BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: sb 632
SENATOR ALAN LOWENTHAL, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: lowenthal
VERSION: 2/27/09
Analysis by: Jennifer Gress FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: March 31, 2009
SUBJECT:
Seaports: infrastructure and air quality improvement plans
DESCRIPTION:
This bill requires the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and
Oakland, by July 1, 2010, to assess their infrastructure and air
quality improvement needs, including assessing the total cost
for these projects and identifying potential sources of funding
for them.
ANALYSIS:
Ports are local government agencies governed by port commissions
that are responsible for developing, maintaining, and overseeing
the operation of shoreside facilities for the intermodal
transfer of cargo between ships, trucks, and railroads. Some
ports have jurisdiction over affiliated airports (e.g.,
Oakland), build and maintain terminals for the passenger cruise
ship industry, or manage marinas and other public facilities.
Existing law establishes 11 ports in the state: Hueneme,
Humboldt Bay, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Redwood City,
Richmond, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and Stockton.
The law allows each port to establish a general plan and port
system improvements and to prescribe the specifications for such
improvements.
This bill requires the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and
Oakland, by July 1, 2010, to assess their infrastructure and air
quality improvement needs, including assessing the total cost
for these projects and identifying potential sources of funding
SB 632 (LOWENTHAL) Page 2
for them.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose . The author notes that several plans have been
developed with regard to goods movement infrastructure and air
quality mitigation. These plans, however, are now several
years out of date and most do not identify sources of funding
to address the documented needs.
The Goods Movement Emission Reduction Plan developed by the
California Air Resources Board in 2006, for example, estimates
the cost to reduce goods movement-related emissions to be $6
to $10 billion. Additionally, the Governor's Goods Movement
Action Plan from 2007 estimates goods movement infrastructure
costs to exceed $20 billion over the next decade. Together,
these two plans suggest a total price tag of $26 to $30
billion but do not provide a clear path to pay for it.
This measure will provide current estimates of the total costs
to improve infrastructure and reduce emissions associated with
goods movement, as well as identify potential sources of
funding to pay for them.
2.Author's amendments . The author sought to amend the bill
prior to this committee's deadline, but the bill had not been
in print for 30 days, so the author will offer the following
amendments during the hearing:
Specify that the geographic area that each port should
consider in assessing its infrastructure and air quality
needs is the region as a whole.
Require each port to consult with the metropolitan
planning organization and air quality management district
with responsibility for its region in developing its
assessment.
Clarify that each port shall consult and update existing
goods movement plans and documents as appropriate.
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the Committee before noon on
Wednesday,
March 25, 2009)
SB 632 (LOWENTHAL) Page 3
SUPPORT: None received.
OPPOSED: None received.