Alternative and renewable fuel and vehicle technology.

The California Alternative and Renewable Fuel, Vehicle Technology, Clean Air, and Carbon Reduction Act of 2007 establishes the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, which is administered by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission. The program is required to provide, upon appropriation by the Legislature, competitive grants, revolving loans, loan guarantees, or other appropriate funding measures to public agencies, vehicle and technology entities, businesses and projects, public-private partnerships, workforce training partnerships and collaboratives, fleet owners, consumers, recreational boaters, and academic institutions to develop and deploy innovative technologies that transform the state's fuel and vehicle types to help attain the state's climate change policies. The commission is authorized, until January 1, 2012, to contract with the Treasurer to expend funds through programs implemented by the Treasurer, if that expenditure is consistent with all of the requirements of the act. This bill would extend this authorization to contract with the Treasurer indefinitely, and would also authorize the commission to contract with small business financial development corporations established by the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to expend funds through the Small Business Loan Guarantee Program, if the expenditure is consistent with all of the requirements of the program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 44272 of the Health and Safety Code proposed by SB 1340 that would become operative only if SB 1340 is enacted and this bill is enacted after SB 1340. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.