Short line railroads.

Existing law provides for various transportation planning activities by the Department of Transportation and other agencies. Existing law provides funding for projects to enhance goods movement and for projects to rehabilitate short line railroads. This bill would require the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to prepare a 5-year Short Line Commercial Rail Haul Connectivity Plan for the state, the focus of which would be to identify, with a statewide emphasis, opportunities for short line commercial rail system improvements and linkages. The plan would be required to include desirable linkages and feeder opportunities between short line commercial rail services, and to identify the coordination in planning and the capital investments necessary in that regard. The plan would also be required to identify future right-of-way needs of short line commercial rail lines in connection with state and local highway system improvements in order to accommodate future rail system improvements. The plan would be developed in consultation with the agencies and entities responsible for the various rail and highway systems. The plan would initially be submitted to the California Transportation Commission for approval on September 1, 2012, and every 5 years thereafter. Upon approval of the plan, the commission, for each commercial rail project to improve the movement of goods that is subject to commission approval and implicated by the plan, would be required to make a determination that the project is consistent with the plan. The bill would also provide that the commission, for good cause, may approve a project that is not consistent with the plan, subject to a waiver granted by the Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing.