BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: sb 739
SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: lowenthal
VERSION: 2/18/11
Analysis by: Jennifer Gress FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: April 5, 2011
SUBJECT:
Seaports: infrastructure and air quality improvement plans
DESCRIPTION:
This bill requires the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and
Oakland, by July 1, 2012, 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.
Under current law, each port may establish a general plan and
port system improvements and prescribe the specifications for
such improvements.
This bill requires the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and
Oakland, by July 1, 2012, 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.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose . There have been several plans establishing lists of
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projects for goods movement infrastructure and for reducing
emissions from goods movement-related sources. These plans,
however, are several years old and most do not identify the
sources of funding necessary to complete the projects.
The Goods Movement Emission Reduction Plan produced by the Air
Resources Board in 2006 estimated the costs to reduce
emissions associated with goods movement to be between $6 and
$10 billion. The Goods Movement Action Plan, completed by the
Business, Transportation and Housing Agency in January 2007,
estimated goods movement infrastructure costs to exceed $20
billion over the following decade.
Proposition 1B, approved by voters in 2006, authorized the
sale of general obligation bonds for transportation purposes,
including $2 billion for trade infrastructure and $1 billion
for air quality mitigation. These funds have been fully
programmed, leaving a gap of $23 to $27 billion in unmet need.
This bill, therefore, seeks to update the infrastructure and
air quality needs of the regions surrounding the state's
largest ports and to identify the sources funding necessary to
fill that gap.
The author argues that ensuring the completion of
infrastructure and air quality improvements in California is
especially important in light of increased competition from
ports on the East Coast and in the Southern United States,
noting that a project to widen the Panama Canal to allow for
more shipping between Asia and other parts of the U.S. is
expected to be completed in 2014.
2.Related legislation . This bill is nearly identical to SB 632
(Lowenthal), which this committee passed in 2009 on a 10 to 1
vote. That bill was ultimately amended to deal with a
different subject matter.
3.Double-referral . This bill is double-referred to this
committee and the Committee on Environmental Quality. If this
committee passes the bill, it will then be referred to the
Environmental Quality Committee.
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the Committee before noon on
Wednesday,
March 30, 2011)
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SUPPORT: South Coast Air Quality Management District
OPPOSED: None received.