A proposal to subsidize manufacture of a specialized aviation fuel with tax dollars intended for road repairs has sparked strident opposition from CalAPA and other transportation advocates.

“Highway funds should be used for highways — it’s that simple," said Aimi Dutra with Dutra Materials, a CRH Company and 2026 chair of the CalAPA Legislative Committee. "California drivers pay into the system with the expectation that those dollars will maintain and improve the roads they rely on every day. Diverting those funds to non-highway purposes only makes it harder to keep our infrastructure safe, reliable, and in good condition.”

The proposal was slipped in to budget language put forward by the Newsom administration. Word of the proposal reached the CalAPA delegation just prior to the association's annual "Fly-in" to the state Capitol March 17-18, and the topic was prominent in all discussions with elected officials and policy staff.

Transportation California, a CalAPA coalition partner, similarly registered an "opposition" position to the proposal, which would drain hundreds of millions per year from the state highway account and use it to subsidize an aviation fuel produced by a Phillips 66 refinery in the San Francisco Bay Area. The non-partisan Legislative Analysts Office (LAO) estimates ultimately the proposal could cost $1.65 billion through 2036 at a time when revenue from fuel taxes is on the decline. The scheme, Transportation California said in a March 2 opposition letter, "risks undermining public trust in transportation funding."

The LAO, in urging the Legislature to reject the proposal, noted, "The proposal appears to be a relatively expensive approach to reducing GHGs and may not result in the full anticipated environmental benefits. Moreover, the implementation of the proposed tax credit could have negative implications for transportation funding—potentially even larger than those estimated by the administration—and would not be consistent with the spirit of voter-approved restrictions on the use of diesel tax revenues."

The previously under-the-radar proposal has started to gain more widespread attention. A CalMatters news article on the controversy is HERE.

The proposal was debated April 9 by the Senate's Budget and Fiscal Review subcommittee on transportation, but no action was taken. CalAPA's Board of Directors encouraged members to reach out to their elected representatives to let them know that highway funds should be protected for highway purposes. A handy website to look up your elected representatives is HERE. A previous Asphalt Insider report on CalAPA's legislative advocacy at the Capitol is HERE.

An innovative asphalt educational workshop put on by California State University, Chico has earned the support of CalAPA's workforce-advancement charity, the California Asphalt Research & Education (CARE) Foundation.

The workshop, which is attended by high school and college-aged students, is scheduled to take place June 8-10 on the campus of CSU Chico. Event planners say they already have filled all the attendee spots to the workshop, which is an indication of the growing popularity of the program. A flier about the program is HERE.

The goals of the three-day workshop, which has been held every year since 2021, are to facilitate transportation workforce development by providing state-of-the-art training for asphalt technology and pavement material testing on aggregates, asphalt binders, and asphalt mixtures, following AASHTO and Caltrans test methods. The workshop includes:

• Technical lectures and Invited presentations
• Hands-on Laboratory Testing (10 tests in 3 days)
• Road pothole location & patching
• A field tour at an Asphalt Production Plant

All meals are free, and attendees traveling from outside of Chico receive a travel stipend.

"This event is having a broader impact beyond Northern California," said Zun Zhang, associate professor in the CSU Chico Department of Civil Engineering and the program manager.

In addition to the CARE Foundation financial support, CalAPA's Technical Director, Brandon Milar, P.E., will be conducting a session at the workshop on asphalt mix design. Zhang said others who would be interested in making technical presentations to the workshop should contact him at: kzhang2@csuchico.edu . The founding sponsor of the workshop is the America Public Works Association.

A previous report on the workshop that appeared in California Asphalt, the official CalAPA magazine, is HERE.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced last week it has published an update to the Asphalt Binder Certification Program (ASCP).

"This revamp was made possible thanks to collaborative efforts with representatives from asphalt binder suppliers, industry, CalAPA, the Asphalt Institute and Caltrans," said Juan Gomez, transportation engineer and Caltrans lead on the project from the Materials Engineering and Testing Services (METS) in an April 7 e-mail.

In a follow-up note to Asphalt Insider, Gomez added, "The process to carry out this revamp of the ASCP guidelines was a success, and this effort can be attributed to the working group made up of Asphalt Binder Suppliers, industry, CalAPA, Caltrans, and the Asphalt Institute. A special thank you goes to Brandon Milar of CalAPA for his leadership during this effort and as well to Bob Staugaard of APART and Don Powell with San Joaquin Refining for bringing their extensive experience and expertise to the table during the revisions of the new ASCP guidelines."

"This accomplishment," he added, "is a testament of both industry and Caltrans hard work, thoughtful approach, and commitment to excellence for a better product of the recently released ASCP guidelines. Once again, a sincere thank you goes to all industry members who participated and contributed to helping move the ASCP forward in such a positive way."

The main changes to the program include reorganizing the manual, updating the section on non-compliance incidents, adding language addressing remaining in the program during winter shutdowns without having to send Certificate of Compliance (COC) split samples to Caltrans, and language about yearly submittals of Quality Control (QC) plans. The update also includes references to the Data Interchange for Materials Engineering (DIME) system for data collection, and removed Section Q "Requirements for suppliers supplying asphalt without a COC."

The update is the latest to the program that was initiated in the early 2000s.

"I appreciate the initiative to embark on this much-needed update and the partnership among stakeholders to do it together," Jackie Wong, Deputy Division Chief of METS, the state's top materials engineer, told Asphalt insider.

The updated ASCP publication is posted on the Caltrans website HERE.

Nationally known comic Jeff Applebaum has been added to the program for CalAPA's third annual "Summit at the Summit" Executive Leadership Forum to be held June 24-25 at Lake Tahoe. Details and on-line registration is HERE.

The popular member-only event brings together industry leaders for inspiration, insight and rejuvenation in a spectacular alpine setting that has activities for the whole family. An optional golf event will take place June 23 at the beautiful Incline Village Championship Golf Course. The main programs will take place at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino, walking distance to the alpine lake.

Applebaum is a comedian, actor, speaker and entrepreneur who, no joke, holds two engineering degrees from MIT. He has been a headliner comic and has worked with some of the biggest comedy legends in the business, including Robin Williams, Dana Carvey, Robert Klein, Mort Sahl, Elayne Boosler and Jimmy "JJ" Walker. He brings a dry wit and keen eye that has kept audiences in stitches from coast to coast. His website, with plenty of samples of his unique brand of comedy, is HERE.

Other confirmed speakers at the event include Dan Walters, dean of California's political columnists, Asphalt Pavement Alliance Executive Director Mike Skinner, and economist Crystal Howard with Crystal Waters Consulting, co-author of CalAPA's annual asphalt market forecast for California. Waters will provide a mid-year update to CalAPA's exclusive market forecast that includes insight into gyrating oil markets and other turmoil that is impacting the industry. More oil industry insight will be provided by the Western States Petroleum Association.

Sponsorships for the prestigious event are still available. An article and photos from last year's "Summit at the Summit" that appeared in California Asphalt, CalAPA's official association magazine, is HERE.

In this era of chaos and disruption, the Asphalt Pavement Alliance will be supplying some much-needed order and insight in the form of a free educational webinar titled "Situational Awareness: Trends in the Asphalt Industry." The webinar will take place April 21 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and be conducted by Mike Skinner, P.E., executive director of the CalAPA-supported Asphalt Pavement Alliance. On-line registration is HERE.

The webinar is open to industry and agency personnel, including engineers, planners, designers and others who have an interest in asphalt pavements. Skinner is a familiar face to CalAPA members, having spoken at the association's Asphalt Conference & Equipment Expo last month in Pomona to positive reviews. A licensed civil engineer with 34 years experience, and also a certified association executive, he was senior director of engineering for the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association before taking over the top spot at the APA last year. He will be a featured presenter at the CalAPA "Summit at the Summit" June 24-25 at Lake Tahoe.

His presentation will cover innovative new advances in asphalt pavement specifications that are producing pavement projects that are more durable and cost-effective than ever and with sustainability attributes that are increasingly sought after by project owners.

To learn more about the Asphalt Pavement Alliance, click HERE.

Each week we highlight a word, acronym or other term commonly used in the asphalt pavement industry in California.

COLD PATCH: A mixture of bituminous material and aggregate used for general maintenance pavement patching and applied at normal temperatures.

Each week we highlight a key point or best practice of interest to asphalt paving crews, inspectors and others working in the field. We welcome suggestions. More tips can be found in our "Asphalt Parking Lot Construction Checklist" HERE. Information on the CalAPA "Quality Paving Certificate" program is HERE.

PROJECT BOUNDARIES: Prior to the start of paving, the foreman and crew should "paint out" the boundaries of the project and mark the paving lanes to identify the proper paving sequence. Once paving starts, the inspector must monitor many items, including mix temperature, layer thickness, smoothness, possible mix segregation and joint construction. These are done through observation and utilization of numerous tools, including a straight edge, thermometer and density gauge.

Each week we highlight a term that is specific to climate-change issues related to the asphalt pavement industry. This feature is intended to raise awareness of the asphalt industry's climate-change initiatives and the specialized terminology that goes with them. More information on "The Road Forward" asphalt industry climate initiative can be found HERE. A recent CalAPA magazine story on the topic is HERE.

UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: Call for countries to tackle climate action, life and justice issues.

Editor's Note: As a convenience to our readers, Asphalt Insider reports the most current Caltrans "Statewide Crude Oil Price Index" posting. The department posts this monthly on its public website HERE. The index is used to calculate payment adjustments for paving asphalt under special provisions section "Payment Adjustments for Price Index Fluctuations" in those projects containing the section. The department posts the index on or about the first business day of the month using the daily Brent crude oil prices from the previous month as reported by Business Insider. Inquiries about the index should be directed to Caltrans at: Oil.Index@dot.ca.gov .

March 2026: $546.8 ($/ton)

Last month: $375.5

1 year ago: $387.5

"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not."

– Unknown

We hope you enjoy CalAPA's Asphalt Insider newsletter, widely regarded as the most influential publication of its type in California. We are committed to providing you with the most up-to-date information on technical issues, regulation, news, analysis, people, events and trends in California that is of interest to the asphalt pavement industry and our various agency partners. To subscribe to the newsletter, click HERE. For comments, questions or to suggest a story idea, click HERE. We are committed to promptly notifying our readers of any errors in this publication. Please click on the comment link above to alert the editor of any errors or omissions.

Sincerely,

Russell W. Snyder, CAE

Executive Director

The California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)®