Chapter 4.8. Trade Corridors Improvement Fund of California Streets And Highways Code >> Division 3. >> Chapter 4.8.
(a) The Trade Corridors Improvement Fund, created pursuant to
subdivision (c) of Section 8879.23 of the Government Code, is hereby
continued in existence to receive revenues from sources other than
the Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security
Bond Act of 2006. This chapter shall govern expenditure of those
other revenues.
(b) The moneys in the fund from those other sources shall be
available upon appropriation for allocation by the California
Transportation Commission for infrastructure improvements in this
state on federally designated Trade Corridors of National and
Regional Significance, on the Primary Freight Network, and along
other corridors that have a high volume of freight movement, as
determined by the commission. In determining the projects eligible
for funding, the commission shall consult the Transportation Agency's
state freight plan as described in Section 13978.8 of the Government
Code, the State Air Resources Board's Sustainable Freight Strategy
adopted by Resolution 14-2, and the trade infrastructure and goods
movement plan submitted to the commission by the Secretary of
Transportation and the Secretary for Environmental Protection. The
commission shall also consult trade infrastructure and goods movement
plans adopted by regional transportation planning agencies, adopted
regional transportation plans required by state and federal law, and
the statewide port master plan prepared by the California Marine and
Intermodal Transportation System Advisory Council (Cal-MITSAC)
pursuant to Section 1730 of the Harbors and Navigation Code, when
determining eligible projects for funding. Eligible projects for
these funds include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Highway capacity improvements and operational improvements to
more efficiently accommodate the movement of freight, particularly
for ingress and egress to and from the state's land ports of entry
and seaports, including navigable inland waterways used to transport
freight between seaports, land ports of entry, and airports, and to
relieve traffic congestion along 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 through mountainous regions,
relocate rail switching yards, and other projects that improve the
efficiency and capacity of the rail freight system.
(3) Projects to enhance the capacity and efficiency of ports.
(4) Truck corridor improvements, including dedicated truck
facilities or truck toll facilities.
(5) Border access improvements that enhance goods movement between
California and Mexico and that maximize the state's ability to
access coordinated border infrastructure funds made available to the
state by federal law.
(6) Surface transportation 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 congestion along major
trade or goods movement corridors.
(c) (1) The commission shall allocate funds for trade
infrastructure improvements from the fund consistent with Section
8879.52 of the Government Code and the Trade Corridors Improvement
Fund (TCIF) Guidelines adopted by the commission on November 27,
2007, or as amended by the commission, and in a manner that (A)
addresses the state's most urgent needs, (B) balances the demands of
various land ports of entry, seaports, and airports, (C) provides
reasonable geographic balance between the state's regions, and (D)
places emphasis on projects that improve trade corridor mobility
while reducing emissions of diesel particulate and other pollutant
emissions.
(2) In addition, the commission shall also consider the following
factors when allocating these funds:
(A) "Velocity," which means the speed by which large cargo would
travel from the land port of entry or seaport through the
distribution system.
(B) "Throughput," which means the volume of cargo that would move
from the land port of entry or seaport through the distribution
system.
(C) "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.
(D) "Congestion reduction," which means the reduction in recurrent
daily hours of delay to be achieved.
(a) To the extent moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Fund, attributable to the auction or sale of allowances as part of a
market-based compliance mechanism relative to reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions, are transferred to the Trade Corridors Improvement
Fund, projects funded with those moneys shall be subject to all of
the requirements of existing law applicable to the expenditure of
moneys appropriated from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund,
including, but not limited to, both of the following:
(1) Projects shall further the regulatory purposes of the
California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Division 25.5
(commencing with Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code),
including reducing emissions from greenhouse gases in the state,
directing public and private investment toward disadvantaged
communities, increasing the diversity of energy sources, or creating
opportunities for businesses, public agencies, nonprofits, and other
community institutions to participate in and benefit from statewide
efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.
(2) Projects shall be consistent with the guidance developed by
the State Air Resources Board pursuant to Section 39715 of the Health
and Safety Code.
(b) All allocations of funds made by the commission pursuant to
this section shall be made in a manner consistent with the criteria
expressed in Section 39712 of the Health and Safety Code and with the
investment plan developed by the Department of Finance pursuant to
Section 39716 of the Health and Safety Code.
The commission shall allocate funds made available by this
chapter to projects that have identified and committed supplemental
funding from appropriate local, federal, or private sources. The
commission shall determine the appropriate amount of supplemental
funding each project should have to be eligible for moneys from the
fund based on a project-by-project review and an assessment of the
project's benefit to the state and the program. Except for border
access improvements described in paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) of
Section 2192, improvements funded with moneys from the fund shall
have supplemental funding that is at least equal to the amount of the
contribution from the fund. The commission may give priority for
funding to projects with higher levels of committed supplemental
funding.
The commission shall include in its annual report to the
Legislature, required by Section 14535 of the Government Code, a
summary of its activities related to the administration of this
chapter. The summary shall, at a minimum, include a description and
the location of the projects contained in the program funded by the
fund, the amount of funds allocated to each project, the status of
each project, and a description of the mobility and air quality
improvements the program is achieving.