BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 1064
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Date of Hearing: July 2, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
SB 1064 (Hill) - As Amended: April 8, 2014
Policy Committee: Utilities and
Commerce Vote: 14-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires the California Public Utilities Commission
(PUC) to address and implement federal National Transportation
Safety (NTSB) Board recommendations and Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) advisories relating to regulated rail
facilities. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the PUC, upon receipt of NTSB rail safety
recommendations, to provide a written response within 90 days
indicating the intended actions for each recommendation,
including one of the following:
a) The intent to implement recommendations in full, with a
proposed timetable.
b) The intent to implement part of the recommendations,
with a proposed timetable, and detailed reasons for the
refusal to implement the remaining recommendations.
c) The refusal to implement recommendations, with detailed
reasons for the refusal.
1)Requires the PUC to detail in writing whether implementation
of the recommendation or advisory is appropriate and approve
the decision by majority vote when NTSB issues a safety
recommendation letter to the FTA, a PUC-regulated rail
operator, or the PUC.
2)Requires the PUC, upon deeming a NTSB recommendation
appropriate or an FTA action necessary, to issue orders or
adopt rules to implement the recommendation or action as soon
as practicable. Requires the PUC to consider whether a more
effective, or equally effective and less costly, alternative
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exists to address the safety issue.
3)Requires the PUC annual workplan to report any action taken
regarding a rail safety recommendation or advisory as
specified.
FISCAL EFFECT
Minor and absorbable costs to the PUC.
COMMENTS
1) Rationale. According to the author, an independent
review panel investigating the San Bruno natural gas
explosion found the CPUC largely ignored NTSB safety
recommendations and federal safety advisories. In 2012,
the Legislature passed AB 578 (Hill) requiring the CPUC to
reply to NTSB recommendations for natural gas safety within
90 days and vote on whether or how to act on the
recommendations.
In September 2013, a derailment accident on the Angels
Flight rail line in Los Angeles occurred and required the
rescue of five stranded passengers. This followed previous
accidents dating back to 2001 and numerous federal safety
recommendations and advisories that were not implemented by
the PUC.
According to the author, this bill extends the requirements
of AB 578 to federal rail safety recommendations and
advisories.
2) Background. NTSB is an independent federal agency
charged with investigating significant transportation
accidents in aviation, railroads, highways, marines and
pipelines. NTSB determines the probable causes of the
accidents and issues safety recommendations to prevent
future accidents.
FTA is an agency within the United States Department of
Transportation that provides financial and technical
assistance to local public transit systems. Rail fixed
guideway systems, and the Regional Transit Agencies (RTAs)
that operate them, are regulated by both the FTA and the
states. The FTA issues safety advisories in response to
NTSB recommendations
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Analysis Prepared by : Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)
319-2081