House Transportation Committee Issues Testimony From Georgetown Climate Center
WASHINGTON,
"Good morning, Chairman DeFazio, Ranking Member Graves, and members of the Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today about the steps that states and cities are taking to reduce greenhouse gas pollution from transportation and to make our communities more resilient to the serious consequences of climate change.
"Many states and cities are taking bold action to reduce emissions and improve resilience, offering both substantial progress in the fight against climate change and examples of successful action that others could emulate and that the federal government could be helpful in scaling up. However, more action is needed.
"I'm
"The nonpartisan Georgetown Climate Center was established over ten years ago to serve as a resource to states on issues relating to climate change policy and clean energy and to inform the federal dialogue with the lessons of the states.1 We work with state and city officials on a bipartisan basis at their request to support their transition to cleaner energy sources in important sectors, including the power sector and transportation, and to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate.
"I am also currently Chair of the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board of the
"While I am proud of these roles and affiliations, my comments today are my own.
"Given the urgent need to address climate change, it's my privilege to be with you today to share examples of what states and cities are doing to promote cleaner transportation options and to prepare for climate impacts. I hope these examples will help inform your own work.
"As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in November, describes,
"These findings, along with those in the 2018
"The scientific consensus as described in the IPCC Special Report is that countries around the world must rapidly decarbonize their economies, cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and to near zero by 2050.5
"Yet the current trends are going in the wrong direction. Despite our increasing understanding of the narrowing window to act,
"The encouraging news is that many states and cities have committed to taking action. They are taking steps to reduce emissions through legislation, executive orders, and pledges made in collaborations such as the
"In my testimony, I will be focusing on the transportation sector, which is the largest contributor of GHG emissions in the United States,8 and is already facing significant impacts from climate change.
"Federal standards have been important in increasing efficiency and reducing emissions, yet transportation-sector emissions are increasing as more vehicle miles are driven, more freight is transported in trucks, and airline travel continues to grow. Transportation is becoming an increasingly large share of
"There is an urgent need, therefore, to transition to a low-carbon transportation system. Such a transition would not only reduce emissions and fight climate change, it also would bring additional important benefits, including protecting public health by reducing conventional air pollution, providing more mobility options, and driving innovation and economic growth through policy action and through public and private investment.
"State Leadership Reducing Emissions from Transportation:
"Fortunately, states and cities in the US are already investing in low-carbon transportation solutions, and innovation by governments and the private sector has created opportunities to enable low-carbon economic growth.
"States are enabling the transition to zero-emission, electric transportation--promoting adoption of cleaner vehicles and fuels; developing strategies to improve public transportation while reducing vehicle miles traveled and congestion; and enacting pathways to fund this clean transportation innovation--including by pricing the emissions that cause climate change.10 Cities across the country are also reducing air pollution and GHGs through land use policies; by increasing transportation options through investments in public transit, bike and pedestrian facilities, and new mobility solutions; and by switching to alternative fuels such as electricity, hydrogen, and natural gas. Many cities are committing to deep decarbonization by transitioning to zero-emission public fleets,11 including replacing 100 percent of their fossil-fueled buses with electric transit buses.12
State Funding for Low State Funding for Low State Funding for LowState Funding
"Here are some specific examples:
"
"
"In the Northeast, the Transportation and Climate Initiative of 12 northeast and mid-
"Projects over the years have included eliminating barriers to the use of cleaner transportation fuels and technologies; sharing best practices in promoting smart growth; understanding freight flows into and through the region to consider ways to enhance efficiency and reduce congestion and air pollution; and even working to defeat a patent troll who tried to inhibit sharing of platforms that provide for real-time information on arrivals of subways and buses.
"Since 2012, TCI jurisdictions have explored potential regional policy solutions with analysis that demonstrated the economic benefits of moving to cleaner transportation alternatives. In 2015, the TCI jurisdictions announced plans15 to work together on potential market-based policies and in 201716 began to conduct extensive public outreach.
"In 2018, TCI regional outreach engaged 500 diverse stakeholders--including from businesses, local governments, community groups, and NGOs--and over 100 state officials in a series of regional listening sessions, with further outreach through statewide efforts in
"Those efforts led to a landmark announcement on
"We believe that the TCI effort can offer similar large benefits and are proud to support this bipartisan group of states in this important initiative.
"TCI states are not alone in working to cut transportation emissions--or in recognizing the importance of sustainable funding sources to support needed investments in low-carbon and more resilient transportation infrastructure.
"Other states are exploring mileage-based user fees. The state of
"State Action to
"For many years now, states have been leaders in supporting a transition to zero-emission vehicles that reduce air pollution, improve public health, and cut greenhouse gas emissions. Today this committee is hearing from
"It is important to understand that switching to electric vehicles significantly reduces GHG emissions even when emissions from power plants that generate the electricity for the electric vehicles are included. For example, in
"Electric vehicles thus present a very important opportunity for reducing emissions and helping states and cities--along with
"Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles:
"States across the country are providing incentives to drivers to lower the upfront cost of zero-emission vehicles, including battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Fourteen states currently offer a financial incentive, such as a tax credit, and many electric utilities and local or regional governments offer additional financial or non-monetary incentives to drivers.
"Some jurisdictions are exploring "fee-bate" structures--a revenue-neutral incentive mechanism where more polluting vehicles pay a fee inversely proportional to vehicle emissions and lower polluting or zero-emission vehicles receive an incentive or rebate.26 The
"One challenge with reducing emissions from
"Electric Vehicles Charging Along Interstate Corridors:
"One area where states are working together is the deployment of fast charging stations along highway corridors. Given "range anxiety" concerns, corridor fast charging is critical to grow the market for electric vehicles. People need to know that they can charge their vehicles, such as my 2018 Chevy Bolt, Bluebell, before they will use the vehicles for long distance trips.
"
"TCI states have worked to develop EV charging infrastructure since the start of the regional partnership, and have collaborated since 2016 on regional interstate corridor planning. The focused effort on corridor planning has included engagement with the Federal Alternative Fuel Corridors Program, including a regional nomination resulting in over 2,500 miles of EV corridors designated by
"The Transportation and Climate Initiative has been a valuable forum for electric vehicle corridor planning, due to the leadership of state departments of transportation and given the inherent need to collaborate across state lines to allow residents to travel seamlessly and conveniently between cities, for work, and to tourism destinations. The TCI states have worked together to share best practices, engage with EV charging business and electric utilities, and apply together for grant funding programs.
"The TCI states have also worked together to conduct a regional analysis to identify priority locations for additional EV charging infrastructure investment. The technical analysis--launched in 2018--includes an Excel-based tool that can be used to identify which highway exits may be good candidates for additional charging infrastructure investment, as well as an interactive GIS map that displays fast charging infrastructure along corridors in the region and priority investment locations.33 This corridor analysis was developed by the Georgetown Climate Center and
"In the inter-mountain west states, another bipartisan coalition of governors from eight states launched the Regional Electric Vehicle Plan for the West, or "REV West," with governors signing an MOU with the goal to promote a network of EV corridors.34
"Opportunity for Federal Leadership and Support
"While state and regional initiatives such as these are important in their own right and as models, the federal government can play a critical role in providing funding to stimulate greater investment in EV fast charging along highway corridors. The FAST Act instructed the
"Potential federal investment could expand on strategic planning efforts underway in states and regional partnerships to ensure that federal funding is strategically invested to grow the market for EVs while spurring economic development and improving transportation. For example, several states, including
"In addition to strategically targeting geographic locations, a federal funding program could also provide additional public benefits by including requirements or incentives that ensure driver convenience and a robust private market for charging stations. There is an opportunity for such a federal program to incorporate lessons learned and policies from ongoing state efforts. States participating in the multi-state
Federal Support for Technical Analysis
"Federal technical and financial support could also help states and metropolitan planning organizations better identify gaps in EV charging infrastructure. This could include expansion of existing tools, for example the corridor analysis tool built to inform northeast and mid-
"Non-financial Policy Opportunities: Currently the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices does not allow state DOTs to easily add an EV charging station logo to specific service (food/fuel/lodging) signs. The current manual is somewhat unclear on this subject, which has been vexing to many state agencies looking to develop EV charging signage guidance.41 One potential solution would be to create a new category of highway logo (specific service) signs for EV charging. This would improve EV driver convenience and provide a significant consumer awareness benefit.
Zero-Emission Electric Transit Buses
"Moving beyond passenger vehicles, zero-emission transit buses provide opportunities to expand access to cleaner electric transportation, cutting GHG emissions in addition to the smelly and dangerous fumes that affect riders and communities, including those that have been disproportionately harmed by air pollution.
"Cities across the country have added electric buses to transit fleets and made commitments for additional procurements. Electric bus pilots are underway everywhere from
"Many cities have set ambitious economy-wide GHG emission reduction goals and are increasingly making commitments to fully electrify their transit fleets as a strategy to reduce transportation emissions. For example,
"While electric transit buses provide significant air quality and GHG reduction benefits, along with lower operating and maintenance costs, transit bus electrification is impeded by the higher upfront purchase cost of electric buses and charging infrastructure, a limited economy of scale in manufacturing, and additional routing and charging requirements for fleet managers and operators.
"To offset the higher upfront costs, many states are providing funding to transit agencies to support bus electrification. States such as
"
"The funding also allows transit agencies to innovative and explore different methods of recharging buses--whether at a central depot or in-route--as well as opportunities to power buses with renewable energy. For example, the 2018 FTA funding for Broward County Transit will not only replace aging buses with battery electric buses models, but will also include solar power installation.
"Due to the significant interest from cities and transit agencies, demand for electric bus funding from the "Low-No" Grant program far exceeds available funding levels. For fiscal year 2018,
Opportunity for Federal Leadership and Support
"Electric transit buses are already competitive with diesel buses on a total cost of ownership basis (when including fuel and maintenance costs), and will reach cost parity over the coming years.55 However, funding support and technical assistance are critical in the near term to offset the higher upfront costs and additional logistical challenges. As the cost of lithium ion battery packs continues to fall, and bus manufacturers increase the scale of production of electric transit buses, costs of buses will continue to decline, and electric transit buses may ultimately provide a lower cost alternative. In the near term, however, additional federal funding for converting combustion engine fleets to zero-emission electric propulsion would provide valuable support to local and state governments.
Zero Emission Ferries and
"In addition to electrifying passenger vehicles and transit fleets, states are exploring opportunities for zero-emission marine transport. Washington Governor
"Hydrogen fuel cells may provide another viable option for zero-emission marine transport. A study undertaken by
"
"Decarbonizing Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks As the movement of goods on our country's highway corridors continues to increase with the growth of e-commerce, decarbonizing truck transport will be critical to meeting state and national climate commitments. For both long-haul and local delivery by heavy-duty and medium-duty vehicles, a number of low- or zero-emission vehicle and fuel types may serve different use cases. For reducing emissions of criteria pollutants, natural gas- and propane-fueled vehicles offer a promising and potentially low-cost alternative. For reducing GHG emissions, the federal government could play a key role in enabling the deployment of battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Many vehicle and engine manufacturers have announced plans to release battery electric trucks over the coming years, and hydrogen truck pilots offer a promising alternative. The
"Reducing Emissions Reducing Emissions Reducing Emissions Reducing Emissions Reducing Emissions Reducing Emissions Reducing Emissions by Providing Greater Mode Choices Providing Greater Mode Choices Providing Greater Mode Choices Providing Greater Mode ChoicesProviding Greater Mode Choices Providing Greater Mode ChoicesProviding Greater Mode Choices Providing Greater Mode Choices Providing Greater Mode ChoicesProviding Greater Mode ChoicesProviding Greater Mode Choices Providing Greater Mode Choices Providing Greater Mode Choices In addition to supporting infrastructure to enable a transition to zero- and low-emission vehicles, the federal government can play a key role in reducing the number of vehicle miles traveled by improving transportation efficiency; by promoting more compact, livable communities; and by providing more transportation choices, including public transit, biking and walking. While states generally control land use planning decisions, the federal government has a critical role to play through its administration of transportation funding and infrastructure investment. Many states are confronting the challenge of reducing air pollution and emissions while experiencing increases in vehicle miles traveled.
State Support for Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation
"There are many examples of state leadership in developing "complete streets" that allow for safe and efficient movement of pedestrians and bicyclists, in addition to vehicles.
"Many states' active transit projects are funded through federal programs, including the Capital Investment Grant program, Transportation Alternatives Program, and Surface Transportation
Public Transportation and
"Investment in public transit, including light rail systems, bus rapid transit, traditional bus routes, and new mobility applications such as dynamic-routing micro-transit provide additional transportation choices and can stimulate economic development while reducing emissions. Cities and states throughout the
"In
"
"To encourage more cities and regional governments to invest in critical public transit infrastructure, the federal government might consider increasing the federal match for public transit projects, from current levels of 50 percent (compared to 80 percent for road projects funded by the
Transportation System Resilience
"Despite innovation in the transportation sector and a shift to cleaner sources of electricity, including improved vehicles and fuels as a result of federal and state policy, we are already seeing the effects of climate change. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, creating new challenges for infrastructure agencies that must consider how to prepare assets for these changing conditions and to do so on very limited budgets.
"Since 1980, the
"As many of you know from the communities you represent, the human toll from these events is huge. In 2005, many members of my family, including my mother, sister and brother-in-law, aunt and uncle, lost homes in Katrina. The year before, my father
"Our work in communities after Hurricanes Katrina, Irene and Sandy demonstrate opportunities to improve how communities rebuild after storms.
"What States are Doing What States are Doing What States are Doing What States are Doing What States are Doing What States are DoingWhat States are Doing What States are Doing What States are DoingWhat States are Doing
"Many states and local governments are learning from recent extreme events and are working to prepare their infrastructure systems for additional impacts of climate change. We are seeing more dedicated funding for resilient investments. Innovative steps include nature-based resilience strategies to help mitigate impacts of flooding and heat, new committees and task forces to examine climate change impacts and to design infrastructure to be more resilient, and new requirements to account for climate change in state or local planning and investments. For example, legislation and voter initiatives in
"States and local governments are also showing commitment to resilience through planning and programs, task forces and studies, and new design requirements and development and zoning regulations. The
"What Can Congress Do? What Can Congress Do? What Can Congress Do? What Can Congress Do? What Can Congress Do? What Can Congress Do? What Can Congress Do? What Can Congress Do? What Can Congress Do? What Can Congress Do?
"In its recent report, the Committee for the Study of the Future Interstate Highway System highlighted the importance of preparing the Interstate Highway System and other roads and bridges for the impacts of climate change and more intense weather events.80
"In addition to infrastructure, we should understand that resilience to impacts depends on people as well and developing strategies to evacuate safely.
"In Katrina, more than 1800 people who stayed behind died. Some didn't leave because of the difficulty in evacuating the year before during Ivan, Others didn't have affordable options for transportation or shelter, and still others didn't want to leave their pets behind after discovering that public transport and shelter options prohibited animals. Because of those hard lessons,
"New programs like "Evacuteers" in
"There is more to be done to prepare our communities for the changes we're experiencing now that will accelerate and worsen over time, even while states and cities work to do their share to tackle the emissions contributing to a changing climate.
"Thank you for considering how
To view the footnotes, click here: https://transportation.house.gov/download/arroyo-testimony
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