# Presentation: 907139

## Transportation Initiatives

- Voluntary Approaches to
- Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

- Sharon Saile, Transportation Policy & Evaluation Group
- EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality
- November 21, 2002

## Voluntary Approaches to Reduce GHG Emissions

- Context: transportation emissions
- Foster advanced technology
- Cultivate innovative local approaches
- Clean Air Transportation Communities
- Promote emission reductions
- Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative
- Future Directions

## Transportation Sector is Second Largest Sector of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2000

**8%**

**19%**

**29%**

**16%**

**27%**

- Transportation is 27% of emissions broken down by economic sector

- Agriculture

- Residential
- Buildings

- Industry

- Commercial
- Buildings

- Transportation

## U.S. Transportation Emissions (1865 mm tons CO2-e in 2001)

**Automobiles and Motorcycles**

**Light-Duty Trucks**** **

**(Vans, Pickups, and SUVs)**

**Other Trucks and Buses**

**Aircraft**

**Locomotives and Rail Transit**

**Other***

- 0

- 200

- 400

- 600

- 800

- 1000

- 1200

- 1400

- 1600

- 1800

- 2000

- 1990

- 1991

- 1992

- 1993

- 1994

- 1995

- 1996

- 1997

- 1998

- 1999

- 2000

- 2001

**Total GHG Emissions (Tg CO**

**2**

** ****Eq)   **

**Ships and Boats**

## U.S. Freight Emissions(426 mm tons of CO2-e in 2001)

- Trucking

- Rail

- Waterborne

- Pipeline

- Refrigerated Transport

- 0

- 50

- 100

- 150

- 200

- 250

- 300

- 350

- 400

- 450

- 500

- 1990

- 1991

- 1992

- 1993

- 1994

- 1995

- 1996

- 1997

- 1998

- 1999

- 2000

- 2001

- Total GHG Emissions (in Tg CO

- 2

-  Eq.)

## U.S. Public Transport Emissions(145 mm tons CO2-e in 2001)

## New Personal Vehicle Fuel Economy at 21-Year Low“Real World” fuel economy, 15% lower than CAFE values

**Notes:**
Now I want to shift gears to our technology programs,  most of which are focused on improving vehicle fuel economy and thereby lowering carbon dioxide emissions
This slide, from our annual Fuel Economy Trends report, shows that personal vehicle fuel economy is actually getting worse!
Average new 2001 vehicle fuel economy of 20.4 mpg is at a 21-year low, and has declined 1.7 mpg since its peak in 1987 and 1988;  our preliminary 2002 data appears to be unchanged from 2001
These values are what we project consumers get in the real world, and are about 15% lower than the values used for compliance with CAFÉ standards
Why is fuel economy dropping?  The next chart shows why

## VMT Growth is Outpacing 

**1970**

**1975**

**1980**

**1985**

**1990**

**1995**

**2000**

**2005**

**2010**

**2015**

- Year

**1**

**2**

**3**

**4**

**5**

- Normalized Value

- VMT Growth is Outpacing
- Population Growth

- Freight Truck VMT 2.21% Projected Annual Growth

- Light Duty VehicleVMT 2.16% Projected Annual Growth

**U.S. Population  **0.85% Projected Annual Growth

**Notes:**
Data is from FHWA – B of Transportation Statistics
In 1999, VMT was 2.7 trillion. 
	7.5% of that is freight
	The remaining is from light duty vehicles and buses
There are multiple reasons for VMT growth.  These include
Sprawl patterns of development, including lack of infrastructure for biking and walking, and limited transit options
Increased population growth (though this only accounts for a small portion- see graph above) 
Increased car ownership
Increase in the number of women entering the workforce
Growth in the economy (measured by GDP)

## EPA’s  Approach

- Transportation programs provide multiple benefits, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, criteria air pollutant emissions, and reducing fuel use
- Use of multiple strategies:
- Foster Advanced Technology
- Cultivate Public Education
- Promote Voluntary Programs

##  Foster Advanced Technology

- Develop vehicle technologies that are
- Clean, efficient, and cost-effective
- Demonstrated hydraulic hybrid technology
- Commercialization within the next 10 years
- Support hydrogen fuel cell development
- Testing and certification of vehicles
- Modeling of life cycle emissions

## Cultivate local approaches

- Spur innovative approaches, at the community level, to:
- Reduce criteria and GHG emissions from the transportation sector
- Demonstrate cost-effective, measurable emission reductions
- Identify and publicize successes to promote widespread replication
- Strengthen federal/local partnerships

## Clean Air Transportation Communities 

- 10 cooperative agreements, across seven Regions
- Projects support:
- Smart Growth/Land Use efforts that reduce transportation-related emissions
- Commuter Choice
- Green fleets/Cleaner vehicles
- Outreach and education

## Clean Air Transportation Community – pilot projects

**Human/ Electric Powered Vehicles **(Philadelphia, PA)
- electric-assist utility quadricycles and education in targeted settings for moving people & material short distances, can replace LDVs & LDTs in some applications
- truly innovative; good potential for replication; evaluation emphasized

**On Thunderbird Trail:  Using Tribal Traditions to Reduce Vehicle Emissions** (Manistee, MI)
- hybrid-electric multi-passenger vehicles, electric-assist bikes/trikes for work and errands; engages tribal elders in new centralized housing as respected leaders for community change
- innovative approach w/ tribal perspective supports smart growth & commuter choice

## Clean Air Transportation Community – pilot projects

**Flexcar Hybrid Vehicle Program** (Seattle, WA)
- demonstrates low-emission, high mileage gas/electric hybrid vehicles in context of car sharing program
- recipients are proven performers, effective partnering (EPA funds to be matched by partners), good prospects for replication

**Truck Stop & Terminal Electrification** (NY)
- demo with analysis of truck stop electrification project in truck hub in the Bronx and on NY Throughway
- strong outreach/promotion aspects
- good partnering, high-visibility, good analysis plan

## Voluntary Approaches to Reduce GHG Emissions

- Context: transportation emissions
- Foster advanced technology
- Cultivate innovative local approaches
- Clean Air Transportation Communities
- Promote emission reductions
- Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative
- Future Directions

## Promote Voluntary Programs

- Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative is a joint EPA/DOT partnership with corporate leaders - sets a standard of excellence for commuter benefits
- Charter Cities Campaign – EPA direct recruiting focus is on Philadelphia, Denver/Boulder, and San Francisco
- State and Local governments can use CCLI program to reduce emissions

**Notes:**
Sets a National Standard of Excellence for a package of commuter choice benefits employers offer to their employees 
Builds on tax changes for commuter benefits
Goal  - Commuter Choice Benefits become standard benefit offered by most U.S. employers.

## CCLI Addresses Traffic Problem

- Problem for U.S. energy security
- 7B gallons wasted fuel/year & increasing
- Problem for U.S. business & workers
- Causing delay of 36 hours/year/person
- “Rush hour” now 6 or 7 hours
- $80B per year in lost productivity
- Problem for U.S. environment
- Miles traveled up 75% from 1980 to 1999
- 80% were drive alone trips
- “Light duty” vehicles cause 16% of U.S. GHG emissions

## Substantial benefits can accrue to both employers and employees  
A typical commuter switching from driving alone to using commuter benefits saves more than $800 in transportation costs annually  
Benefits to employers can outweigh the administrative costs of becoming a CCLI employer
Already over 1,300 employers have signed up
	free transit passes
	telecommuting
	bicycle facilities

- A typical commuter switching from driving alone to using commuter benefits saves more than $800 in transportation costs annually
- Benefits to employers can outweigh the administrative costs of becoming a CCLI employer
- Already over 1,300 employers have signed up
- 	free transit passes
- 	telecommuting
- 	bicycle facilities

**Notes:**
Benefits to employers can include 
	payroll tax savings and expense writeoffs
	parking facilities
	intangibles such as employee job satisfaction and employee 	retention

## CCLI Program Overview

- Sector: transportation (where much of U.S. greenhouse gas growth has been)
- Behavior change: commute trip reduction
- Public co-benefits: traffic reduction
- Employer co-benefits: improved employee recruiting, employee retention, employee job satisfaction, employee productivity, reduced parking facility costs, tax savings
- Worker co-benefits: reduced transportation costs, tax savings, reduced worker stress reduction, improved job satisfaction

## Employer role

- Designate point of contact
- Centralize information
- Inform employees of benefits
- One major commuter subsidy
- Transit subsidies
- Vanpool benefits
- Parking cash-out
- Telecommuting
- Three supporting benefits from long list
- Offer emergency ride home
- Report success

## Government role

- Public recognition
- Use of “Commuter ChoiceSM Employer” name
- Account management
- Technical support
- Web site, hotline, & e-mail
- Web calculator tool
- Track progress

## CCLI Creates Mode Shift

- 36 case studies across U.S. found ...
- For every 1000 American commuters offered these benefits ...
- Between 100 and 300 will shift out of the drive-alone commute to ...
- Bus, train, carpool, vanpool, bike, walk, telecommute, etc.
- Air pollution & global warming emissions reduced

## www.commuterchoice.gov

- If half of all employees in the US were offered these benefits, EPA estimates reducing emissions by 46 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent
- State and Local governments can partner with:
- Transit Agencies
- Metropolitan Planning Organizations
- Rideshare Organizations
- Transportation Management Associations
- Employers can sign up on the web
**	**

## Future Directions

- We must improve transportation efficiency to reduce carbon emissions or dependence on imported oil
- Success will reduce carbon, and have multiple benefits
- EPA is developing voluntary program portfolio
- State and local governments can make real reductions happen

- saile.sharon@epa.gov

**Notes:**
yield huge energy and economic benefits as well