(2) Consult the state freight plan and the applicable port
master plan.
(c) Eligible projects for these funds include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Highway improvements to more efficiently accommodate the movement of freight, particularly for ingress and egress to and from the state’s land ports of entry, rail terminals, and seaports, including navigable inland waterways used to transport freight between seaports, land ports of entry, and airports, and to relieve traffic
truck congestion along
limited access major trade or goods movement corridors.
(2) Freight rail system improvements to enhance the ability to move goods from seaports, land ports of entry, and airports to warehousing and distribution centers throughout California, including projects that separate rail lines from highway or local road traffic, improve freight rail mobility, and other projects that improve the safety, efficiency, and capacity of the rail freight system.
(3) Projects to enhance the capacity and efficiency of ports, except that funds available under this section shall not be allocated to a project that includes the purchase of fully automated cargo handling equipment. For the purposes of this paragraph, “fully automated” means equipment that is remotely operated or
remotely monitored, with or without the exercise of human intervention or control. Nothing in this This paragraph shall not prohibit the use of funds made available pursuant to this section for a project that includes the purchase of human-operated zero-emission equipment, human-operated near-zero-emission equipment, and infrastructure supporting that human-operated equipment. Furthermore, nothing in this This
section shall not prohibit the purchase of devices that support that human-operated equipment, including equipment to evaluate the utilization usage and environmental benefits of that human-operated equipment.
(4) Truck corridor improvements, including dedicated truck facilities or truck toll facilities, including the mitigation of the emissions from trucks or these facilities.
(5) Border access improvements that enhance goods movement between California and Mexico and that maximize the state’s ability to access funds made available to the state by federal law.
(6) Surface transportation, local road, and connector road improvements to effectively facilitate the movement of goods, particularly for ingress and egress to and from the state’s land ports of entry, airports, and seaports, to relieve traffic
truck congestion along limited access
major trade or goods movement corridors.
(7) Projects that employ advanced and innovative technology to improve the flow of freight, such as intelligent transportation systems, public infrastructure, excluding vehicles, that enables zero-emission or near-zero emission goods movement, real time information systems, weigh-in-motion devices, electronic screening and credentialing systems, traffic signal optimization, work zone management and information systems, ramp metering, and electronic cargo and border security technologies.
(8) Environmental and community mitigation or efforts to reduce environmental impacts of freight movement, such as projects that reduce noise, overnight truck idling, or truck queues, and advanced traveler information systems such as freight advanced traveler information systems that optimize operations to reduce empty-load trips.
(d) (1) Projects funded with revenues identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) shall be consistent with Article XIX of the California Constitution.
(2) The commission shall not allocate any funding pursuant to this section to a project that does either of the following:
(A) Adds a general purpose lane to a highway.
(B) Expands
highway capacity in a community that ranks in the highest quintile in CalEnviroScreen for disproportionate burdens from multiple sources of pollution and with population characteristics that makes the community more sensitive to pollution.
(3) The commission may allocate funding pursuant to this section to a project that expands a highway’s footprint only if the project meets all of the following requirements:
(A) The project completed a project-level environmental review in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resource Code), and fully analyzed, disclosed, and mitigated all environmental
impacts through an environmental impact report, including any impacts to vehicle miles traveled, induced vehicle miles traveled, greenhouse gas emissions, pollution from criteria air pollutants, energy use, noise, and other impacts that would be caused by induced vehicle miles traveled, including truck vehicle miles traveled.
(B) The project completed a project-level environmental review in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act that analyzed project alternatives featuring only zero-emission infrastructure or vehicle miles traveled-reducing alternatives in the analysis of alternatives.
(C) The project will ensure smooth and free-flowing truck traffic
on limited-access rights-of-way using demand management strategies, which may include, but are not limited to, tolls or other forms of road pricing.
(D) The project will deploy zero-emission freight technology.
(E) The project completed an analysis of cumulative pollution burdens and potential adverse cumulative impacts caused by the proposed project, and has a proposed mitigation plan developed in consultation with the communities subject to those cumulative impacts.
(e) (1) In adopting the program of projects to be funded with funds described in subdivision
(a), the commission shall evaluate the total potential economic and noneconomic benefits of the program of projects to California’s economy, environment, and public health. The evaluation shall specifically assess localized impacts in disadvantaged communities. The commission shall consult with the agencies identified in Executive Order No. B-32-15 and metropolitan planning organizations in order to use the appropriate models, techniques, and methods to develop the parameters for evaluating the program of projects. The commission shall allocate the funding from subdivision (a) for trade infrastructure improvements as follows:
(A) Sixty percent of the funds shall be available for projects nominated by regional transportation agencies and other public agencies, including counties, cities, and port authorities, in consultation with the department. The commission shall provide reasonable geographic targets for funding allocations without
constraining what an agency may propose or what the commission may approve.
(B) Forty percent of the funds shall be available for projects nominated by the department, in consultation with regional transportation agencies.
(2) (A) In adopting a program of projects pursuant to paragraph (1), the commission shall prioritize projects jointly nominated and jointly funded by the state and local agencies. In considering geographic balance for the overall program, the commission may adjust the corridor-based targets in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) to account for projects programmed pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1).
(B) In adopting a program of projects pursuant to paragraph (1), for projects meeting the criteria specified in paragraph (3), the commission shall prioritize projects located in communities that rank in the highest quintile in CalEnviroScreen for disproportionate burdens from multiple sources of pollution and with population characteristics that makes the community more sensitive to pollution.
(3) The commission shall ensure that at least 50 percent of the funds allocated pursuant to this section in any fiscal year are allocated to investments in zero-emission freight infrastructure. Zero-emission freight infrastructure may include, but is not limited to, heavy-duty electric vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure and electric locomotive technology.
(f) (1) Each agency, including the department
and any local agency, that nominates a project that is included in the program of projects shall comply with the following maintenance of effort requirement:
(A) No later than 30 days after the beginning of each fiscal year, the agency shall certify to the commission that it will, during the period of time when any project nominated by the agency remains in the program of projects, maintain its levels of funding from all other sources pledged to transportation infrastructure projects that reduce vehicle miles traveled or support investments in zero-emission vehicle infrastructure, or both.
(B) As part of the certification process, the agency shall submit a statement indicating the amount of funds pledged for those purposes in the preceding fiscal year and the amount of funds expended for those purposes in the preceding fiscal year.
(2) If the commission determines that an agency did not comply with the maintenance of effort requirement described in paragraph (1), the commission shall reduce the amount of funding allocated pursuant to this section to any project nominated by the agency by one-third.
(3) If the commission determines that an agency that failed to meet its maintenance of effort requirement comes into compliance in a subsequent fiscal year, the commission shall restore the amount of funding that was previously allocated to the project.
(f)
(g) (1) The (A) The commission shall adopt guidelines, including a transparent process to evaluate projects and to allocate the funding described in subdivision (a) for trade infrastructure improvements in a manner that (A) addresses does all of the following:
(i) Addresses the state’s most urgent needs, (B) balances
needs.
(ii) Balances the demands of various land ports of entry, seaports, and airports, (C) places airports.
(iii) Places emphasis on projects that improve trade corridor mobility and safety while reducing emissions of diesel particulates, greenhouse gases, and other pollutants and reducing
other negative community impacts, especially in disadvantaged communities, (D) makes communities.
(iv) Makes
a significant contribution to the state’s economy, (E) recognizes economy.
(v) Recognizes the key role of the state in project identification, (F) supports identification.
(vi) Supports integrating statewide goods movement priorities in a corridor approach, and
(G) includes approach.
(vii) Includes disadvantaged communities measures, as established by the California Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code, and other tools the commission determines, for evaluating benefits or costs for disadvantaged communities and low-income communities. Project
(viii) Emphasizes community input and the unique needs of those most impacted by the
goods movement system.
(B) Project nominations shall include either a quantitative or qualitative assessment of the benefits the project is expected to achieve relative to the evaluation criteria.
(2) The guidelines adopted pursuant to paragraph (1) may include streamlining of project delivery by authorizing regional transportation agencies and other public agencies to seek commission approval of a letter of no prejudice that allows the agency to expend its own funds for a project programmed in a future year of the adopted program of projects, in advance of allocation of funds to the project by the commission, and to be reimbursed at a later time for eligible expenditures. A
letter of no prejudice shall only be available to local or regional transportation agencies for moneys that have been identified for future allocation to the applicant agency. Moneys designated for the program shall only be reimbursed when there is funding available in an amount sufficient to make the reimbursement.
(g)
(h) In addition, the commission shall also consider the following factors when allocating these funds:
(1) “Velocity,” which means the speed by which large cargo would travel from the land port of entry or seaport through the distribution system.
(2) “Throughput,” which means the volume of cargo that would move from the land port of entry or seaport through the distribution system.
(3) “Reliability,” which means a reasonably consistent and predictable amount of time for cargo to travel from one point to another on any given day or at any given time in California.
(4) “Congestion reduction,” which means the reduction in recurrent daily hours of delay to be achieved.
achieved after accounting for, and mitigating, vehicle miles traveled.
(h)
(i) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) “Disadvantaged communities” are those communities identified by the California Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code.
(2) “Low-income communities” are census tracts with median household incomes at or below 80 percent of the statewide median income or with median household incomes at or below the
threshold designated as low income by the Department of Housing and Community Development’s list of state income limits adopted pursuant to Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code.
(i)
(j) It is the intent of the Legislature for the commission to adopt an initial program of projects using the state and federal funds described in subdivision (a) for eligible projects as soon as practicable and no later than May 17, 2018.