Gov. Cooper Issues Executive Order to Accelerate Green Transportation

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued an executive order in October that aims to grow the state’s clean energy economy by accelerating the transition to zero-emission vans, trucks, and buses. The order will encourage economic development and job growth while advancing climate and environmental justice by reducing vehicle pollution, according to a press release from the Governor's Office.

Transportation accounts for approximately 36 percent of North Carolina’s total greenhouse gas emissions, with medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles among the largest contributors, Trey Gowdy, a research analyst at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, told The Daily Tar Heel.

“If we’re going to be successful in reducing transportation emissions, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles are going to be a key part of a mix of solutions in the transportation sector,” Gowdy said.