Corinne Kisner, Executive Director, and Janette Sadik-Khan, Chair of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), today issued the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s recent release of a long-awaited rule requiring States to measure and set targets for greenhouse gas emissions associated with travel on the Interstate Highway System, and that sets a unified standard for reporting emissions.
NACTO strongly supports the Biden Administration’s pragmatic greenhouse gas emissions performance measure–which provides a national framework to track greenhouse gas emissions, along with flexible targets to reduce America’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. The measure will unify a hodgepodge of incomplete data from across the country into a common standard, enabling states, MPOs, and the federal government to make informed decisions about public investments in transportation projects.
“We can’t change what we don’t measure,” said Janette Sadik-Khan, Chair of NACTO. “With the Biden Administration’s common sense rule, the American public will be able to track the progress that their cities and states are making toward a more sustainable future. Further, the public will be able to see if proposed transportation projects help ensure future prosperity, or double down on more-carbon-as-usual.”
The science is clear: carbon emissions are accelerating climate change, and transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gases in the United States. The country cannot ensure a sustainable future for its residents without reducing the 83% of transportation emissions that come from passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs.
This essential rule, now officially enacted, mandates states to measure greenhouse gas emissions from their transportation systems and establish non-binding targets that are not just necessary, but also eminently achievable based on proven experience. Already, 24 states comprehensively measure greenhouse gas emissions from their transportation systems, and a variety of tools–from cost-effective street redesigns to substantial funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law–are available to states, ensuring a sustainable future for all Americans.
“The American public overwhelmingly supports this sensible step to track emissions and set goals to reduce them,” said Corinne Kisner, Executive Director of NACTO. “We applaud USDOT for listening to the more than 100,000 comments in support of the rule–outweighing those opposed to it by more than 3,000 to 1. Cities are eager not just to assist states in implementing the rule–but to work together to ensure that transportation investments help give Americans a brighter future.”
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About the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)
NACTO is an association of 100 North American cities and transit agencies that exchange transportation ideas, insights, and practices and cooperatively approach national transportation issues. The organization’s mission is to build cities as places for people, with safe, sustainable, accessible, and equitable transportation choices that support a strong economy and vibrant quality of life. To learn more, visit NACTO.org, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us social media, including on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Contact
Alex Engel | [email protected]
Billy Richling | [email protected]
For Immediate Release
November 28, 2023