A bill backed by the California State Senate leadership would help to fund several important projects in the San Joaquin Valley and clean the air.
Assembly Bill 1613, backed by President pro Tempore Kevin De León, would allocate approximately $1.2 billion in revenues collected under California’s greenhouse gas Cap & Trade program. The majority of the funds were generated during auctions held by the state in 2015. The Assembly leadership has not yet publicly announced its approach to awarding the funds.
“If Assembly Bill 1613 is approved by both houses, it would enable approximately $20 million in high-value clean transportation projects in the San Joaquin Valley. A number of very promising and different electric trucks and buses would be deployed in the Valley if this legislation passes,” said CALSTART President and CEO John Boesel.
Through a solicitation completed in January of this year, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) received a large number of proposals for zero emission truck and bus proposals. The ARB has approved and is recommending funding of five specific projects in the San Joaquin Valley, contingent upon approval of an additional $60 million in new Cap and Trade funding. A short summary of the projects is listed below.
Porterville Electrification: Ten 40’ electric transit buses will be provided to the City of Porterville.
On-Road Linen Delivery: AmeriPride, one of the nation’s largest linen delivery service firms will deploy 20 all electric trucks in cities in Fresno, Merced, Bakersfield, and Stockton.
Repowered UPS Trucks: 21 trucks formerly powered by diesel fuel will be converted to electric power and operated by the nation’s largest fleet in cities in California, including Visalia.
SJV Zero Emission Bus Project: 15 battery electric buses will be deployed in Modesto, Stockton, Visalia, and Selma. The buses will be produced by Proterra, a firm that recently moved its major operations from South Carolina to California.
Zero Emission Postal Trucks: A California start-up, Motiv Power Systems, will partner with one of the nation’s work truck body builders, to deployed 15 all electric trucks for U.S. Postal Service distribution centers in Fresno and Stockton.
