SB 1122, as introduced, Pavley. Sustainable communities: Strategic Growth Council.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation. Existing law requires the Department of Finance, in consultation with the state board and any other relevant state agency, to develop, as specified, a 3-year investment plan for the moneys deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Existing law authorizes moneys from the fund to be allocated for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in this state through specified investments, including funding to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through strategic planning and development of sustainable infrastructure projects.
Existing law requires certain transportation planning activities by designated regional transportation planning agencies, including development of a regional transportation plan. Certain of these agencies are designated under federal law as metropolitan planning organizations. Existing law requires metropolitan planning organizations to adopt a sustainable communities strategy, subject to specified requirements, as part of a regional transportation plan, which is to be designed to achieve certain targets established by the State Air Resources Board for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles and light trucks in the region.
Existing law establishes the Strategic Growth Council and requires the council to, among other things, manage and award grants and loans to support the development, adoption, or implementation of a regional plan or other planning instrument consistent with a regional plan that achieve specified objectives, including meeting the goals of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. Existing law specifies that the financial assistance provided shall be funded by the bond proceeds from the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006.
This bill would additionally require the council to provide financial assistance for those purposes, to be funded from moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, and would additionally require the regional plan or other planning instrument to meet the requirements of an applicable sustainable communities strategy. The bill would require the council to develop and implement regional grant programs to support the implementation of sustainable communities strategies, alternative transportation plans, or other regional greenhouse gas emission reduction plans within a developed area. The bill also would authorize the council to award financial assistance for the development and implementation of agricultural, natural resource, and open space land protection plans that are consistent with the implementation of sustainable communities strategies, alternative transportation plans, or other regional greenhouse gas emission reduction plans.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Division 44 (commencing with Section 75200)
2is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:
3
For the purposes of this division, “council” means the
7Strategic Growth Council established pursuant to Section 75121.
8
(a) To support the planning and development of
12sustainable communities, the council shall manage and award
13financial assistance to a council of governments, metropolitan
14planning organization, regional transportation planning agency,
15city, county, or joint powers authority, to develop, adopt, or
16implement a regional plan or other planning instrument consistent
17with a regional plan that improves air and water quality, improves
18natural resource protection, increases the availability of affordable
19housing, improves transportation, meets the goals of the California
20Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Division 25.5
21(commencing with Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code),
22encourages sustainable land use, and meets the requirements of
23Section 65080 of the Government Code. Moneys from the
24Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund
established pursuant to Section
2516428.8 of the Government Code shall, upon appropriation by the
26Legislature, be expended by the council for providing financial
27assistance provided pursuant to this section.
28(b) To support the implementation of sustainable communities
29strategies, alternative transportation plans, or other regional
30greenhouse gas emission reduction plans within a developed area,
31the council may adopt criteria and requirements for the
32development and implementation of regional grant programs that
33include all of the following:
34(1) Require that project be selected within each region by the
35regional granting authority through a competitive public process
36based on reduction in the emissions of greenhouse gases.
37(2) Establish the methods for evaluating, monitoring, and
38verifying project effectiveness,
including those related to travel
39demand reduction, system efficiency, safety improvements,
P4 1demographic characteristics, and integrated land use and
2transportation strategies.
3(3) Provide for the development and implementation of projects
4that integrate infrastructure investment with land use or local code
5changes to achieve the maximum reduction in the emissions of
6greenhouse gases.
7(4) Provide for public participation in the review of proposed
8projects.
9(5) Provide for consultation and coordination with air pollution
10control districts and air quality management districts.
11(c) The council, in consultation with the State Air Resources
12Board and the metropolitan planning organizations, shall establish
13standards for integrated modeling systems and
measurement
14methods to ensure consistency in evaluating the potential
15effectiveness of projects and verifying the actual benefits of
16projects after completion.
17(d) The council shall review the implementation of this section
18on an annual basis and may revise the criteria and requirements
19for project selection, evaluation, monitoring, and verification
20developed pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (b),
21as needed, to improve program performance.
22(e) Moneys that are allocated for the regional grant programs
23pursuant to the criteria and requirements adopted pursuant to
24subdivision (b) shall be allocated to the regional granting authority
25in each region on a per capita basis.
The council may award financial assistance to a city,
27county, city and county, or regional agency for the development
28and implementation of agricultural, natural resources, and open
29space land protection that reduce the emissions of greenhouse
30gases and that are consistent with and support the implementation
31of sustainable communities strategies, alternative planning
32strategies, or other regional greenhouse gas emissions reduction
33plans.
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