00 CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 330(TRA) 01 "An Act relating to the use of natural gas as a motor vehicle fuel in state-owned vehicles and to 02 the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities' 03 authority to participate in joint ventures related to natural gas." 04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 * Section 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. (a) The legislature finds that 06 (1) it is in the best interest of the people of the state to implement a plan for 07 using natural gas as a fuel for motor vehicles operated by the state in nonattainment areas 08 within the state as determined under federal air quality standards imposed under 42 U.S.C. 09 7401 - 7625 (Clean Air Act of 1990); 10 (2) in order to meet the stricter federal motor vehicle emissions standards the 11 state could either use a fuel additive or use an alternative fuel like natural gas; fuel additives 12 have been found unacceptable, therefore, it is a far better choice for the state to use natural 13 gas as an alternative motor vehicle fuel; 14 (3) the federal government intends to purchase over 10,000 natural gas vehicles 01 before the end of the century; 02 (4) natural gas has been successfully used as a motor vehicle fuel in several 03 regions of the state and in various types of motor vehicles. 04 (b) It is the purpose of this Act to require the use of natural gas in the state motor 05 vehicle fleet and to implement the use of natural gas in nonattainment areas of the state when 06 natural gas is available as a motor fuel. 07 * Sec. 2. AS 44.42.020(a) is amended to read: 08  (a) The department shall 09  (1) plan, design, construct, and maintain all state modes of 10 transportation and transportation facilities and all docks, floats, breakwaters, buildings, 11 and similar facilities; 12  (2) study existing transportation modes and facilities in the state to 13 determine how they might be improved or whether they should continue to be 14 maintained; 15  (3) study alternative means of improving transportation in the state with 16 regard to the economic costs of each alternative and its environmental and social 17 effects; 18  (4) develop a comprehensive, long-range intermodal transportation plan 19 for the state; 20  (5) study alternatives to existing modes of transportation in urban areas 21 and develop plans to improve urban transportation; 22  (6) cooperate and coordinate with and enter into agreements with 23 federal, state, and local government agencies and private organizations and persons in 24 exercising its powers and duties; 25  (7) manage, operate, and maintain state transportation facilities and all 26 docks, floats, breakwaters, and buildings, including all state highways, vessels, 27 railroads, pipelines, airports, and aviation facilities; 28  (8) study alternative means of transportation in the state, considering 29 the economic, social, and environmental effects of each alternative; 30  (9) coordinate and develop state and regional transportation systems, 31 considering deletions, additions, and the absence of alterations; 01  (10) develop facility program plans for transportation and state 02 buildings, docks, and breakwaters required to implement the duties set out in this 03 section, including but not limited to functional performance criteria and schedules for 04 completion; 05  (11) supervise and maintain all state automotive and mechanical 06 equipment, aircraft, and vessels, except vessels and aircraft used by the Department of 07 Fish and Game or the Department of Public Safety; for state vehicles maintained by 08 the department, the department shall annually evaluate the cost, efficiency, and 09 commercial availability of natural gas for automotive purposes, and the purpose 10 for which the vehicles are intended to be used, and convert or purchase vehicles 11 to utilize natural gas whenever practicable; the department may participate in 12 joint ventures with public or private partners that will foster the availability of 13 natural gas for all automotive fuel consumers; 14  (12) supervise aeronautics inside the state, under AS 02.10; 15  (13) complete and maintain a current inventory of public facilities, 16 including a projection of the serviceability of the facilities and projections of 17 replacements and additions to facilities needed to provide the level of services 18 programmed by the various user agencies, for municipalities with populations of less 19 than 12,000 and for unincorporated communities, and perform those duties on a 20 cooperative basis with larger municipalities; 21  (14) adopt energy performance standards for public facilities of the 22 state, the construction of which begins after July 1, 1980; the standards shall be based 23 on thermal and lighting energy standards established by the American Society of 24 Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers as adapted for application in 25 high latitude, cold climate environs; 26  (15) provide planning assistance, including but not limited to energy 27 audits and related technical services, to school districts and regional educational 28 attendance areas to develop and implement 29  (A) standards for the design, construction, and operation of rural 30 educational facilities; and 31  (B) energy conservation measures for rural educational facilities.