BOARD MEETING DATE: February 2, 2007
AGENDA NO. 31
Legislative Committee
SYNOPSIS:
The Legislative Committee held its regular meeting on Friday, January 12, 2007. The committee refined AQMD’s Legislative Priorities for CY 2007. The next Legislative Committee meeting is scheduled for Friday, February 9, 2007 at 8:00 a.m. in Conference Room CC8. The committee recommends that the Board adopt as additional legislative priorities (1) providing tax incentives for companies that make an early transition to less polluting equipment and (2) implementing legislative changes consistent with the Chairman’s Mobile Source Fair Share Initiative, which is intended to achieve additional mobile-source reductions by granting the AQMD more authority and requiring EPA to further negotiate mobile sources.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Approve the refined legislative priorities for Calendar Year 2007 and approve the draft concept language for the Chairman’s Mobile Source Fair Share Initiative.
Jane Carney, Chair
Legislative Committee
Attendance [Attachment 1]
The Legislative Committee met on January 12, 2007. Present was Committee Chair Jane Carney. Present, by videoconference, were Governing Board Chair William A. Burke, and Committee Members Michael Antonovich, and Jan Perry.
Refine AQMD’s Legislative Priorities for CY 2007
Mr. Peter Greenwald, Senior Policy Advisor provided a summary of legislative concepts for Chairman Burke’s 2007 Mobile Source Fair Share Initiative for state and federal actions (copy attached).
The Legislative Committee approved staff’s recommendation to add the Chairman’s 2007 Mobile Source Fair Share Initiative to the AQMD’s State and Federal legislative priorities and to approve staff’s recommended draft concept for the initiative.
Dr. Pom Pom Ganguli, Assistant DEO/Public Advisor reported that staff would like to recommend adding a tax incentive legislation to AQMD’s federal legislative priorities. This bill would provide tax credits for companies who make early transition to less polluting equipment and would complement the state legislative proposal that AQMD is working on jointly with the San Joaquin Air Quality Management District.
The Legislative Committee approved staff’s recommendation to add a tax incentive priority to the federal legislative priorities.
Update on Sacramento Legislative Issues and Committee Appointments
Mr. Oscar Abarca, Deputy Executive Officer, reported that 38 of the 80 members in the assembly are new, and that 13 of 40 senators are new (12 of the new senators previously served in the assembly). Committee assignments will be announced within the next few weeks, at which time staff will report back. Mr. Abarca said that AQMD’s Public Affairs staff conducted presentations in Sacramento on the AQMP to Sacramento stakeholders representing businesses, manufacturers, the environment, health, environmental justice and the railroads. In addition, a similar presentation will be provided to legislators and their key staff members at the end of January. He also said that staff is working with the consultants to identify authors of AQMD’s legislative proposals.
Senator Richard Polanco (Ret.), AQMD Sacramento consultant, reported that a working group meeting has been scheduled with members from the business community, environmental community, local governments, health professionals and stakeholders on the joint efforts between AQMD and the San Joaquin Air Quality Management District’s tax credit initiative.
Mr. Will Gonzalez, AQMD Sacramento consultant, reported that there are many placeholder bills which have been introduced. The deadline to introduce bills is the end of February when we will start to see bills being introduced with more substance, especially as it relates to air quality. In addition, he believes that we will be seeing more activity on the implementation issues of AB 32 and the spending criteria of Proposition 1B (transportation bond) money.
Mr. Gonzalez also reported that the Governor has announced the formation of his pension commission. The goal of the commission is to develop a proposal by the end of 2007 to address the pension concerns of local governments. The commission consists of 12 members, with 4 vacancies.
Other Business: None
Public Comments: None
Attachment (EXE 56kb)
1. Attendance Roster
2. Draft Concept for Mobile Source Fair Share Initiative