BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 570
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Senator S. Joseph Simitian, Chairman
2011-2012 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 570
AUTHOR: Rubio
AMENDED: April 25, 2011
FISCAL: Yes HEARING DATE: May 2, 2011
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT: Randy Pestor
SUBJECT : HIGH EMITTING SCHOOLBUSES
SUMMARY :
Existing law :
1) Provides the California Air Resources Board (ARB) with
primary responsibility for control of mobile source air
pollution, including adoption of rules for reducing vehicle
emissions and the specification of vehicular fuel
composition. (Health and Safety Code �39000 et seq. and
�39500 et seq.). The ARB must coordinate efforts to attain
and maintain ambient air quality standards. (�39003).
2) Provides that air pollution control districts (APCDs) and
air quality management districts (AQMDs) have primary
responsibility for controlling air pollution from all
sources, other than emissions from mobile sources. (�40000
et seq.). Certain APCDs and AQMDs are established, with
related authority, including the San Joaquin Valley Unified
Air Pollution Control District (SJVUAPCD). (�40600 et
seq.).
3) Requires the SJVUAPCD to develop, in consultation with ARB,
a voluntary program to improve air quality by exchanging
high polluter vehicles within the district for donated
vehicles; authorizes interest from funds allocated to the
SJVUAPCD from the Traffic Congestion Relief Fund to be used
to administer this program; and requires the SJVUAPCD to
submit a report to the Legislature on implementation of the
program by January 1, 2012. This vehicle exchange program
sunsets January 1, 2013.
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This bill replaces the SJVUAPCD vehicle exchange program (#3
above) with a voluntary program to replace or retrofit high
emitting schoolbuses in the San Joaquin Valley. SJVUAPCD must
follow ARB's 2008 Lower-Emission School Bus Program Guidelines
and give priority to model year 1987 and older schoolbuses.
SJVUAPCD must also report to the Legislature on or before
January 1, 2013, and January 1, 2014, on implementation of the
program, including the number of schoolbuses replaced and the
estimated emission reductions achieved through the program.
This schoolbus replacement and retrofit program sunsets
January 1, 2014.
COMMENTS :
1) Purpose of Bill . According to the author, "School buses
serve a vital need in the state by transporting students to
and from school. However, school buses that were built
prior to 1987 are also one of the biggest mobile polluters
in the state. In the Central Valley alone, there are over
100 school buses in operation that were manufactured prior
to 1987. Most alarmingly, more than one out of every four
school age children in Kern County has been diagnosed with
asthma, a much higher percentage than most counties in the
state. Allocating funds to replace pre-1987 buses will
improve air quality in communities throughout the Central
Valley and California."
The author notes that "SB 570 would allow for the �SJVUAPCD]
to administer a program that would replace older
high-emitting school buses within the district by using
existing interest revenue generated . . . "
2) Background . Voters approved Proposition 1B (the Highway
Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security
Bond Act of 2006) November 7, 2006. This bond act provided
for a bond issue not to exceed $19,925,000,000 for certain
purposes, including $200 million for schoolbus retrofit and
replacement to reduce air pollution and children's exposure
to diesel exhaust.
SB 88 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review) Chapter 181,
Statutes of 2007, contained various provisions to implement
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Proposition 1B, including the California Clean Schoolbus
Program (Health and Safety Code �44299.90 et seq.) which
requires ARB to allocate funds in accordance with the
following: a) replace all schoolbuses in operation with a
1976 model year or earlier; and b) remaining funds
apportioned to local APCDs and AQMDs based on the number of
schoolbuses with 1977 to 1986 model years (each school
district must determine the percentage of its allocation to
spend between replacement of schoolbuses of model years
1977 to 1986, and retrofit of schoolbuses of any model
year). All schoolbuses replaced under this program must be
scrapped. SB 88 also requires ARB to prepare guidelines
for the program, which are the 2008 Lower-Emission School
Bus Program Guidelines referenced in SB 570.
SB 1662 (Burton) Chapter 656, Statutes of 2000, and AB 2928
(Torlakson) Chapter 91, Statutes of 2000, created the
Traffic Congestion Relief Act of 2000. The Act provided
funding for several programs, including $25 million for the
San Joaquin Valley Emergency Clean Air Attainment Program
to reduce emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines
operating within the eight-county San Joaquin Valley
region. (Government Code �14556.40(a)(100)). SJVUAPCD is
the lead applicant under the Act for this program. While
most of the funds for the program have been expended for
projects, SB 23 (Cogdill) Chapter 634, Statutes of 2007,
created the vehicle exchange program and funded the program
with interest from the San Joaquin Valley Emergency Clean
Air Attainment Program. However, the SB 23 vehicle
exchange program has not proceeded as expected because
there was no entity to donate vehicles for the program.
SB 570 replaces the SB 23 vehicle exchange program with the
schoolbus replacement and retrofit program, and retains the
SB 23 funding source (there is approximately $2.5 million
available for the program). SB 570 also revises the
reporting requirements and dates for reports, and extends
the sunset from January 1, 2013, to January 1, 2014.
SOURCE : Senator Rubio
SUPPORT : American Lung Association in California,
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Breathe California, Coalition for Clean Air,
Fresno-Madera Medical Society (Air Quality
Sub-Committee), Kings Canyon Unified
Transportation, Natural Resources Defense
Council, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District, School Transportation
Coalition, Union of Concerned Scientists
OPPOSITION : None on file