State Approaches to Reducing Transportation Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Abstract

To address climate change, many U.S. states are taking action to establish policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in all economic sectors. With the transportation sector contributing 28 percent of national greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in 2006, strategies to mitigate transportation sector emissions are an important component of state’s climate action plans. This paper summarizes the transportation and land use approaches that states have included in their climate action plans to date. Transportation and land use sector options are generally organized into three main categories: vehicle technology, fuels, and travel activity/land use. This paper adds a fourth category: vehicle operations to acknowledge that important mitigation options include how drivers operate their vehicles. Annual greenhouse gas reduction potential in 2012 and 2020 and cost effectiveness values are provided. The information in this paper provides a starting point for transportation practitioners to use when initiating their own evaluations of greenhouse gas mitigation options at the regional, state, or local level. The state-specific information on which this paper is based can be found at the Center for Climate Strategies website at http://www.climatestrategies.us.