BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: AB 296
SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: skinner
VERSION: 6/21/11
Analysis by: Mark Stivers FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: June 28, 2011
SUBJECT:
Cool pavements
DESCRIPTION:
This bill requires the Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
to develop a Cool Pavements Handbook and to conduct one or more
cool pavement pilot projects.
ANALYSIS:
The term "cool pavements" typically refers to paving materials
that enhance reflectivity, enhance water absorption, or have
been otherwise modified to remain cooler than conventional
materials. At the present time, there is no official standard
to designate cool paving materials or to evaluate which
materials perform best under given circumstances.
Current law requires Caltrans to adopt a balanced, multimodal
research and development program that includes research and
development of new transportation-related technologies.
Current law also establishes the California Building Standards
Commission (BSC) and the process for adopting state building
standards. Under this process, relevant state agencies propose
amendments to model building codes, which the BSC must then
adopt, modify, or reject. Current law requires BSC to publish
the California Building Code in its entirety once every three
years. In January 2010, the BSC adopted the 2010 California
Green Building Standards Code, known as the CALGreen Code, which
mandates a number of green building features. While building
standards generally concern themselves with structures
themselves rather than outdoor elements, the CALGreen Code also
includes a voluntary cool pavements provision to encourage the
use of alternative hardscape (i.e., improved walking and driving
surfaces) materials, such as light-colored or open-grid
materials or shade, around non-residential structures.
AB 296 (SKINNER) Page 2
This bill requires Caltrans to develop and adopt a Cool
Pavements Handbook that details cool pavement protocols,
standards, and best practices for paving projects, to conduct
one or more cool pavement pilot projects, and to report to the
Legislature. Specifically, this bill:
Requires Caltrans, by January 1, 2014, to publish or make
available on its website a Cool Pavements Handbook that
incorporates existing specifications, testing protocols, and
best practices for cool pavement use in any surface designed
for vehicular or pedestrian use.
Encourages Caltrans to develop the Cool Pavements Handbook in
consultation with the Department of General Services, the
Building Standards Commission, the Water Resources Control
Board, the Energy Commission, the Air Resources Board, the
State Water Quality Control Board, the Department of Forestry
and Fire Protection, the Strategic Growth Council, and any
other relevant state department or agencies.
Specifies that the Cool Pavement Handbook identify materials
or techniques that reduce the surface temperature of
traditional concrete, have light color, reduce diurnal thermal
stress, remove greenhouse gases, and reduce stormwater runoff.
Requires Caltrans to reference the Cool Pavements Handbook in
relevant sections of the Caltrans Construction Manual.
Requires Caltrans to implement one or more cool pavement pilot
projects with the goal of completing construction by January
1, 2015.
Requires Caltrans to submit a report to the Legislature by
January 1, 2018, describing the results of the cool pavement
pilot projects. The report must include an analysis of the
costs, environmental benefits, energy savings, and durability
of cool pavements in comparison with other pavement options.
Authorizes Caltrans to enter into an agreement with the United
States Department of Transportation, United States
Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Department
of Energy, or other federal agencies to develop the handbook
or evaluate the pilot project.
Requires the BSC, for the next triennial code adopted after
January 1, 2015, to consider incorporating the specifications
in the Cool Pavements Handbook into the California Green
Building Standards Code.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose of the bill . According to the author, impervious
AB 296 (SKINNER) Page 3
pavements, which generally represent the largest percentage of
land cover in an urbanized area, increase temperatures in
urbanized areas by absorbing, storing, and later radiating
heat energy from the sun. These elevated temperatures
increase smog formation, which negatively affects human
health, and energy consumption, which increases power plant
emissions. In addition, impervious pavements increase water
run-off, which contributes to water pollution.
By reflecting the sun's rays or allowing for water absorption,
cool pavement alternatives minimize these impacts. In
addition, cool pavements can last 10 to 100 times longer than
traditional pavements, thus reducing replacement costs. This
bill seeks to encourage the use of cool pavements, including
pervious pavements, by requiring Caltrans to publish a
handbook on the subject and to study and evaluate the use of
cool pavements in a pilot project.
2.Why Caltrans ? No comprehensive document compiles in one place
existing knowledge on what constitutes cool pavements and how
they are best deployed. While any number of organizations
around the country or around the world could theoretically
create such a handbook, none has. To remedy that absence,
this bill assigns the task to Caltrans. According to the
author, there is demand at the local level in California for
"cool" public infrastructure, as evidence by the variety of
"cool communities" initiatives in Sacramento, Chula Vista, San
Jose, Novato, and elsewhere. Most cities, however, lack the
resources and expertise to conduct a literature review of cool
pavements or develop demonstration projects to quantify the
economic and other public benefits. Caltrans, on the other
hand, has an existing transportation-related research and
development program. In addition, because most local public
works departments default to Caltrans' construction manual,
putting cool pavement information into the manual will
encourage and facilitate local cool communities initiatives.
3.Handbook first, study second . This bill requires Caltrans to
publish a handbook containing existing knowledge on cool
pavements by 2014 and to report to the Legislature on the
results of its pilot project by 2018. One might normally
expect the handbook to come out after the pilot project in
order to reflect lessons learned. The author, however, is
interested in encouraging numerous parties, including local
governments and private developers, to use cool pavements
sooner rather than later to reduce environmental consequences
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and broaden the base of experience beyond the one Caltrans
pilot project for purposes of evaluation. Presumably, future
editions of the Caltrans handbook will build on the
experiences of Caltrans and others who utilize cool pavements.
Assembly Votes:
Floor: 54-21
Appr: 12-5
NR&W: 6-3
Trans: 8-5
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the Committee before noon on
Wednesday, June 22,
2011)
SUPPORT: American Lung Association in California
Breathe California
California Building Officials
California Coastkeeper Alliance
California Nevada Cement Association
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Emerald Cities Cool Pavement
Natural Resources Defense Council
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Sacramento Tree Foundation
Sierra Club California
Soil Stabilization Company
Union of Concerned Scientists
US Green Building Council, California Advocacy
Committee
6 individuals
OPPOSED: None received.