Government agencies release ‘blueprint’ for decarbonizing transportation sector
The Biden Administration took a step closer to its emissions reduction goals this week with the release of an interagency “blueprint” to decarbonize the nation’s transportation sector. The blueprint lays out a plan for achieving the administration’s goals to secure a 100% clean electrical grid by 2035 and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Among the goals identified this week, the agencies are: aiming for 30% of sales of new medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses to be zero-emission by 2030 and 100% by 2040, and ensuring that 100% of the federal fleet of such vehicles is zero-emission by 2035; encouraging greater use of rail for passenger and freight travel to reduce emissions from road vehicles; and increasing production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to at least three billion gallons per year by 2030 and approximately 35 billion gallons by 2050, enough to supply the entire sector, according to the plan. The blueprint builds on last year’s Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, which includes a wide range of efforts and investments to address climate concerns and clean energy. The agencies said this week the blueprint will “be followed by more detailed decarbonization action plans,” which they say they will develop in conjunction with state, local, and tribal philanthropic organizations, as well as private agencies and global partners.