Gov. Jerry Brown signed 12 bills on Oct. 10 to facilitate the transition from oil-powered light and heavy duty vehicles to electric power in California, and thus meet his goal of putting 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025.
As a result of Tuesday's bill-signings, electric vehicles (EVs) will continue to drive in carpool lanes and may soon be able to charge their vehicles at state parks and beaches as part of a pilot program. EVs could also charge on city streets should a city decide to authorize curbside chargers.
Whether the new laws will stem the increase in greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, blamed in part not so much to fleet composition but the increase in vehicle-miles-traveled, may have to wait till the new greenhouse gas inventory report issued by the California Air Resources Board.
Joseph Bebon describes the remaining eight bills (six listed below) signed by Gov. Brown for NGT News, an online news site covering alternative fuel vehicles.
- Brown signed A.B.739, which requires at least 15% of specified heavy-duty vehicles newly purchased by state agencies to be zero-emission vehicle (ZEVs) beginning in 2025 and at least 30% of those vehicles to be ZEVs beginning in 2030. The bill was authored by State Assemblymember Ed Chau, D-Monterey Park.
- S.B.498, authored by Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) and sponsored by NextGen America, a nonprofit headed by California businessman and philanthropist Tom Steyer, strengthens and codifies the light-duty vehicle fleet purchase requirements currently included in Brown's 2012 executive order setting targets for zero-emission vehicles.
- A.B.615 by Assemblymember Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove: Extends the income caps for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project to continue providing air quality and GHG reduction benefits through programs that encourage the purchase of ZEVs.
- A.B.1073 by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella: Extends the [20 percent] requirement for funding of early deployment of [zero and near-zero emissions] heavy-duty trucks as part of California’s Clean Truck, Bus and Off-Road Vehicle program
Not all bills specifically promote electric vehicles. Some target older, more polluting vehicles, and ensure they are replaced with cleaner ones:
- A.B.188 "requires the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to make older, high-polluting pickup trucks eligible for replacement under the state vehicle retirement and replacement program," according to author Assemblymember Rudy Salas Jr., D-Bakersfield.
- A.B.630 by Assemblymember Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove: Codifies a clean-car program that benefits low-income residents by helping them replace high-polluting vehicles with cleaner and more efficient vehicles.
The ultimate legislation, to simply "ban the sale of new cars powered by internal-combustion engines after 2040" is under consideration by Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), reports Alexei Koseff on Sept. 29 for The Sacramento Bee. Gov. Brown has expressed interest in enacting such a ban.
Hat tip to AASHTO Daily Transportation Update.
FULL STORY: California Gov. Signs Bundle of Clean Transportation Bills into Law
Gov. Jerry Brown Signs 16 Bills to Spur Sales of New and Used Electric Vehicles
On the second day of the Global Climate Action Summit, co-host Gov. Jerry Brown signed 16 bills onboard a new plug-in hybrid electric ferry in San Francisco Bay to spur sales of zero-emission vehicles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
How Much Is Too Much for a State Electric Vehicle Rebate?
Battery electric vehicles (without gas tanks) are eligible for a $2,500 California rebate, on top of the federal $7,500 tax credit. A bill before the state Senate would quadruple it.
California Climate Program Offers Up to $9,500 Toward Purchase of Used EVs
Lawmakers want to ensure that electric vehicles are accessible to all Californians, particularly lower-income motorists in disadvantaged communities. Unlike other incentive programs, participants must also scrap an older, polluting vehicle.
Four ‘Low-Hanging Fruit’ Zoning Reforms
An excerpt from the latest book on zoning argues for four approaches to reform that can immediately improve land use regulation in the United States.
San Francisco Just Ended Single-Family Zoning
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to Tuesday to eliminate single-family zoning, but pro-development advocates say additional changes are needed to unleash a wave of construction.
Land Banking to Prevent Transit-Oriented Displacement in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will implement a new land banking program to mitigate gentrification and displacement around future transit lines.
Long Beach Opens New Water Playground
The coastal city just celebrated the grand opening of its newest beach attraction, an inflatable aquatic playground called the “Wibit.”
Houston Apartments To Be Demolished for Freeway Widening
Despite a federal hold on the controversial freeway widening project, the Texas Department of Transportation is pushing ahead with the demolition of an apartment complex in downtown Houston.
Did Chicago’s Speed Cameras Improve Safety?
Advocates of automated enforcement argue it saves lives, but despite a dramatic rise in speeding tickets, pedestrian fatalities grew in 2021.
City of Bothell
Town of San Anselmo
Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency (TPA)
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
City of Apache Junction
City of Helena
Gallatin County, Montana
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
