House Climate Bill. H.R. 2454 directs EPA, in consultation with DOT, to set transportation sector GHG reduction targets commensurate with the reductions required for the economy as a whole. States and large metropolitan areas must integrate GHG targets and other climate considerations into their transportation plans and programs. The relationship between the national targets and the state and regional targets is unclear, as is the enforcement mechanism that would ensure emissions reductions from this provision. Also, the bill does not dedicate funding specifically to the achievement of the necessary transportation emissions reductions, which will require major improvements in the coordination of transportation and land use planning. The inclusion of this provision is nonetheless an important step toward integrating climate goals with transportation infrastructure planning. A companion provision appears in the draft House transportation bill reauthorization. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will take the H.R. 2454 language as the starting point for the transportation planning element of its climate change bill.
CLEAN TEA. Should a national program be adopted that provides for the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and the auctioning of carbon emissions allowances, the 2009 Clean Low-Emissions Affordable New Transportation Equity Act (CLEAN TEA, H.R. 1329, S. 575) requires that 10% of allowances be auctioned to fund transportation sector programs and projects to reduce emissions. A variety of transportation efficiency strategies would be eligible for funding, including transit improvements, development of transit-oriented communities, infrastructure for non-motorized modes, and improved data collection and travel demand modeling. CLEAN TEA also directs states and regional or local entities to establish transportation-specific GHG goals and create comprehensive GHG reduction plans, but contains no requirements for national transportation sector GHG reductions.
Federal Surface Transportation Policy and Planning Act of 2009. As a precursor to the reauthorization of the federal transportation funding bill (SAFETEA-LU), Senators Lautenberg and Rockefeller introduced S. 1036, calling for an annual reduction in vehicle miles traveled per capita, a 40% reduction in transportation-related greenhouse gases by 2030, and an increase in the use of public transit. Additional requirements include increasing the proportion of freight transportation by modes other than truck by 10% by 2020.
Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009. In June, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released a bill to reauthorize federal transportation funding. The Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 allocates $100 billion over 6 years for public transit investments to restore the nation’s transit system and establishes a high-speed rail initiative that will fund 11 high-speed rail corridors throughout the country. It also creates an Office of Livability within the Federal Highway Administration to advance environmentally sustainable modes of transportation such as public transit, biking, and walking, and to integrate land use and transportation planning to ensure the creation of livable, compact communities. The bill contains a provision parallel to the transportation planning provisions in the House climate bill, requiring states and metropolitan areas to set reduction targets for transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions and to incorporate greenhouse gases into the planning process. Transit funding under the 2009 Act amounts to 22% of total funding compared to 18% under SAFETEA-LU.
For more information contact:
Therese Langer, Program Director
Shruti Vaidyanathan, Research Assistant
