Bill Text: CA AB1046 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

California Assembly Bill 1046 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Air Quality Improvement Program: Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2019-08-30 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB1046 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB1046-Amended.html

Amended IN Assembly April 08, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1046

Introduced by Assembly Member Ting

February 21, 2019

An act to amend Section 44258.4 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to vehicular air pollution.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1046, as amended, Ting. Charge Ahead California Initiative.

Existing law establishes the Charge Ahead California Initiative, administered by the ~~state board.~~ State Air Resources Board. Existing law establishes various goals for the initiative, including the goal of placing in service at least one million zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicles by January 1, 2023. Existing law requires the state board, in the updates to the funding plan for the Air Quality Improvement Program, to forecast the estimated funding needs for various funding programs and projects, including the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, for the subsequent 2 fiscal years commensurate with meeting the goals of the Charge Ahead California Initiative. Existing law requires the state board to adopt revisions and other requirements for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project to ensure that eligibility for a rebate is based on income and that consideration is given for the conversion to prequalification and points-of-sale rebates or other methods to increase participation.

This bill would additionally set as a goal of the Charge Ahead California Initiative the placement in service of at least 5 million zero-emission vehicles by January 1, 2030 (2030 goal). The bill would require the forecast for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project to include, among other things, the total state rebate investment necessary to facilitate reaching the 2030 goal and recommendation on changes to the project structure and rebate levels. The bill would require the state board to annually update the forecast until January 1, 2030. The bill would require the state board to adopt criteria and other requirements to ensure that rebate levels can be phased down in increments based on cumulative sales levels.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 44258.4 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:

44258.4.

(a) Any moneys utilized pursuant to this chapter from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, created pursuant to Section 16428.8 of the Government Code, shall be consistent with the appropriations processes and criteria established by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Investment Plan and Communities Revitalization Act (Chapter 4.1 (commencing with Section 39710) of Part 2).

(b) The Charge Ahead California Initiative is hereby established and shall be administered by the state board. The goals of this initiative are to place in service at least 1,000,000 zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicles by January 1, 2023, and at least 5,000,000 zero-emission vehicles by January 1, 2030, to establish a self-sustaining California market for zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicles in which zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicles are a viable mainstream option for individual vehicle purchasers, businesses, and public fleets, to increase access for disadvantaged, low-income, and moderate-income communities and consumers to zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicles, and to increase the placement of those vehicles in those communities and with those consumers to enhance the air quality, lower greenhouse gases, and promote overall benefits for those communities and consumers.

(c) The state board, in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, districts, and the public, shall do all of the following:

(1) (A) Include, commencing with the funding plan for the 2016–17 fiscal year of the Air Quality Improvement Program (Article 3 (commencing with Section 44274) of Chapter 8.9), a funding plan that includes the immediate fiscal year and a forecast of estimated funding needs for the subsequent two fiscal years commensurate with meeting the goals of this chapter. Funding needs may be described as a range that identifies the projected high and low funding levels needed for the two-year forecast period to contribute to technology advancement, market readiness, and consumer acceptance of zero- and near-zero-emission vehicle technologies. The funding plan shall include a market and technology assessment for each funded zero- and near-zero-emission vehicle technology to inform the appropriate funding level, incentive type, and incentive amount. The forecast shall include an assessment of when a self-sustaining market is expected and how existing incentives may be modified to recognize expected changes in future market conditions.

(B) Projects included in the forecast may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:

(i) The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, established pursuant to Section 44274. The forecast for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project shall include all of the following:

(I) Total state rebate investment necessary to facilitate reaching the goal of placing in service 5,000,000 zero-emission vehicles by 2030, as established pursuant to subdivision (a), including an estimate of the funding needed and the projected percentage of new vehicles purchased that would receive the rebate in each fiscal year.

(II) Models of the impacts of various rebate scenarios’ ability to maximize the effectiveness of the rebates provided based on relevant data.

(III) Annual recommendations for changes for the project structure and various rebate levels based on market demand to reach the 2030 goal, including the project’s income eligibility requirements to target moderate and low-income customers.

(IV) Projected sales figures of electric vehicles.

(V) Impacts of federal policy changes on adoption of electric vehicles.

(VI) Sales price difference between electric vehicles and nonelectric vehicles.

(VII) Assessment of marketing efforts of electric vehicles by automobile manufacturers.

(VIII) Survey results of consumer awareness and acceptance of electric vehicles and awareness of the benefits associated with zero-emission vehicles. The survey questions and methodology shall be substantially similar for each report to allow for long-term trend analysis.

(ii) Light-duty zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicle deployment projects eligible under the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, established pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 44272) of Chapter 8.9.

(iii) Programs adopted pursuant to paragraph (4).

(2) (A) Update the plan required pursuant to paragraph (1) at least every three years through January 1, 2030.

(B) Beginning November 1, 2020, and on or before November 1 of each year thereafter until January 1, 2030, update the forecast required pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1).

(3) No later than June 30, 2015, adopt revisions to the criteria and other requirements for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, established pursuant to Section 44274, to ensure the following:

(A) Rebate levels can be phased down in increments based on cumulative sales levels as determined by the state board.

(B) Eligibility is limited based on income.

(C) Consideration of the conversion to prequalification and point-of-sale rebates or other methods to increase participation rates.

(4) (A) Establish programs that further increase access to and direct benefits for disadvantaged, low-income, and moderate-income communities and consumers from electric transportation, including, but not limited to, any of the following:

(i) Financing mechanisms, including, but not limited to, a loan or loan-loss reserve credit enhancement program to increase consumer access to zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicle financing and leasing options that can help lower expenditures on transportation and prequalification or point-of-sale rebates or other methods to increase participation rates among low- and moderate-income consumers.

(ii) Car sharing programs that serve disadvantaged communities and utilize zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicles.

(iii) Deployment of charging infrastructure in multiunit dwellings in disadvantaged communities to remove barriers to zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicle adoption by those who do not live in detached homes. This clause does not preclude the Public Utilities Commission from acting within the scope of its jurisdiction.

(iv) Additional incentives for zero-emission, near-zero-emission, or high-efficiency replacement vehicles or a mobility option available to participants in the enhanced fleet modernization program, established pursuant to Article 11 (commencing with Section 44124) of Chapter 5.

(B) Programs implemented pursuant to this paragraph shall provide adequate outreach to disadvantaged, low-income, and moderate-income communities and consumers, including partnering with community-based organizations.

(5) (A) Require agricultural vanpool programs, including, but not limited to, the agricultural worker vanpools pilot project implemented by the state board pursuant to this chapter, to serve disadvantaged communities, as defined in Section 39711, and low-income communities, as defined in Section 39713, and allocate a minimum of 25 percent of the moneys appropriated by the Legislature for agricultural vanpool programs to those programs servicing low-income communities.

(B) For the purposes of this paragraph, hybrid vehicle technology shall remain an eligible vehicle technology until the state board determines that a more cost-effective and cleaner alternative becomes commercially available.

(d) For the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, established pursuant to Section 44274, the state board shall adopt criteria and other requirements to ensure that rebate levels can be phased down in increments based on cumulative sales levels, as determined by the state board.