Transportation For America » American Power Act Will Create Clean Transportation Options

American Power Act Will Create Clean Transportation Options

June 10, 2010
By Transportation for America

Senator Carper, Business Leaders, Transportation Advocates Praise New Investments for Clean Transportation Options in Kerry-Lieberman Proposal

Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE) joined business leaders and Transportation for America, the largest, most diverse coalition working on transportation reform, to support key provisions of the Kerry-Lieberman American Power Act (APA) that creates a new funding stream for investments in clean transportation options that will create jobs and reduce our dangerous dependence on oil.

“If we want to get serious about reducing our dependence on oil and cleaning the air we breathe, we have to find ways to allow people to get out of our cars,” said Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE). “We have to provide clean transportation alternatives. I practice what I preach by taking the train from my home in Wilmington, Delaware to work in Washington, D.C. almost every day but for too many Americans mass transit isn’t a viable option. We have to change that dynamic. That’s why I am pleased Senators Kerry and Lieberman have included my CLEAN TEA legislation in the American Power Act. This robust investment puts us on the right path to reduce transportation emissions and oil consumption and improve our nation’s crumbling transportation infrastructure. These investments will make us healthier, less dependent on oil, and spur job creation and innovation.”

The proposal from Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT), offers the most substantial support for the transportation sector of any climate and energy legislation to date. Roughly 70 percent of oil consumed in the U.S. and one third of climate-harming emissions come from the transportation sector. The APA invests revenues generated from oil refineries in building new clean transportation options and maintaining our existing transportation system.

“America’s oil addiction is a threat to our national security, our economy and our environment,” said James Corless, director of Transportation for America. “The status-quo is unsustainable. The transportation provisions in the American Power Act will create jobs, spur growth of small businesses and American industry and make it easier and more affordable for Americans to get around. We strongly support these provisions and believe they should be funded at a higher level to ensure they achieve the greatest possible impact.”

The BP disaster is a devastating reminder that every gallon of oil saved not only benefits the planet, but also s bolsters national security and the economy. The transportation provisions of the bill would provide states and local communities with resources needed to reduce this dependency by providing consumers with safe, clean and affordable options for public transportation, walking and bicycling, as well as better-managed, less congested highways.

“Broward County and thousands of local governments across the country have been embracing the types of transportation strategies included in the American Power Act as a way to improve our economy, increase transportation choices, and create healthier, more sustainable communities, said Kristin Jacobs, County Commissioner, Broward County Florida. “The biggest challenge in implementing our plans, of course, is funding, which is why we’re pleased to see significant resources available through this legislation for states and local communities.”

“These provisions in the American Power Act will support innovations to keep America competitive, create jobs, encourage entrepreneurship and small businesses, and strengthen our economy, in part by expanding the use of ITS technologies to improve transportation system efficiency. While we applaud the provisions, we believe that all revenues raised from the transportation sector should be reinvested into our nation’s transportation system to create a more financially and environmentally sustainable transportation future.”

Continue reading to see the letter from Senators Carper, Specter, Merkley and Cardin to Senators Kerry and Lieberman expressing support of the bill’s funding for the transportation sector, while calling for additional funding to maintain and repair existing transportation infrastructure.

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June 10, 2010

The Honorable John F. Kerry
218 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Joseph I. Lieberman
706 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senators Kerry and Lieberman:

We write to applaud the inclusion of funding and programs in the American Power Act that will reduce the transportation sector’s greenhouse gas emissions and oil consumption.

As you know, mobile sources account for nearly 30 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and consume 70 percent of the 20 million barrels of oil that Americans use every day. A number of strategies – including increased fuel efficiency, decreased carbon content of fuel, and greater transportation options – are necessary to accomplish meaningful reductions. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that a comprehensive set of strategies can reduce transportation emissions by 26 to 40 percent and oil consumption by 4 to 7 million barrels per day in 2030. In addition, these strategies will create hundreds of thousands of new, domestic jobs and provide federal, state, and local governments with billions of dollars of avoided infrastructure savings.

The American Power Act directs states and Metropolitan Planning Organizations to set goals for reducing oil use and greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and to establish plans to meet those goals. The bill provides up to $6.25 billion per year for clean transportation infrastructure, such as high-speed rail, mass transit, smart growth, and intermodal freight. In addition, the American Power Act provides important incentives for domestic manufacturing of advanced technology vehicles.

Some groups have suggested that the American Power Act’s funding for transportation infrastructure should be dedicated to the Highway Trust Fund with no strings attached. Such a strategy is contradictory to American Power Act’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing our dependence on petroleum. We believe that the American Power Act’s distribution of transportation funding is appropriate and necessary.

As the Senate moves forward on clean energy legislation, we would like to work with you to increase the funding provided in the American Power Act for the transportation sector. While we applaud the bill’s focus on clean transportation strategies, we are concerned that significant revenue raised from the transportation sector will not be reinvested into our crumbling infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that an additional investment of $30 billion per year is needed to simply maintain our highways, bridges, and transit systems in their current state of repair. Improving our infrastructure to provide for the maximum economic benefit and job growth will require an additional investment of $75 billion per year. For that reason, we believe that additional funding in the American Power Act should be utilized to reduce transportation emissions and oil consumption and to improve our infrastructure.

We thank you for including strong transportation provisions in the American Power Act and look forward to working with you to make them even better.

Sincerely,

Tom Carper
Arlen Specter
Benjamin L. Cardin
Jeff Merkley