Key Steps to Cut Carbon:

Overview

(You can find more on KCC’s Transportation page). It used to be that the nation’s largest climate impacts came from coal-fired power plants. But now that many of these plants have either closed, are announcing closure or are being converted, the transportation sector has now taken the lead when it comes to climate impact.

Transportation now accounts for 28% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. )by end-use sector). The vast majority of these emissions come from passenger cars, making greater fuel efficiency of passenger cars, use of public transit and shifts to electric vehicles especially important.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the transportation sector is the second largest consumer of energy in the U.S. (behind electric power generation), and yet 93% of the energy consumed in transportation today comes from petroleum.

Electric Corridors

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) suggests it would take just a few hundred corridor fast-charging stations to support long-distance traveling between U.S. cities and roughly 8,000 would be needed to serve urban and rural areas nationwide.

Groups such as Evolve Kentucky, supported by national nonprofits such as Plug-In America, promote the adoption of electric chargers to accelerate the adoption of plug-in vehicles.  These public, fee-free electric car chargers are “adopted” by sponsors.  The US Green Building Council also offers information and training on vehicle charging infrastructure at multi-housing and commercial properties.

• Our Recommendations: Establish policies or incentives that promote more Adopt a Charger initiatives in Kentucky.  Establish state initiatives that provide public electric chargers at state-funded areas such as state parks. Provide incentives for charging infrastructure in multi-family and workplace settings, and public charging for those without garages.

Change Highway Funding Models

As technology improves, cars have steadily become more efficient, which means that less gas is required.  This efficiency translates to a decrease in state revenues for road and bridge construction and maintenance.  Some proposed solutions would penalize alternative fuel vehicles.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is tracking different proposed and adopted state policies for the taxation of alternative fuel vehicles.  See our resource website for its policy paper, “On the Move: State Strategies for 21st Century Transportation Solutions” which explores numerous innovative surface transportation reform laws, policies and programs being considered or pursued to move the nation’s transportation system into the 21st Century.

• Our Recommendation: Kentucky should establish a transportation task force to review the latest policies for addressing transportation funding in ways that promote sustainability, reduce carbon, improve air quality, provides consumer choice for transportation, and assesses affordable transportation alternatives for low-income residents.