Transportation Emissions

Proposed D.C. E-Bike Subsidy Packs an Economic Punch, Analysis Finds
A proposed rebate on electric bikes in the District would be more cost-effective in reducing gasoline miles driven than electric car subsidies thanks to the higher elasticity of e-bike demand.

Federal Plan Takes Aim at Transportation Emissions
The U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization is designed to guide federal investment and regulations, focusing on electrification with a nod to transit investment and walkability.

Comprehensive Transportation Emission Reduction Planning
Many jurisdictions have ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and are developing plans to achieve them. This column discusses the factors that should be considered in this planning process.

Republican States Challenge Highway Emissions Plan
A federal proposal that would require states to monitor and set targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, praised by Democrats, is being called “unworkable” by many Republican states.

Federal Rule Would Require Regional Emissions Reduction Targets
A rule shelved during the Trump administration would require states and metropolitan areas to set targets for reducing tailpipe emissions, but advocates say it doesn’t go far enough to mandate results.

Smart Growth America Promotes the Transportation and Climate Initiative
Former Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening penned a local opinion for The Washington Post in support of the TCI to advance funding of alternatives to driving and ask readers to shape the controversial initiative by submitting comments by Feb. 28.

Washington Attempts to Adopt a Cleaner Cars and Clean Fuels Programs
A Pew Stateline article tackles the challenges of reducing carbon emissions from transportation compared to electricity generation and looks at recent initiatives announced by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee aimed at decarbonizing transportation.

States to Gain and Lose Congressional Districts After Census Identified
A reapportionment of House of Representatives will begin when the results of the Census 2020 have been finalized. A new analysis indicates that ten House seats will likely shift from the Northeast and Midwest to the West and South.

Coming in 2020: Electrification of Transportation, Including Trucks
Auto manufacturers will offer more battery and plug-in hybrid models this year, and the nation's largest state is expected to approve a new regulation requiring medium and heavy-duty truck manufacturers to sell zero-emission vehicles.

Massachusetts Legislators Fear Hidden Gas Tax in Transportation and Climate Initiative
Gov. Charlie Baker (R) supports a multi-state proposal to mitigate tailpipe emissions that would increase gas prices and pay for transit projects in an $18 billion transportation bond. A bill has been introduced to ensure that doesn't happen.

East Coast Considers Plan to Hike Gas Prices to Mitigate Climate Change
Will a dozen East Coast states and D.C. agree to a regional plan that would likely hike gas prices through a "cap-and-invest" program to mitigate tailpipe emissions similar to what California has done for the last five years?

Study First to Link Air Pollution to Brain Cancer
The particulate pollution released by automobile travel can carry carcinogens to the brain, according to new research.

Reducing Transportation Emissions by Targeting Fuel Suppliers
Modeled on the nation's first mandatory cap-and-trade program that only targets power plant emissions, the Transportation & Climate Initiative subjects transportation fuel to a similar market-based program. It took a major step forward on Oct. 1.

Did the Outlook for Electric Vehicle Sales in U.S. Just Nosedive?
With the formal announcement by the EPA and the U.S. DOT on Thursday that the "One National Standard" rule has been issued, California's zero-emission standard, which applies to ten other states, is essentially on hold.

Reducing Transportation Emissions in the United Kingdom to Net Zero by 2050
Late last month, the UK became the first country to commit to a legally-binding target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. A new academic research group recommends reduced auto ownership, regardless of how they are powered, to meet the target.

New Jersey to Price Carbon Emissions from Electricity Generation
When the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection adopted new rules for power plants on June 17, the Garden State becomes the tenth to participate in a cap-and-trade program known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

California to Study a Ban on Sales of Cars with Internal Combustion Engines
California Assemblyman Phil Ting has tried unsuccessfully for the last two years to end the sale of new gas and diesel-powered passenger motor vehicles by 2040. He achieved some success by securing funds in an approved budget bill to study a ban.

As EV Sales Soar, Transportation Emissions Continue to Increase
California has embraced electric vehicles like no other state, with success reflected in increased sales and registration data, yet transportation emissions have increased for the last four years, primarily from light-duty vehicles.

Housing Crisis Derailing California's Climate Strategy
In a powerful opinion in The New York Times, state Senator Scott Wiener and UC Berkeley energy professor Daniel Kammen make the case that transportation emissions are rising in the Golden States because of the shortage of housing in coastal cities.

Replacing Diesel-Powered Trucks With Natural Gas, Hybrid, and Battery Power
The U.S. Department of Energy, in partnership with the California Energy Commission and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, awarded $18 million to nine companies and universities to advance natural gas technology for trucks.
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