Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: streets and highways.

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The state board is required to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation. Existing law continuously appropriates 20% of the annual proceeds of the fund to the Strategic Growth Council for the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program, as provided. This bill would reduce the continuous appropriation to the Strategic Growth Council for the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program by half. This bill, beginning in the 2016–17 fiscal year, would continuously appropriate 50% of the annual proceeds of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, with 50% of that appropriation to the Department of Transportation for maintenance of the state highway system or for projects that are part of the state highway operation and protection program, and 50% to cities and counties for local street and road purposes.