In connection with any matter under its jurisdiction, the Administration may acquire by condemnation any property located in the District. The Administration may purchase the capital stock of a private carrier or acquire by purchase, lease, or condemnation any property of a private carrier used or useful in rendering transit service, including any rolling stock, shops, garages, terminals, and other assets, property, or facilities. Any condemnation of real or personal property under this section shall be instituted and maintained in the name of the Administration and conducted under Title 12 of the Real Property Article.

Purchases on behalf of the Administration of rolling stock and other property peculiar to the operation of transit facilities or railroad facilities are not subject to law governing procurement by the Department of General Services. The selection of long-lead equipment items for purposes of a light rail transit system shall be made in accordance with the provisions of the State procurement laws and regulations and shall use either a competitive sealed bid or competitive sealed proposal method of procurement.

The federal Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 and § 7 of the federal Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 apply to persons covered by those acts and displaced from real property by action of the Administration, whether or not financial assistance is sought by or extended to the Administration under those acts. Notwithstanding any other law, a relocation payment made by the Administration may not be less than that required by the law of the place where the acquired property is located. If real property is acquired for the Administration by a federal, State, or local agency or instrumentality, the Administration may reimburse the acquiring agency or instrumentality for any relocation payments that it makes.

Notwithstanding § 7-404 of this subtitle on relocation program and payments, any highway, other public facility, or facility of a public utility company dislocated by action of the Administration shall be relocated if the facility is devoted to public use. If a substitute facility is necessary, the Administration shall pay the reasonable nonbetterment cost of relocation. This section may not be construed to affect any agreement relating to, or any interest in, real property owned or controlled by the Administration.

In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. “Alternative–fuel bus” means a motor vehicle that: Is designed to carry more than 10 passengers and is used to carry passengers for compensation; Is not powered by diesel or gasoline; Provides greenhouse gas emissions reductions in comparison to an equivalent diesel–powered vehicle; and Is not a taxicab. “Bus” has the meaning stated in § 11–105 of this article. “Zero–emission bus” means a motor vehicle that is: Designed to carry more than 10 passengers and is used to carry passengers for compensation; A zero–emission vehicle; and Not a taxicab. “Zero–emission vehicle” means: A fuel cell electric vehicle that: Is a motor vehicle; Is made by a manufacturer; Is manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads, and highways; Has a maximum speed capability of at least 55 miles per hour; Is powered entirely by electricity, produced by combining hydrogen and oxygen, that runs the motor; Has an operating range of at least 100 miles; and Produces only water vapor and heat as by–products; or A plug–in electric drive vehicle that: Is a motor vehicle; Is made by a manufacturer; Has a maximum speed capability of at least 55 miles per hour; and Is propelled by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery that: Has a capacity of not less than 4 kilowatt–hours; and Is capable of being recharged from an external source of electricity. This section applies to the Administration’s State transit bus fleet. This section does not apply to a bus that is part of a locally operated transit system. Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, beginning in fiscal year 2032, the Administration may not enter into a contract to purchase buses for the Administration’s State transit bus fleet that are not zero–emission buses. If the Administration determines that a sufficient number of zero–emission buses or necessary electric vehicle supply equipment that meets the Administration’s performance and contractual requirements are not commercially available in a particular year, the Administration may purchase an alternative–fuel bus for that use, including hybrid buses, to ensure that an appropriate number of buses are purchased each year to maintain the State transit bus fleet. The full cost of zero–emission and alternative–fuel buses purchased under this subsection shall be paid from the Transportation Trust Fund or bonds backed by future federal aid consistent with this section and § 3–601 of this article. The Administration shall provide safety and workforce development training for its: Operations training workforce; and Maintenance workforce in a manner that enables the maintenance workforce to safely repair and maintain: The Administration’s zero–emission buses and all their components; and The charging infrastructure for the zero–emission buses. The training required under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall include registered apprenticeships and other labor–management training programs to address the impact of the transition to zero–emission buses on the Administration’s workforce. The Administration shall ensure the development of charging infrastructure to support the operation of zero–emission buses in the State transit bus fleet. On or before January 1, 2022, and each January 1 thereafter, the Administration shall, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, submit a report to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, the Senate Committee on Education, Energy, and the Environment, the House Appropriations Committee, and the House Environment and Transportation Committee on the implementation of this section. The annual report shall include: A schedule for converting the Administration’s State transit bus fleet to zero–emission buses; An evaluation of the charging infrastructure needed for the Administration to create and maintain a State transit bus fleet of zero–emission buses; A plan for: Transitioning any State employees adversely affected by the conversion from a diesel–powered State transit bus fleet to a zero–emission State transit bus fleet to similar or other employment within the Administration or Department that has commensurate seniority, pay, and benefits; Ensuring that no duties or functions of State employees are transferred to a contracting entity as a result of the conversion from a diesel–powered State transit bus fleet to a zero–emission State transit bus fleet; and Ensuring that any entity other than the Administration that operates or maintains zero–emission buses on behalf of the Administration provides employee protections equivalent to the protections required by the plan; A certification that the Administration is adhering to the plan required under item (iii) of this paragraph; In coordination with other appropriate State agencies, an estimate of the reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide emissions, measured in pounds, that will be obtained through the use of zero–emission buses each year until the State transit bus fleet is converted to zero–emission buses; and A financial analysis: Of the projected cost of purchasing, maintaining, and providing charging infrastructure for the zero–emission State transit bus fleet each year until the fleet is converted to zero–emission buses; and Comparing the projected cost under item 1 of this item to the projected cost of continuing to operate a diesel–powered State transit bus fleet.