Low Carbon Transit Operations Program.

Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the State Air Resources Board 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 specified portions of the annual proceeds in the fund to various programs, including 5% for the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program, administered by the Department of Transportation, which provides operating and capital assistance for transit agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve mobility. Existing law requires, for recipient transit agencies whose service areas include disadvantaged communities, as specified, that those recipient transit agencies expend at least 50% of the total moneys they received as part of the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program on projects or services that meet specified requirements and benefit those disadvantaged communities. This bill would waive the above requirement if the recipient transit agencies expend the funding provided on certain transit activities.