Transportation

• Local Government Policy Options
• Federal Transportation Partnership Programs
• Resources
• Tools

The transportation sector is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in the United States. An estimated 29 percent of national GHGs are directly attributable to transportation–and in some regions the proportion is even higher. Transportation is also the fastest-growing source of GHGs in the U.S., accounting for 47 percent of the net increase in total U.S. emissions since 1990.

Transportation sources of GHG emissions include cars and light trucks, heavy trucks and buses, nonroad recreational vehicles (such as dirt bikes and snowmobiles), farm and construction machines, lawn and garden equipment, marine engines, aircraft, and locomotives.

Local Government Policy Options

There are many ways local governments can address GHGs from the transportation sector, but the three major options are through:

• Fuels
• Vehicles
• Travel Activity (e.g., vehicle miles traveled, or VMT)

Transition to Lower GHG Fuels

Local governments can promote replacing gasoline and diesel with fuels such as biodiesel and natural gas, which can emit less GHGs.

Increased Use of Improved Vehicle Technologies

Local governments can promote the development and use of more fuel efficient vehicles, such as hybrid vehicles or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), via policy decisions, tax credit programs, or “feebates” that can encourage the purchase of more fuel efficient vehicles.

Programs also can target government fleets (lead by example), residents (promote efficient vehicle purchases that score well in the Green Vehicle Guide), or commercial or corporate fleets (e.g., through the Smartway Partnership).

Reduce Growth of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)

Implementing smartgrowth strategies that concentrate housing, employment, goods and services, and access to public transportation can lessen the need to drive. Offering transit options, providing pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and promoting travel demand management programs and telecommuting can also reduce the number of vehicle trips. Pricing mechanisms such as road pricing, mileage-based car insurance, and gas taxes can also motivate people to drive less.

Additional transportation control measures (TCMs)–strategies that reduce the demand for travel and increase the efficiency of travel that does occur–include:

• Public transportation improvements
• Incentives to encourage bicycling and walking
• Expanded commuter choices
• Workplace flexibility to reduce commuting
• Idle reduction infrastructure, education, and requirements
• Value pricing

Another effective way for local governments to address the transportation sector is to focus on government employee commuter practices. Public agencies can lead by example by adopting TCM programs for their own operations that they hope to see adopted by the private sector, such as telecommuting, flextime, compressed workweeks, staggered work hours, and incentives for public transportation and ridesharing.

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Federal Transportation Partnership Programs

Clean School Bus USA
Clean School Bus USA is a national partnership to minimize pollution from school buses. Leaders from corporate, children's health, environmental, and governmental organizations gather to design a plan to reduce children's exposure to diesel exhaust by eliminating unnecessary school bus idling, installing effective emission control systems on newer buses, and replacing the oldest buses in the fleet with newer ones. By reducing fuel use, some of these measures also have the added co-benefit of reducing GHGs.

It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air
It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air is a unique public education and partnership-building initiative developed collaboratively by several federal agencies to help regional, state, and community efforts to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. It All Adds Up seeks to inform the public about the connection between their transportation choices, traffic congestion and air pollution, and emphasizes simple, convenient actions people can take to improve air quality and reduce congestion. This initiative helps state and local governments meet their mobility and clean air goals under two federal laws–the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century and the Clean Air Act Amendments. Many of the measures included in the program have the ancillary benefit of reducing GHGs.

National Clean Diesel Campaign (NCDC)
NCDC builds on the successes of EPA's regulatory and non-regulatory efforts to reduce emissions from diesel engines. The campaign works aggressively to reduce the pollution emitted from diesel engines through the implementation of varied innovative control strategies involving international, national, state, and local partners. Some of the efforts undertaken by partners–such as engine shutdowns and use of biodiesel–also result in GHG emission reductions.

SmartWay Transport Partnership
SmartWay is a collaborative program between EPA and the freight industry that will increase the energy efficiency and energy security of our country while significantly reducing air pollution and GHGs. The Partnership creates strong market-based incentives that challenge companies shipping products and the truck and rail companies delivering these products, to improve the environmental performance of their freight operations. SmartWay Transport partners improve their energy efficiency, save money, reduce GHG emissions and improve air quality.

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