S.Amdt. 4906

1. Rewrites section 611

   Replaces

   Removes section 611.

   Inserted: SEC. 611. TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES.

   Inserted: (a) Establishment of Fund.--There is established in the Treasury of the United States a fund, to be known as the "Transportation Alternatives Fund" (referred to in this section as the "Fund").

   Inserted: (b) Auctions.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--For each of calendar years 2012 through 2050, the Administrator shall auction, for the purpose of raising funds to deposit in the Fund, 10 percent of the emission allowances established pursuant to section 201(a) for each calendar year, in accordance with paragraph (2).

   Inserted: (2) Number; frequency.--For each calendar year during the period described in paragraph (1), the Administrator shall--

   Inserted: (A) conduct not fewer than 4 auctions; and

   Inserted: (B) schedule the auctions in a manner to ensure that--

   Inserted: (i) each auction takes place during the period beginning 330 days before, and ending 60 days before, the beginning of each calendar year; and

   Inserted: (ii) the interval between each auction is of equal duration.

   Inserted: (c) Grants.--The Secretary of Transportation (referred to in this section as the "Secretary") shall use amounts in the Fund to provide grants to States and metropolitan planning organizations for use in accordance with this section.

   Inserted: (d) Use of Funds.--

   Inserted: (1) Planning.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a State or metropolitan planning organization shall--

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   Inserted: (A) establish as a goal the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector during the 10-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act by reducing vehicle miles traveled in the jurisdictions of the States and metropolitan planning organizations; and

   Inserted: (B) carry out activities to achieve that goal through the integration into the long-term transportation plans of the State or metropolitan planning organization of a verifiable transportation carbon reduction plan that includes investment in--

   Inserted: (i) new or expanded transit projects eligible for assistance under chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code;

   Inserted: (ii) new or expanded intercity passenger rail service, including the development of intercity corridor service, elimination of rail capacity restrictions, purchase of rolling stock, and provision of more reliable and convenient intercity rail passenger service;

   Inserted: (iii) sidewalks, crosswalks, bicycle paths, pedestrian signals, pavement marking, traffic calming techniques, modification of public sidewalks to achieve compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), and other strategies to encourage pedestrian and bike travel;

   Inserted: (iv) infill, transit-oriented, or mixed-use development;

   Inserted: (v) intermodal facilities, additional freight rail, or multimodal freight capacity;

   Inserted: (vi) carpool or vanpool projects;

   Inserted: (vii) updates to zoning and other land use regulations;

   Inserted: (viii) transportation and land-use scenario analyses and stakeholder engagement to support development of integrated transportation plans;

   Inserted: (ix) improvements in travel and land-use data collection and in travel models to better measure greenhouse gas emissions and emissions reductions;

   Inserted: (x) updates to land use plans to coordinate with local, regional, and State vehicle miles traveled reduction plans; and

   Inserted: (xi) the transportation control measures described in section 211 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7545).

   Inserted: (2) Transportation carbon reduction plans.--A State or metropolitan planning organization shall submit to the Administrator and the Secretary--

   Inserted: (A) by not later than December 31, 2012, a transportation carbon reduction plan developed under paragraph (1)(B); and

   Inserted: (B) every 3 years thereafter, any updates to that plan, as necessary.

   Inserted: (3) Coordination.--A State or metropolitan planning organization shall develop the plan required under this section in coordination with, as applicable--

   Inserted: (A) the public and stakeholders, including by providing--

   Inserted: (i) periods for public comment;

   Inserted: (ii) exercises involving identifying and projecting forward trends to examine possible future developments that could impact driving trends and carbon emissions from the transportation sector;

   Inserted: (iii) access to latest models; and

   Inserted: (iv) multiday, open, collaborative design sessions that include stakeholders and the public in a collaborative process with a series of short feedback loops to produce 1 or more feasible plans under this section;

   Inserted: (B) each other State or metropolitan planning organization subject to the jurisdiction of the State or metropolitan planning organization; and

   Inserted: (C) State and local housing, economic development, and land use agencies.

   Inserted: (4) Certification.--Not later than 180 days after the date of receipt of a transportation carbon reduction plan under paragraph (2), the Administrator and Secretary shall--

   Inserted: (A) review the plan; and

   Inserted: (B) certify that the plan is likely to achieve the goal described in paragraph (1)(A).

   Inserted: (e) Distribution of Funds.--The Secretary, in coordination with the Administrator, shall establish a formula for the distribution of grants under this section that--

   Inserted: (1) reflects--

   Inserted: (A) the quantity of carbon reduction expected by each plan; and

   Inserted: (B) the cost-per-ton of those reductions;

   Inserted: (2) ensures that at least 50 percent of amounts in the Fund are used to implement plans developed by metropolitan planning organizations; and

   Inserted: (3) provides early action credits for States and regions that implement plans to reduce carbon from the transportation sector by reducing vehicle miles traveled prior to participation in the program under this section.

   Inserted: (f) Non-Federal Share.--The non-Federal share of the cost of an activity carried out under a plan under this section shall be 20 percent.

   Inserted: (g) Study.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, to maximize greenhouse gas emission reductions from the transportation sector--

   Inserted: (1) the National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board shall submit to the Administrator and the Secretary a report containing recommendations for improving research and tools to assess the effect of transportation plans and land use plans on motor vehicle usage rates and transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions; and

   Inserted: (2) the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Administrator and the Secretary a report describing any shortcomings of current Federal Government data sources necessary--

   Inserted: (A) to assess greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector; and

   Inserted: (B) to establish plans and policies to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

   Inserted: (h) Technical Standards.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, based on any recommendations contained in the reports submitted under subsection (g)(1), the Administrator and the Secretary shall promulgate standards for transportation data collection, monitoring, planning, and modeling.

   Inserted: (i) Report.--Not later than December 31, 2015, and every 3 years thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report describing--

   Inserted: (1) the aggregate reduction in carbon emissions from transportation expected based on plans under this section;

   Inserted: (2) changes to Federal law that could improve the performance of the plans; and

   Inserted: (3) regulatory changes planned to improve the performance of the plans.

   Original wording

   Strike section 611 and insert the following:

Read automatically from the Congressional Record. Check the original before relying on it.

As printed