CaliforniaCalifornia would guide rural transportation reviews and VMT mitigation
Caltrans must publish rural project guidance by 2030, and qualifying projects with environmental review notices by the end of 2031 may receive a vehicle travel impact presumption.
What it does
The Department of Transportation must prepare guidance for reducing vehicle travel from projects in nonmetropolitan counties. It must publish the guidance online and add it to two state transportation analysis documents.
A transportation project with at least 70% of its area in nonmetropolitan counties is presumed to have less than significant vehicle travel impacts, unless it adds state highway lanes without a demonstrated safety or evacuation need.
Argument forRural project teams could use cost examples and practical guidance to choose vehicle travel measures that fit local conditions.
Argument againstEligible projects could face less review of vehicle travel impacts, which might overlook some travel effects; the rule has limits for added state highway lanes.
More detail
The Department of Transportation must develop and publish guidance on ways to reduce vehicle travel linked to transportation projects. The guidance covers transportation projects in California nonmetropolitan counties, as defined by a 2025 state tax credit committee method. The department must work with the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation and the SB 743 Implementation Working Group Rural VMT Action Subcommittee. The guidance must cover costs, mitigation methods, barriers, ways to work with agencies and communities, and recommended significance thresholds for certain projects. The department must develop the guidance by December 31, 2030.
A qualifying project is presumed to have less than significant transportation impacts under the vehicle-miles-traveled measure. At least 70 percent of the project must lie within one or more nonmetropolitan counties. The presumption does not apply to a project that adds general purpose lanes to the state highway system unless the project has a demonstrated safety or evacuation need. A safety need must be supported by specific collision, injury, or fatality data or a risk-based or systemic safety analysis; an evacuation need must be identified in an approved local or regional emergency plan. The lead agency must issue the project’s environmental impact report notice of preparation on or before December 31, 2031.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Sep 27Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 576, Statutes of 2026.Latest
- Sep 27Approved by the Governor Gavin Newsom.Became Law
- Sep 15Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.To Governor
- Aug 31Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 7005.).Major
- Vote recorded AB 2059 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
- Vote recorded 3rd Reading AB2059 Wilson et al. By Cortese. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 31In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
- Aug 31Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.).Passed Senate
- Aug 26Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 25Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.Major
- Aug 17Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 13Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.Major
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 13From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 13).Major
- Aug 3In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.Minor
- Vote recorded Placed on suspense file. Result: pass.Upper
- Jul 2From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (July 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Jul 1
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 22In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- Jun 12In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- May 27Referred to Com. on E.Q.Minor
- May 18In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.Minor
- Vote recorded AB 2059 Wilson Assembly Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
- May 18Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 72. Noes 0. Page 5134.)Passed Assembly
- May 14Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- May 13From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 13).Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 23Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Apr 22Read second time and amended.Major
- Apr 21From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 20).Major
- Apr 20
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 23Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES.Minor
- Mar 19From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on NAT. RES. Read second time and amended.Major
- Mar 19Referred to Com. on NAT. RES.Minor
- Feb 19From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.
- Feb 18Read first time. To print.Introduced
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