AB 1594: Medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles: public agency utilities.

Executive Order No. N-79-20 establishes the goal of transitioning medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in California to zero-emission vehicles by 2045 for all operations where feasible and by 2035 for drayage trucks, and requires the State Air Resources Board to develop and propose medium- and heavy-duty vehicle regulations to meet that goal.

Existing law establishes the Air Quality Improvement Program that is administered by the board for purposes of funding projects related to, among other things, the reduction of criteria air pollutants and improvement of air quality, and establishes the Medium- and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicle Fleet Purchasing Assistance Program within the Air Quality Improvement Program to make financing tools and nonfinancial supports available to operators of medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets to enable those operators to transition their fleets to zero-emission vehicles.

This bill would require any state regulation that seeks to require, or otherwise compel, the procurement of medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles to authorize public agency utilities to purchase replacements for traditional utility-specialized vehicles that are at the end of life when needed to maintain reliable service and respond to major foreseeable events, including severe weather, wildfires, natural disasters, and physical attacks, as specified. The bill would define a public agency utility to include a local publicly owned electric utility, a community water system, a water district, and a wastewater treatment provider, as specified.