National Press Release

OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Northern California Chapter of the Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) are hosting a seminar to assist employers in understanding Senate Bill 375 (SB 375) and Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32). This educational conference, scheduled for Tuesday, February 24, will feature several prominent speakers to help employers, developers, planners or municipalities understand and integrate sustainable transportation demand practices in their worksites and communities.

California's aggressive new greenhouse gas reduction legislation will bring sweeping changes in how land use, transportation and environmental planning are used. Titled "A New Environmental Paradigm," this ACT conference will feature experts addressing the specifics of AB 32 and SB 375, and what they mean for companies, projects, agencies and communities. Topics will include traffic, transit, land use, and how shifting employee commute patterns with transportation demand management programs can reduce the environmental impact of single occupancy vehicles (SOV) in congested areas.

Date / location:

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

8:30 a.m. to 12 noon

Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter

101 Eighth Street, Oakland

Speakers will include:

Ted Drottboom, Regional Planning Program Director - Joint Policy Committee

Joint Policy Committee is consortium of Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)

Doug Kimsey, Director of Planning - Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)

MTC is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. MTC functions as both the regional transportation planning agency -- a state designation - and, for federal purposes, as the region's metropolitan planning organization.

William Fulton President/CEO, Solimar Research Group

Solimar Research Group is a network of researchers and analysts dedicated to providing innovative and high-quality services to planning consultants, government agencies, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations engaged in planning for the future growth and change of communities.

"This seminar gives The Northern California ACT Chapter an opportunity to assist Bay Area employers, planners and municipalities with some of the complex issues surrounding AB 32 and SB 375. As an organization, we strive to provide our members and business leaders with best-practice examples for transportation demand management issues," said Matt Wood, ACT's Northern California Chapter president. This free conference is co-sponsored by Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT), Northern California Chapter and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. "We are very pleased to host this event with MTC. And, we look forward to helping our members and business leaders utilize transportation demand management to make the Bay Area a sustainable and highly-functional community," adds Wood.

The Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) is a 26-year-old non-profit organization representing regional agencies, nonprofit organizations and private businesses who share a commitment to developing balanced, effective transportation systems around the country and providing travel choices for all Americans. ACT supports individual mobility management professionals and organizational members in their efforts to reduce traffic congestion, conserve energy, and improve air quality.

SOURCE Association for Commuter Transportation