hospitalization among children under the age of 15 years; 4)An idling car wastes about half a gallon of gasoline per hour, and a gallon of burned fuel emits about 20 pounds of carbon dioxide; 5)One minute of idling puts more carbon monoxide into the air than smoking three packs of cigarettes; 6)Idling produces between 10% and 12% more emissions than driving for the same amount of gas used due to incomplete combustion and ineffective operation of the catalytic converter; 7)Idling motor vehicles emit particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide; and, 8)On a daily basis, Americans may be burning as much as 3.8 million gallons of gasoline from voluntary idling, resulting in about 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Annually, the cumulative effect is the useless burning of 1.4 billion ACR 160 Page 3 gallons of gasoline and the emission of 13 million tons of carbon dioxide. EXISTING LAW: 1)By way of regulation, prohibits school bus idling for any amount of time at schools and within 100 feet of a school. 2)Sets forth minimum penalties for violating this regulation. FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the Legislative Counsel. COMMENTS: In December 2002, the Air Resources Board adopted a regulation to limit school bus idling and idling at schools in order to reduce harmful exposure to diesel particulate matter and other pollutants from school buses, school pupil activity buses, youth buses, general paratransit vehicles, transit buses, and heavy-duty commercial motor vehicles that operate at or near schools. This regulation requires the driver of a school bus, school pupil activity bus, youth bus, general paratransit vehicle, transit bus, and a commercial motor vehicle to turn off the engine upon arriving at a school and to restart it no more than 30 seconds before departing. In addition, the regulation requires a motor carrier of an affected bus or vehicle to ensure that drivers are informed of the idling requirements, to track complaints and enforcement actions regarding the requirements, and to keep records of such driver education and tracking activities. Specific idling situations where health, safety, or operational concerns take precedence are exempted from this regulation. For example, exemptions are provided for idling in ACR 160 Page 4 the midst of traffic; to ascertain safe operating conditions of a bus or vehicle; for test, service, repair, or diagnostic purposes; to accomplish work, other than transportation, for which a vehicle was designed (e.g., controlling cargo temperature or operating a lift, drill, etc.); to operate equipment needed by persons with disabilities and heaters or air conditioners for special needs children; to operate defrosters or other equipment to prevent a safety or health emergency; and to recharge a hybrid electric bus or vehicle. The minimum fine for violating this regulation is $300. This resolution encourages all motorists not to idle their motor vehicles near place where children gather. Analysis Prepared by: Janet Dawson / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093 FN: 0002763