BOARD MEETING DATE: March 6, 2009
AGENDA NO. 28

REPORT:

Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee

SYNOPSIS:

Below is a summary of key issues addressed at the MSRC’s February 19, 2009 meeting. The MSRC’s next meeting is Thursday, March 19, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. in Room CC8

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

Receive and file.
 

Jeri Voge
Sr. Deputy District Counsel

Approved Minutes

Minutes from the MSRC’s January 22, 2009 meeting were unanimously approved. They are attached for your information (Attachment 1).
 

Two Local Government Match Projects Approved under FY 2008-09 Work Program

Under its FY 2007-08 Work Program, the MSRC released a $3 million Local Government Match Program Announcement #PA2008-02. The Program included funding for three eligible categories: alternative fuel infrastructure, remote vehicle diagnostics, and heavy-duty alternative fuel vehicles. The latter category provided for a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $25,000 per vehicle. Funding for all eligible categories was to be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis with a geographic minimum per county of $375,000. The MSRC ultimately approved funding totaling $4,239,435 for 29 applications (using the $3 million originally allocated in the FY 2007-08 Work Program plus $1,239,435 from the FY 2008-09 Work Program). When staff conducted a review of the program, they realized that two of the applications had also requested funding for alternative fuel vehicles but only the portion requesting funds for alternative fuel infrastructure expansions was brought forward to the MSRC for consideration. Specifically, the City of Claremont had requested funding towards the purchase of one heavy-duty CNG vehicle and the City of Riverside had requested funding towards the purchase of sixteen heavy-duty CNG vehicles. If these requests had been brought forward, they would have been eligible for funding. Consequently, at its February 19, 2009 meeting, as part of the FY 2008-09 Work Program, the MSRC unanimously approved awarding $25,000 to the City of Claremont for one heavy-duty natural gas vehicle and $400,000 to the City of Riverside for up to sixteen heavy-duty natural gas vehicles. The AQMD Board will consider these modified awards at its March 6, 2009 meeting.

The MSRC expressed concern about the oversight and requested that mechanisms be put into place to prevent future such mistakes. Staff informed the MSRC that the application template for this program had in fact been revised in the current Local Government Match solicitation to prevent such oversights and additional reviews and checks would be implemented in future evaluation processes. Staff will continue to identify additional improvements, where possible.
 

Issued New/Replacement Contract under FY 2004-05 Work Program

Under the FY 2004-05 Work Program, the County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works, was awarded a contract for $349,000 to develop data links between the City of Los Angeles, Department of Transportation’s (LADOT) traffic center and the County’s Information Exchange Network. The data links would enable the County and LADOT to have a two-way exchange of congestion and incident information for multi-jurisdictional arterial coordination and management. In November 2008, the MSRC approved a one-year term extension, but the County did not return the signed contract modification before the original contract terminated. On February 19, 2009, the MSRC unanimously approved a new/replacement contract for the County in the amount of $349,000 to complete this project.
 

Mountain Area CNG School Bus Demonstration Program

Staff reported that they continue to work with all stakeholders involved in this Program. The old temporary refueling station has been removed, and progress is being made to install the new temporary refueling station. The MSRC may consider some options on this Program at its next meeting, including potentially extending the timeline to allow for a reasonable demonstration period.
 

Adding Lien Rights Language to MSRC Contracts

The MSRC was advised that, like other AQMD contracts, language would be added to future MSRC contracts to provide for the ability to submit UCC filings to obtain lien rights on equipment and/or vehicles purchased in part or in whole using funds from the AB 2766 Discretionary Fund to ensure these public monies will be used effectively and as intended.
 

Received and Approved Final Reports

The MSRC received and approved two final reports at its February 19, 2009 meeting, as follows:

1. Regents of the University of California (UCLA) Contract #MS05041, which provided $15,921 towards upgrades of a CNG refueling station; and
2. City of Redlands Contract #MS07052, which provided $160,000 towards the purchase of five natural gas refuse trucks.

All final reports are filed in the AQMD's library and a two-page summary of each closed project can be viewed in the electronic library on the MSRC's website at http://www.cleantransportationfunding.org.
 

Contract Modification Requests

At its February 19, 2009 meeting, the MSRC considered three contract modification requests and took unanimous action, as follows:

1. For Newport-Mesa Unified School District Contract #MS06048, which provides $50,000 towards installation of a CNG refueling station, approval of a one-year contract term extension;
2. For Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Contract #MS04056, which provides $120,000 for regional rideshare database enhancements, approval of a nine-month contract term extension; and
3. For Riverside County Transportation Commission Contract #MS04061, which provides $225,000 for regional rideshare database enhancements, approval of an 18-month contract term extension. This last modification will also be considered by the AQMD Board at its March 6, 2008 meeting, since their original approval of the contract award had specified a shorter timeframe.
    

Contracts Administrator’s Report

The MSRC's AB 2766 Contracts Administrator provides a written status report on all open contracts from FY 2002-03 through the present. The Contracts Administrator’s Report for February 2009 is attached for your information.
 

Attachments (EXE, 290k)

1) Approved Minutes for 1/22/09 Meeting

2) Contracts Administrator’s Report