June 30, 2023
The Honorable Benjamin Allen
Chair, Senate Environmental Quality Committee
1021 O Street Suite 8220
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 1594 (Garcia): Medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles: public agency utilities- Support (As Amended on May 18, 2023)
Dear Chair Allen,
On behalf of the City of Santa Rosa, I am writing to express support for AB 1594, which would NATALIE RO�ERS require that any State regulation applicable to essential public agency utility vehicles ensuresayor that those vehicles can support a public agency utility's ability to maintain reliable water and DIANNAMACDONALD electric service, respond to disasters in an emergency capacity, and provide mutual aid Vice Mayor assistance statewide and nationwide. AB 1594 would also require the development of a list EDDIE ALVAREZ of vehicle vendors and suppliers that meet zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) standards and the VI CTORIA FLEMING public agency utility's technical and performance requirements.
JEFF OKREPKIE
c:�i��!� The City of Santa Rosa, located in Sonoma County, has a long-standing commitment to environmental protection and working to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from community activities and those associated with municipal facilities and operations, including the city's vehicle fleet, water distribution, sewer collection, wastewater treatment, and reuse. The City of Santa Rosa Water Department (Santa Rosa Water) delivers approximately six billion gallons of drinking water, each year, to over 53,000 customer accounts with a population of 175,000. Santa Rosa Water also operates the Santa Rosa Regional Water Reuse System, which services approximately 230,000 residents in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Sebastopol, and unincorporated portions of Sonoma County. Santa Rosa Water currently produces 40% of our energy needs via digester gas co-generation at our wastewater treatment facility and in 2018, transitioned to using 100% renewable energy for our operations. The City of Santa Rosa is committed to ongoing efforts related to climate change and GHG reductions and is supportive of the state's climate initiatives, however public health and safety should remain the number one priority as we continue to plan for our climate future.
The California Air Resource Board (CARB) recently adopted the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation (ACF) to accelerate the market for ZEVs by requiring fleets to transition to ZEVs where feasible. The ACF requires California Fleet owners and operators to start purchasing ZEVs in 2024, with the goal to move California's medium- and heavy-duty trucks to zero emission, where feasible, by 2045. It is imperative that State regulations, such as the ACF, Office ot the Mayor
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