March 4, 2008

South Bay Businesses Support BNSF Project, Improves Goods Movement

As one of the busiest ports in the world, the South Bay Association of Chambers of Commerce supports moving forward with an environmental impact report (EIR) that will allow BNSF Railway to construct the Southern California International Gateway (SCIG) near the Long Beach Port. The SCIG will establish a near-dock facility that will allow fewer trucks on the 710 Freeway while at the same time improving air quality in the region. Once the EIR is finished it will be available for public comment and is one of the final hurdles to start the project.

BNSF Railway’s project is designed to improve goods movement within the port area and alleviate some of the trucks and traffic we all experience when traveling on the 710 freeway. The project also has implications of being green “ready” and lessening the impact on the surrounding environment.

The SCIG will utilize existing capacity in the Alameda Corridor while taking trucks off of the 710 freeway. According to reports by BNSF Railway, the ports’ cargo volume has tripled since 1995 and is expected to double again by 2015. The SCIG will attempt to meet the rising demands of cargo volume while keeping conscience of the impact on surrounding communities. BNSF Railway has been proactive in seeking community input, which it has received, and has adjusted the SCIG to conform to the request of many community members. Sound walls, new and cleaner trucks used in and around the near-dock facility and workforce-training programs are just some of the enhancements BNSF Railway has agreed to with help from the community.

The current status of the project consists of all public scope meetings have been held after the issuance of a notice of preparation for the EIR along with the required public review period. Once the EIR is released the public may comment on the report. The earliest the facility could open is in 2010.
 

May 6, 2005

SBACC Endorses Proposed Fix for Highways

The South Bay Area Chambers of Commerce, an association of 15 chambers of commerce in Los Angeles County, has formally endorsed a plan by Asm. Jenny Oropeza to fix California’s funding woes.

“We support Assembly Constitutional Amendment 11 by Asm. Oropeza because it is the position of the South Bay Area Chambers of Commerce endorse measures that ensure the protection, flexibility and long-term stability of Proposition 42 funds,” Marna Smeltzer, the president of the group, said after its members endorsed ACA 11 during a business meeting this month. “ACA 11 would provide flexibility by replacing the suspension provisions with a new proposal to authorize limited borrowing of Proposition 42 funds, with strict requirements for repayment -- with interest. Current law does not require repayment of any Proposition 42 funds that have been suspended.”
Oropeza, D-Carson, introduced Assembly Constitutional Amendment 11 earlier this year, following through on her promise to help guarantee a stable funding source for transportation funding.

Proposition 42 has been suspended during every budget cycle since originally approved by nearly 70 percent of voters in 2002. Since 2001, nearly $3.5 billion has been diverted from transportation programs to the state’s General Fund.

Oropeza had a similar measure last year, but ACA 24 was sidelined at the end of the session. Since then she has been planning to re-introduce her measure this year. To increase public awareness of this issue, an opinion-editorial article by Oropeza and two Republican Assembly members has appeared in newspapers and industry publications statewide.

ACA 11 would eliminate the suspension provisions in Prop 42 while allowing limited, short-term borrowing with interest. This would direct that state fuel taxes would go toward fixing and expanding California’s system of highways, transportation and mass-transit projects.

The MTA is unique among the nation's transportation agencies. It serves as transportation planner and coordinator, designer, builder and operator for one of the country's largest, most populous counties. More than 9.6 million people — nearly one-third of California's residents — live, work, and play within its 1,433-square-mile service area.