Transportation Policies

Transportation is a significant source GHG emissions, accounting for almost 28% of total U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2004*. Over the period 1990 to 2004, GHG emissions from the transportation sector increased at the fastest rate of any end-use economic sector in the U.S. and accounted for the largest absolute increase of any sector. The largest sources of U.S. transportation GHG emissions continue to be light-duty vehicles, heavy-duty trucks and aircraft.

In 2002, California recognized that without taking action to reduce emissions from the transportation sector GHG emissions would continue to rise at alarming rates. Signed into law in 2002, Assembly Bill 1493 (Pavley) directed the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to adopt regulations that require carmakers to reduce global warming emissions from new passenger cars and light trucks beginning in 2009. The regulations are projected to achieve a 23% reduction in global warming from new vehicles by 2012 and a 30% reduction in global warming emissions from new vehicles by 2016. To date these California vehicle emission standards have been adopted by twelve other states: Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. The Governors of Florida and Arizona have signed Executive Orders to adopt the regulations and Colorado, Montana, Utah and other U.S. states are actively considering similar proposals. Note: Federal clean air law gives California the right to set its own vehicle emission standards, which other states can choose to follow. In order to do so the federal EPA must grant a waiver. On December 19, 2007 the EPA issued its decision to deny Californa a waiver to pass its own rules. In response, on January 2, 2008 California and 15 other states filed suit against the federal government for denying them the waiver. The 15 states joining California are Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

In spring 2005, Canada signed agreements with automakers to deliver global warming emission reductions comparable to those required by California. Together, Canada and the states that have adopted California’s standards comprise about one-third of the North American auto sales market. The Canadian agreement calls for annual greenhouse gas tailpipe emissions to drop by 5.3 million metric tons by 2010 — a nearly 6 percent reduction in the total amount of global warming pollution that is projected from all vehicles in Canada that year. This translates to an estimated 25 percent reduction in emissions from new vehicles in 2010, comparable to California’s vehicle global warming standards.

In early 2006 California took an additional step in reducing reducing GHG emissions in the transportation sector by establishing a Low-Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) by Executive Order. This first-in-the-world GHG standard for transportation fuels is intended to spark research in alternatives to oil and reduce GHG emissions. The Executive Order sets the goal to reduce the carbon intensity of California’s transportation fuels by at least 10% by 2020

*According to the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2004 (published in 2006 by the US EPA)