BILL ANALYSIS �
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 570
Author: Rubio (D)
Amended: 4/25/11
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMM. : 9-0, 4/12/11
AYES: DeSaulnier, Gaines, Harman, Huff, Kehoe, Lowenthal,
Pavley, Rubio, Simitian
SENATE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE : 7-0, 5/2/11
AYES: Simitian, Strickland, Blakeslee, Hancock, Kehoe,
Lowenthal, Pavley
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 8-0, 5/26/11
AYES: Kehoe, Walters, Alquist, Lieu, Pavley, Price,
Runner, Steinberg
NO VOTE RECORDED: Emmerson
SUBJECT : San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution
Control District:
lower-emission schoolbus
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill repeals the requirement that the San
Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control Districts
administer a high polluter vehicle replacement program and
instead requires the District to administer a voluntary
program to replace or retrofit high-emitting schoolbuses
within their jurisdiction.
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ANALYSIS :
Existing law:
1. Provides the 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. The ARB must coordinate efforts to
attain and maintain ambient air quality standards.
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. Certain APCDs and AQMDs are established, with
related authority, including the San Joaquin Valley
Unified Air Pollution Control District (SJVUAPCD).
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.
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 on January 1,
2014.
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Background
Voters approved Proposition 1B (the Highway Safety, Traffic
Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security Bond Act of 2006)
on 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 (Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee), Chapter
181, Statutes of 2007, contained various provisions to
implement Proposition 1B, including the California Clean
Schoolbus Program which requires ARB to allocate funds in
accordance with the following: (1) replace all schoolbuses
in operation with a 1976 model year or earlier; and (2)
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. 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.
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This bill 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.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13
2013-14 Fund
Replacement of About $2,500
Special*
school buses
* Traffic Congestion Relief Fund
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/26/11)
American Lung Association in California
Breathe California
Coalition for Clean Air
Fresno-Madera Medical Society (Air Quality Sub-Committee)
Kings County Unified School District
Natural Resources Defense Council
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
School Transportation Coalition
Union of Concerned Scientists
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, "School
buses serve a vital need in the state by transporting
students to and from school. However, schoolbuses 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 schoolbuses in operation that were
manufactured prior to 1987. Most alarmingly, more than one
out of every four school age children in Kern County has
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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 . . . "
JJA:mw 5/27/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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