BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 739|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 739
Author: Lowenthal (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMM : 9-0, 04/05/11
AYES: DeSaulnier, Gaines, Harman, Huff, Kehoe, Lowenthal,
Pavley, Rubio, Simitian
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SUBJECT : Ports: infrastructure and air quality
improvement plans
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : 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.
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SB 739
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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.
Related Legislation
This bill is nearly identical to SB 632 (Lowenthal). That
bill was ultimately amended to deal with a different
subject matter.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/17/11)
South Coast Air Quality Management District
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
American Lung Association
Breathe California
Coalition for Clean Air
Natural Resources Defense Council
Sierra Club California
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : There have been several plans
establishing lists of 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
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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.
JJA:nl 5/17/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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