Sacramento, CA- Late yesterday afternoon, legislation that would authorize the Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to fund new transportation projects and programs aimed at reducing climate change emissions and air pollution, passed out of the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee with seven votes.

AB 2558, jointly authored with Assemblymember Feuer, will allow MTC, with the support of Bay Area voters, to impose a fee on gas, up to 3% of the retail sale price, or a regional increase in the vehicle registration fee, to fund a climate change mitigation and adaptation expenditure plan. The expenditure plan will guide how the funds are prioritized and spent; two-thirds of the revenues would go to public transportation and the other third would be eligible for congestion management projects.

According to a Public Policy Institute of California survey, 70% of Californians believe expanding public transit and improving the efficiency of our existing highway system should be given top priority.

With half of the global warming emissions in the Bay Area coming from the transportation sector, Assemblymember Jared Huffman joined Assemblymember Feuer in authoring AB 2558 to provide funding for projects that will reduce climate change pollution from Bay Area cars and trucks while giving commuters new choices for getting out of congestion.

“AB 2558 will provide a means for the Bay Area and Los Angeles regions to address air pollution and global warming caused by carbon emissions, as well as congestion that adds to pollution by vehicle emission of greenhouse gases, by creating a revenue source for programs that will address these issues,” said Assemblymember Huffman.

Nearly 70 percent of Bay Area commuters still drive alone to work, with a trip average of 29.4 minutes each way. A mid-sized car traveling 10,000-15,000 miles per year alone produces 5.5 tons of CO2 annually. According to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, average weekday daily vehicle miles traveled is projected to increase 41.3 percent between 2000 and 2030. 

AB 2558 will be heard next in Senate Appropriations Committee.