| First Name: | Anne Louise |
|---|---|
| Last Name: | Rice |
| Email Address: | RiceA@scrra.net |
| Affiliation | SCRRA/Metrolink |
| Subject | Support for Transit Applications - Questions about Process |
| Comment |
As Southern California's Commuter Rail system operating across five counties and serving those living in the worst air quality conditions and congestion in California, the Southern California Regional Rail Authority/Metrolink strongly recommends that ZEV projects funded by both the ZEV Investment Plans and the upcoming NOx Mitigation Trust projects include transit applications. After years of emissions beyond what was expected, the inclusion of transit in the mix is critical to gain lost ground, and such investments are obviously required to make "Green Cities" truly green, and to support non-auto modes and to clean up emissions in DAC communities that are typically on rail lines (e.g., 84% of Metrolink's customers access stations within DAC zip codes.) Transit will give greater "bang for the buck" than single occupancy vehicles. In this recommendation for transit, as well as the strong reconsideration of the first Green City (which we believe should be in Southern California with its high CES 3.0 scores and majority DAC communities) we affirm the statements of others in Southern California and around the state who testified on March 24, 2017. We also have some questions about project eligibility, and request more clarity on how the process to advance projects works, both for the ZEV Investment Plan and the NOx Trust funds. We notice you postponed an all day workshop that had been scheduled for April 6, and we hope you will answer these questions in the rescheduled workshop. It does appear that the language from ARB allows off-road investments, but transit is not specifically called out. We believe this is a serious oversight. Our project eligibility questions: Would replacement and/or expansion of rail car movers with electric RCMs in yards be fundable under Appendix C or D? Would electric multiple units (EMUs) be an eligible project? These would allow schedule flexibility with zero emissions and at lower cost, along busy corridors, luring more people out of cars onto transit. Would a locomotive test bed using electric-diesel hybrids or fuel cells be eligible under Appendix C or D? When will we have the opportunity for public input on potential projects for the NOx Mitigation Trust? How would we propose a project? |
| Attachment |
Original File Name:
Date and Time Comment Was Submitted: 2017-04-10 13:48:45 |
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