Opportunities to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Transportation Reauthorization and Energy Policy

The United States transportation sector not only accounts for a significant portion of domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but it is also the fastest-growing source of these emissions. In fact, emissions from surface transportation activity—travel on roads and by rail—account for about 80% of the country’s total transportation GHG emissions. This Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions paper summarizes the potential for GHG reductions from policies influencing the transportation sector. It also presents and discusses the expected costs for individual strategies and shows how combined policies might distribute emissions reductions and costs between individual policies.

Author(s): Craig Raborn

Published: August 2011

download: working paper (.pdf) >