BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 231|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 231
Author: Gaines (R)
Amended: 6/2/15
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANS. & HOUSING COMMITTEE: 11-0, 4/28/15
AYES: Beall, Cannella, Allen, Bates, Gaines, Galgiani, Leyva,
McGuire, Mendoza, Roth, Wieckowski
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 5/28/15
AYES: Lara, Bates, Beall, Hill, Leyva, Mendoza, Nielsen
SUBJECT: Transportation funding: ferries
SOURCE: Tahoe Transportation District
DIGEST: This bill clarifies that ferries are eligible for
funding under the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities
Program (AHSC) and the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program
(LCTOP).
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected
by the State Air Resources Board from the auction or sale of
allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism
relative to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, to be
deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF).
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2)Appropriates, continuously, specified portions of the annual
proceeds in the GGRF to various programs including 5% for the
LCTOP and 20% for the AHSC.
This bill makes commuter ferries eligible for funding under AHSC
and LCTOP.
Background
The 2014-15 budget agreement established the AHSC under the
Strategic Growth Council. This program provides grants to local
agencies for projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through
land use, housing, transportation, and agricultural land
preservation. Eligible projects include infill housing
development, transit projects to support ridership, and active
transportation projects. The 2014-15 budget agreement provides
for a continuous appropriation of 20% of cap-and-trade funds to
AHSC beginning in 2015-16.
The 2014-15 budget agreement also established the LCTOP under
the California State Transportation Agency. This program
provides operating and capital assistance to transit agencies to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve mobility. Eligible
projects include expanded, new, or enhanced transit services;
conversion or retrofit of transit vehicles and equipment to
zero-emission; expanded intermodal transit facilities; and
infrastructure to support zero-emission or plug-in hybrid
vehicles. The 2014-15 budget agreement provides for a
continuous appropriation of 5% of cap-and-trade funds to LCTOP
beginning in 2015-16.
Comments
Purpose. The author states that although the Tahoe Basin has a
resident population of approximately 55,000, the area's
transportation system must accommodate up to 350,000 visitors on
a "peak" day due to its popularity as a recreation destination
and its proximity to major urban areas. Although Tahoe is
classified as a rural area, it needs an urban level of
transportation infrastructure to adequately serve its visitors
and residents. The Tahoe Transportation District, source of
this bill, has embarked on a ferry project to provide a major
new north-south transit component for the Lake Tahoe Basin.
This project is key to meeting Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
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(TRPA) and sustainable communities strategies objectives. By
expressly making ferry transit systems throughout the state
eligible for AHSC and LCTOP, this bill could help provide
funding for the ferry project.
Expansion of AHSC and LCTOP? While ferries are not specifically
listed in the LCTOP authorizing statute, they are mentioned
multiple times in the program guidelines. The AHSC guidelines
do not reference ferries and focus primarily on transit
stations; ferry eligibility would likely be limited to ferry
terminals. In both cases, this bill does not appropriate any
funds to ferries, but makes ferry projects eligible for these
programs. Commuter ferries are generally considered transit,
and this bill uses the statutory term "water-borne transit" to
ensure that tourist ferries continue to be excluded from funding
eligibility.
State Transit Assistance provision removed. The prior version
of this bill established an artificially high population in
statute for TRPA, on which the State Transit Assistance (STA)
funding formula would be based beginning in 2015-16. Since the
STA formula is based on population and operating revenues, this
provision would have enabled TRPA to obtain a larger share of
STA funds. This bill was amended in the Appropriations
Committee to remove the STA provisions.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Yes Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, no direct
state costs, potential cost pressures to the extent that
cap-and-trade funds are used for water-borne transit, rather
than other eligible transit projects. (Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Fund)
SUPPORT: (Verified6/1/15)
Tahoe Transportation District (source)
California Tahoe Alliance
City of South Lake Tahoe
International Longshore and Warehouse Union
North Lake Tahoe Resort Association
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San Francisco Water Emergency Transportation Authority
Tahoe City Public Utility District
Tahoe Resource Conservation District
Truckee North Tahoe Transportation Management Association
OPPOSITION: (Verified5/27/15)
None received
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: The Tahoe Transportation District, the
source of the bill, states that "current state and federal
transportation funding resources do not recognize the unique
characteristics of the Lake Tahoe region." This bill would
"qualify or provide necessary funding assistance to the Tahoe
Regional Planning Agency and Tahoe Transportation District to
meet Tahoe Regional Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy
objectives."
Prepared by:Erin Riches / T. & H. / (916) 651-4121
6/2/15 22:01:03
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