SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) In 2020, the State Air Resources Board adopted regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty trucks and drayage trucks. These regulations include a first-in-the-world rule requiring truck manufacturers to transition from diesel trucks and vans to electric zero-emission trucks beginning in 2024 and requiring every new truck sold in California to be zero-emission by 2045. The State Air Resources Board approved the “Heavy-Duty Low NOx Omnibus Regulation,” which requires manufacturers of heavy-duty diesel trucks to comply with tougher emission standards, overhaul engine testing procedures, and further extend engine warranties to ensure that emissions of oxides of
nitrogen are reduced to help California meet federal air quality standards and critical public health goals.
(b) Also in 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order No. N-79-20, which, among other things, requires all drayage trucks in the state to be zero-emission by 2035 and sets a number of vehicle emissions goals for the state, including having 100 percent of heavy-duty vehicles in the state be zero-emission by 2045.
(c) There are an estimated 30,000 drayage trucks that service California’s ports each year. Most of these are used trucks. Used drayage trucks cost around $50,000. New zero-emission trucks cost $350,000. Unless funding is provided to offset the cost of new and used zero-emission trucks, it will be nearly impossible for individuals and small businesses to comply with the new requirement. If funding is provided to offset the cost of new and used zero-emission
trucks, the sales and use tax will be too high for people to afford since it will be based on the full price of the truck.
(d) Legislation is necessary to exclude zero-emission and near-zero-emission drayage trucks from the state portion of the sales and use tax so individuals will be able to afford these new and used trucks to be in compliance with state mandates to meet the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and public health goals.
(e) The state currently exempts the following items from certain state sales and use taxes:
(1) Zero-emission technology transit buses.
(2) Certain government purchases of public passenger transportation vehicles.
(3) Certain new or remanufactured trucks, truck
tractors, semitrailers, or trailers that have an unladen weight of 6,000 pounds or more, or new or remanufactured trailer coaches or new or remanufactured auxiliary dollies, purchased from a dealer located outside this state for use without this state.
(4) Diesel fuel consumed during the activities of a farming business or food processing, as specified.
(5) Farm equipment, machinery, and their parts sold to or purchased by specified persons engaged in the business of producing and harvesting agricultural products.
(6) Certain equipment used in manufacturing, research and development in biotechnology, and research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences.
(7) Electric power generation and distribution equipment when sold to or
purchased by certain qualifying electric power generators or distributors for use primarily in electric power generation or production, or storage and distribution activities.