BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 296
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 18, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 296 (Skinner) - As Amended: April 25, 2011
Policy Committee:
TransportationVote:8-5
Natural Resources 6-3
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Cool Pavements Research and
Implementation Act, to be implemented by Caltrans. Specifically,
this bill:
1)Requires Caltrans, by January 1, 2015, to adopt a Cool
Pavements Handbook detailing testing protocols, standards, and
best practices for paving projects using a qualified cool
pavement for purposes of mitigating the heat island effect
(HIE).
2)Requires Caltrans to implement one or more cool pavement pilot
projects to be completed by January 1, 2018 and to report the
results of the pilot projects to the Legislature.
3)Authorizes Caltrans to enter into an agreement with the U.S.
Department of Transportation to coordinate implementation of
the above, including assessing the goals and costs of paving
materials and techniques.
4)Requires Caltrans to adopt a strategy, through a public
process and through consultation with relevant state agencies,
to implement all of the above.
5)Requires Caltrans to propose building standards, during the
next triennial adoption process of the state building code,
authorizing the use of cool pavements in the construction of
any exterior paved surface.
FISCAL EFFECT
AB 296
Page 2
Caltrans indicates that it lacks the technical expertise and
research capacity to accomplish the tasks required in this bill
and would thus have to contract for these services. Moreover,
Caltrans questions whether the handbook required is even
feasible given the current general knowledge and development of
this subject. In light of this situation, completing the
handbook could easily cost in excess of $1 million. Similarly,
cost to develop and propose building standards could be
significant.
(The author's staff indicate it is not their intent to require
original research and that the handbook should be based on a
review of existing research and literature. They intend to
propose clarifying amendments.)
COMMENTS
1)Background . According to the Federal Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), the term "heat island" refers to warmer urban
air and surface temperatures that result when natural
landscape is replaced with hardscape surfaces such as
pavement, buildings, and other infrastructure. Studies
performed by the EPA and others have shown that the mean air
temperature of urban areas can be significantly warmer than
surrounding rural areas and that these warmer urban
temperatures can result in increased summertime peak energy
demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution, and greenhouse
gas emissions.
2)Purpose . According to the author, the combination of excessive
heat and sunlight leading to HIE exacerbates health problems
via the production of ozone (smog) and that increased
temperatures indirectly produce emissions and increase energy
consumption due to increased demand for artificial cooling.
The author indicates this bill is intended to acknowledge that
paved surfaces contribute to HIE and to identify and implement
HIE-mitigating options.
One of the primary methods thought to reduce HIE is the use of
cool pavements. "Cool pavements" typically refers to paving
materials that reflect more solar energy, enhance water
evaporation, or have been otherwise modified to remain cooler
than conventional materials. At the present time, there is no
AB 296
Page 3
official standard or labeling program to designate cool paving
materials to designate which materials perform best under
given circumstances.
Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081