Nine States, D.C. Announce Groundbreaking Plan to Limit Climate Pollution from Transportation Sector

(Washington, D.C. – December 18, 2018) Nine northeastern states and the District of Columbia made a groundbreaking announcement today about new steps to slash climate pollution from the transportation sector.

Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and the District of Columbia will develop a market-based program to slash carbon pollution from the transportation sector. The regional transportation proposal will “cap and reduce carbon emissions from the combustion of transportation fuels” while providing an opportunity for each jurisdiction to invest in a clean, modern, and more efficient transportation system.

“This bipartisan effort to limit climate pollution from our cars and trucks is the latest example of states stepping up and demonstrating the leadership we’re not seeing from the Trump Administration,” said Pam Kiely, Senior Director for Regulatory Strategy at Environmental Defense Fund. “This coalition is grasping an historic opportunity to craft a robust program to cut climate pollution at the pace needed to help stabilize our climate — while at the same time improving mobility and economic opportunities for communities and businesses across the Northeast.”

The transportation sector accounts for the largest share of climate pollution in the United States right now. At this moment, because the scale of the problem is increasingly stark, it is critical that strong limits on climate pollution are put in place.

Today’s announcement initiates the development of a policy to place a limit on pollution that would decline over time, using a market-based mechanism to achieve critical reductions at low cost. The plan was informed by a year-long stakeholder process.After the policy development phase, each jurisdiction will need to initiate their own process to implement the policy.

“California is currently the only jurisdiction in the country with a declining limit on pollution that covers the transportation sector. Now is the time for other states across the country to step up and translate their commitments to cut climate pollution into innovative, enforceable policy solutions,” said Kiely.