California Air Resources Board Approves Climate Change Scoping Plan: Transportation
This post was written by Thomas Quinlan.
Transportation-related GHG emissions are one of the key elements of the Scoping Plan as passenger vehicles account for almost 30 percent of California’s GHG emissions. CARB is pursuing a three-prong strategy in this sector: reduce GHG emissions from vehicles, reduce the carbon content of fuels, and reduce the miles vehicles travel.
To meet these goals, the plan incorporates the following programs:
Light Duty Vehicles
- Under the authority of AB 1493 (Pavley), CARB adopted vehicle standards that lowered GHG emissions beginning in 2009. These standards have not taken effect yet because of various legal challenges and delay by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Implementation of the Pavely standards and a second, more stringent, phase of regulation is proposed in the Scoping Plan.
- CARB is also evaluating the use of “feebates,” which would combine a rebate program for low emitting vehicles with a fee program for high emitting vehicles. Feebates would be used either to complement the Pavley standards or to achieve similar goals if the Pavley standards do not take effect.
- CARB is also evaluating whether to expand the vehicle types covered by the regulations.
- In 2009, CARB will also consider proposals to accelerate and expand the Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program. Currently, the ZEV program requires placement of hundreds of ZEVs and thousands of near-ZEVs through 2012.
- CARB administers the Air Quality Improvement Program which provides approximately $50 million for grants per year to fund clean vehicle/equipment projects and research on the air quality impacts of alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles. CEC will spend up to an additional $120 million per year to develop, demonstrate and deploy innovative technologies relating to fuel and vehicle types.
Vehicle Efficiency Measures
- Additional measures to reduce GHG emissions from light duty vehicle emissions are focused on tires, such as sustainable tire practices, fuel-efficient tire standards, and inflation studies and guidelines.
Regional Transportation-Related GHG Targets
- CARB proposes developing regional GHG reduction targets for passenger vehicles.
- This measure works with SB 375, which requires regions to integrate development patterns and transportation networks in a way that achieves GHG emission reductions, partly by reducing vehicle miles traveled. CARB will develop, in consultation with metropolitan planning organizations (“MPOs”), GHG reduction targets and will appoint a Regional Targets Advisory Committee to make recommendations in this area.
- SB 375 requires MPOs to prepare a sustainable communities strategy to achieve the targets provided by CARB. This sustainable vision must accommodate growth in a carbon efficient way, such as increasing low-carbon travel choices (public transit, car-pooling, etc.).
- Other measures to be considered include congestion pricing strategies and programs to reduce vehicle trips such as telework strategies, car sharing and parking policies. The California Insurance Commissioner has also recently announced support for (and has proposed regulations to allow) pay as you drive insurance that would reduce insurance premiums when people drive less.
Goods Movement & Heavy/Medium Duty Vehicles
- CARB has adopted a regulation requiring ship electrification at ports as part of the Goods Movement Emission Reduction Plan and the 2007 State Implementation Plan and is proposing to develop and implement additional measures to reduce GHG emissions from goods movements.
- CARB has also added a Heavy-Duty Vehicle Efficiency measure to encourage use of advanced combustion strategies, friction reduction and other measures to increase efficiency. Regulations will not be developed immediately in this area, but they have the potential to reduce GHG emissions associated with goods movement.
High Speed Rail
- The high speed rail, which will connect northern and southern California, is part of the strategy to provide more mobility choice and reduce GHG emissions.
- The first phase is expected to begin service in 2020 and to be expanded to several cities by 2030.
Click here to return to Scoping Plan overview.
