The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About1998-01-27 - AGENDA REPORTS - CLEAN AIR INITIATIVE RESO 9810 (2)W. CITY OF SANTA CLARITA AGENDA REPORT CONSENT CALENDER City Manager Approval: Item to be presented by: Ron Kilcoyne DATE: January 27, 1998 SUBJECT: ENDORSE THE PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE'S PROPOSED CLEAN AIR INITIATIVE RESOLUTION NO. 98-10 DEPARTMENT: Transportation & Engineering Services City Council adopt Resolution No. 98-10, endorsing the Planning and Conservation League's proposed Clean Air Initiative. The Planning and Conservation League is currently circulating petitions to place on the November 1998 State Ballot an initiative that would grant tax credits for various activities in order to improve air quality. These credits would cover virtually every source of air pollution (see attached summary). In addition to being consistent with City goals to improve air quality, the City could benefit directly in two ways if this initiative becomes law. Tax credits would be granted for the purchase of new buses or retrofit of existing buses, if these vehicles reduce NOx or particulate emission by at least 50%. Since the City is a public agency, credits granted to manufacturers would be passed on to the City in lower costs to acquire or retrofit vehicles. 2. The initiative would convert the Transportation and Development Account into a trust fund, immune from raids from the State Legislature for non -transportation purposes. This fund accounts for 25% to 30% of the annual Transit Division budget. In past years, there have been attempts to raid this fund to balance the State budget, and on two occasions, the account was raided to cover Los Angeles County and Orange County general funds' deficits. The tax credits would sunset after five years. The Transportation and Development Account protections would be permanent, unless amended by the voters in a subsequent initiative. I f I I .I ;' ENDORSE THE PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE'S PROPOSED CLEAN AIR INITIATIVE RESOLUTION NO. 98-10 January 27, 1998 - Page 2 k1clummummal No alternative actions identified by staff. WIVAMMM"M None. Resolution No. 98-10 Summary of Clean Air Initiative RK:ss \umsiNageadalpd1.98 RESOLUTION 98-10 I1�x.Y�]�Iy Y L�►[�]�� CITY OF SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA ENDORSING THE PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE'S PROPOSED CLEAN AIR INITIATIVE WHEREAS, the City of Santa Clarita ("City") is committed to improving the air quality of the Santa Clarita Valley; and WHEREAS, the Planning and Conservation League has drafted an initiative that will provide tax credits to encourage capital investment that will improve air quality; and WHEREAS, these credits could reduce the cost to the City of acquiring or retrofitting transit buses to reduce emissions; and WHEREAS, this initiative also provides additional protections to prevent the potential loss of existing transit funding to the City. NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA CLARITA does resolve as follows: SECTION 1 Support placing the Planning and Conservation League's proposed Clean Air Initiative on the November 1998 State Ballot. SECTION 2 The City Clerk shall certify the adoption of this resolution. PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this day of 19 MAYOR ATTEST: CITY CLERK RESOLUTION NO. 98-10 January 27, 1998 - Page 2 STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) § CITY OF SANTA CLARITA ) I, Sharon L. Dawson, City Clerk of the City of Santa Clarita, do hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Santa Clarita at a regular meeting thereof, held on the day. of 19_, by the following vote of the Council: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: CITY CLERK =siAagendaVc198.ms CALIFORNIA CLEAN AIRINITIATIVE • Creates a Trust Fund for the Transportation Development Account. • Provides $40 Million Annually in Tax Credits to Reduce Public Transportation Vehicle Emissions. Purpose The Clean Air Initiative will help prevent air pollution by maintaining ridership on public transit and by providing tax credits retrofitting older.high-emission public transportation buses or purchasing new buses and light rail vehicles. Reduced emissions from public transportation buses and vehicles will directly benefit worker health and safety. Impact The Clean Air Initiative guarantees that local governments will receive their share of state sales tax revenues for public transit by turning the Transportation Development Account (TDA) into a trust fund. As a trust fund, the TDA could not be raided by the legislature for other purposes. TDA funds provide over $700 million to local governments for public transportation systems or nearly one out of every four dollars spent on public transportation in California. Transit districts will be better prepared to provide reliable and efficient service to riders. This measure allocates $40 million a year to public districts to retrofit vehicles with clean technologies and to replace older polluting vehicles with new low -emission vehicles. A prime target for these funds are fleets of public buses, which can be replaced by cleaner buses or light rail vehicles. Background The initiative allocates $213 million annually through the year 2010 for tax credits to clean up California's air. Private passenger vehicles are not covered by this act. Participation in this act is strictly voluntary. Tax credits will not impact K-14 education funding and will be reduced or eliminated during an economic recession. The Air Resources Board will be responsible for implementing the act and awarding tax credits. Other polluting emissions targeted for reduction include commercial trucks, publicly owned vehicles, farm equipment, industrial equipment, lawn and garden equipment, ships, locomotives and agricultural burning. Agricultural waste will be converted into biomass fuels and for other uses. . CONCEPT The initiative would allocate tax credits to a variety of purposes. In each case, a fixed amount of tax credits would be made available by the Air Resources Board each year. Long term contracts could also be signed with manufacturers and suppliers. The categories included in the initiative are the following: • Conversion of bus and other heavy duty vehicles in public fleets ■ Conversion of state owned heavy duty vehicles ■ Retrofit of high emission trucks and other heavy duty vehicles ■ Purchase of very low emission new trucks • Conversion and replacement of equipment in ports • Replacement of fireplaces and wood stoves with clean fuel stoves ■ Replacement of lawnmowers and garden equipment • Research and development of clean fuel heavy duty vehicles and equipment • Conversion of agricultural waste to industrial use, to avoid open field burning • Conversion of rice straw to industrial use, to avoid open field burning ■ Installation of ozone destruction technology ■ . Replacement of pumps and other stationary and mobile equipment Purchase of off-road, nonrecreational vehicles In each category the Air Resources Board would develop criteria to determine which proposals are the most cost effective, and allocate the tax credits accordingly. $218 million a year in tax credits would be allocated among all the various categories. PROCESS At present the Planning and Conservation League is working to develop funding for the initiative. Funding must be assured before signature gathering starts at the end of November. Polling has been conducted. It was very favorable. TIMELINE The initiative has been filed with the Attorney General: Signatures will be gathered through the winter and spring: The initiative would appear on the November, 1998 ballot. FROM GERBERANDASSOCIRTES/CTR PHONE NO. : 916 4464318 Jan. 08 1998 11:52AM PS CALIFORNIA TRANSIT ASSOCIATION 1400 K Street, Suite 301 • Sacramento, California 95614. Phone (916) 446.4656 • FAX (916) 446-4312 • hh!pY1www.transltaenter eomlCTMndex.hW November 3,1997 Jerry Meral, Executive Director Planning and Conservation League 926 J Street, Suite 612 Sacramento, CA 95814 Dear Jerry: I am pleased to inform you that the California Transit Association has reviewed the final version of the PCL Initiative and has voted to endorse the Initiative. We also encourage our members to support efforts to qualify the Initiative for the 1998 ballot. You may Ilse this letter as our official letter of endorsement. Please call me if you have any questions. Meanwhile, I look forward to working with you. Edward Gerber ExecutiveDirector ERG:sc cc: Scott Adams N