CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill No. 2006

Introduced by Assembly Member Eggman
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Caballero)
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry)

February 01, 2018

An act to add Chapter 8.8 (commencing with Section 44269) to Part 5 of Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to vehicular air pollution.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2006, as introduced, Eggman. Agricultural Worker Clean Transportation Investment Program.
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 the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation.
The Charge Ahead California Initiative, administered by the state board, includes goals of, among other things, placing in service at least 1,000,000 zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicles by January 1, 2023, and increasing access for disadvantaged, low-income, and moderate-income communities and consumers to zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicles.
This bill would establish the Agricultural Worker Clean Transportation Investment Program, which would be administered by the state board to fund the deployment of near-zero-emission and zero-emission vehicles, as defined, used for agricultural vanpools, as defined, serving disadvantaged or low-income communities, as defined, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The bill would authorize moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to be available, upon appropriation, for allocation under the provisions of the program.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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


SECTION 1.

 Chapter 8.8 (commencing with Section 44269) is added to Part 5 of Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:
CHAPTER  8.8. Agricultural Worker Clean Transportation Investment Program

44269.
 For purposes of this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings:
(a) “Agricultural vanpool” means a public transit vehicle with a seating capacity of 10 to 15 riders that is used for the transportation of agricultural workers to and from agricultural sites and operations.
(b) “Agricultural workers” means people employed to plant, cultivate, or harvest crops in one of the state’s agricultural regions.
(c) “Disadvantaged community” means a community identified pursuant to Section 39711.
(d) “Low-income community” means a community as defined in Section 39713.
(e) “Near-zero-emission vehicle” means a vehicle that utilizes hybrid or zero-emission technologies, enables technologies that provide a pathway to zero-emissions operations, or incorporates other technologies that significantly reduce criteria air pollutants, toxic air contaminants, and the emissions of greenhouse gases, as determined by the state board in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, consistent with meeting the state’s mid- and long-term air quality standards and climate goals.
(f) “Program” means the Agricultural Worker Clean Transportation Investment Program established pursuant to this chapter.
(g) “Zero-emission vehicle” means a vehicle that produces no emissions of criteria air pollutants, toxic air contaminants, and greenhouse gases when idling or operating, as determined by the state board.

44269.2.
 (a) (1) The Agricultural Worker Clean Transportation Investment Program is hereby established and shall be administered by the state board. The program shall fund the deployment of near-zero-emission and zero-emission vehicles used for agricultural vanpools serving disadvantaged or low-income communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
(2) Moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, created pursuant to Section 16428.8 of the Government Code, shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to implement the program.
(b) Projects eligible to receive funding as part of the program shall include, but need not be limited to, any of the following:
(1) The purchase, lease-purchase, or replacement of near-zero-emission or zero-emission vehicles used for agricultural vanpools.
(2) The maintenance or modification of near-zero-emission or zero-emission vehicles used as agricultural vanpools.
(3) The purchase and installation of electric vehicle charging stations and infrastructure associated with the use of near-zero-emission or zero-emission vehicles used as agricultural vanpools.
(c) The state board shall allocate a minimum of 50 percent of the moneys appropriated by the Legislature to the program for projects servicing low-income communities.
(d) The state board shall determine the appropriate amount of matching funds required from a program applicant based on the applicant’s ability to provide the matching funds. The state board may waive this requirement if the state board makes a finding that the applicant has demonstrated this requirement would cause excessive hardship to the applicant.
(e) Eligible applicants may include public or private entities operating agricultural vanpools.