LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE TO


ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

ASSEMBLY, No. 1714


STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED: JUNE 30, 1997

 

 

      Assembly Committee Substitute of 1997 for Assembly Bill No. 1714 of 1996 requires the New Jersey Transit Corporation to purchase buses which have vehicle exhaust emission levels that are at or below emission levels emitted by a bus fueled by compressed natural gas. For a five-year period after enactment of this bill, the corporation, in cooperation with the Department of Environmental Protection, shall evaluate the environmental benefits of using buses acquired by the corporation pursuant to this bill, and then report their findings to the Governor and the Legislature.

      The additional costs, if any, to purchase buses with the emission levels required by this bill have not yet been quantified by the corporation.

      Although the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) is not able to quantify the costs of the required bus purchases, OLS would note that the purchases would be made with federal funds and monies appropriated from the Transportation Trust Fund. Consequently, the purchase of buses would not require any increase in State monies currently anticipated to be appropriated to the Transportation Trust Fund. However, OLS cannot estimate the impact on future transit capital programs that investing a greater amount on bus purchases would have on the reduced amount of funds that would then be available for other transit capital purposes.

      This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.

 

This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67.