CA AB 6

Title: Transportation planning: regional transportation plans: Solutions for Congested Corridors Program: reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Author: Laura Friedman

Summary
AB 6, as amended, Friedman. Transportation planning: regional transportation plans: Solutions for Congested Corridors Program: reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Existing law requires certain transportation planning agencies to prepare and adopt regional transportation plans directed at achieving a coordinated and balanced regional transportation system. Existing law requires that each regional transportation plan also include a sustainable communities strategy prepared by each metropolitan planning organization in order to, among other things, 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 for 2020 and 2035, respectively.This bill would require the state board, after January 1, 2024, and not later than September 30, 2026, to establish additional targets for 2035 and 2045, respectively, as specified.Existing law requires a metropolitan planning organization, before starting a specified public participation process, to submit a description to the state board of the technical methodology it intends to use to estimate the emissions of greenhouse gases from its sustainable communities strategy and, if appropriate, its alternative planning strategy. Existing law encourages a metropolitan planning organization to work with the state board until the state board concludes that the technical methodology operates accurately.This bill would instead require a metropolitan planning organization, at least 60 days before starting that public participation process, to submit that description of the technical methodology to the state board for approval. The bill would require, rather than encourage, a metropolitan planning organization to work with the state board until the state board concludes that the technical methodology operates accurately and approves its use.Existing law requires a metropolitan planning organization to submit an adopted sustainable communities strategy or an alternative planning strategy, if applicable, to the state board for review. Existing law limits the state board’s review to acceptance or rejection of the metropolitan planning organization’s determination that the strategy submitted would, if implemented, achieve the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets established by the state board. Existing law requires the state board to complete its review within 60 days.This bill would instead require a metropolitan planning organization, within 120 business days after adoption, to submit an adopted sustainable communities strategy or an alternative planning strategy, if applicable, to the state board for both review and approval. The bill would instead require that the state board’s review include acceptance or rejection of the metropolitan planning organization’s determination described above. The bill would require the state board to complete its review within 180, instead of 60, business days.To the extent this bill would impose new requirements on a metropolitan planning organization, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.Existing law creates the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program to fund projects designed to achieve a balanced set of transportation, environmental, and community access improvements within highly congested travel corridors throughout the state, as specified. Existing law authorizes regional transportation planning agencies, county transportation commissions, certain transportation authorities, and the Department of Transportation to nominate projects for funding through the program, and requires each project nomination to include documentation regarding the quantitative and qualitative measures validating the project’s consistency with the policy objectives of the program.This bill would additionally require each project nomination to demonstrate how the project would contribute to achieving the state’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.The California

Status
Referred to Coms. on TRANS. and E.Q.

Bill Documents
CA AB 6 - 03/16/23 - Amended Assembly
03/16/23 - CA AB 6 (03/16/23 - Amended Assembly)