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Reorienting Transportation Planning to Minimize GHGs

MCLI Recommendation: “Congress should add GHG reductions to the list of factors considered in planning laws and policies under 23 USC 134; 23 CFR 450.”

LPDD Recommendation: “States and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) should add GHG reductions to the list of factors considered in planning laws and policies, and/or establish targets for reducing GHGs and VMTs in the planning process.”

LPDD Recommendation: “Transportation planning a funding should be reoriented to focus on maximizing the efficiency of the existing network in order to reduce the need for new construction, adopting a ‘fix-it first’ approach.”

LPDD Recommendation: “States and cities should increase the use of congestion pricing (if policies are carefully designed).”

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17 resources

Resource Local Governments

FHA Congestion Pricing Primer

The Federal Highway Administration’s 2006 primer on congestion pricing addresses methodology and best practices.
Example Executive Branch

FHWA GHG Planning Requirements

In November 2023, the Federal Highway Administration announced a greenhouse gas rule that will require state and local transportation officials to set declining emissions targets for road projects fun...
Example States and State Governments

California’s Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Law

California’s Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Law (SB 375) requires GHG emission targets to be set for passenger vehicles and light trucks for each metropolitan planning area in the stat...
Example States and State Governments

New Jersey’s Repair-Oriented Transportation Planning Requirement

New Jersey requires its transportation department to submit a capital spending plan emphasizing road and bridge repair and demonstrating annual progress towards meeting repair goals (ch. 73, 2000 NJ L...
Model Law States and State Governments

LPDD Model Law: Prioritizing Funding of Clean Transportation Alternatives

This model law requires state governments to devote a larger share of transportation funding to providing meaningful alternatives to driving. The model lays out a roadmap for a more transparent, objec...
Resource Public Utilities

ACEEE Report: Utility Transportation Electrification Planning – Emerging Practices to Support EV Deployment

In September 2022, ACEEE published a report on state transportation planning, highlighting practices to support increased EV deployment. As some states require utilities to submit comprehensive plans ...
Example States and State Governments

Colorado’s Transportation Planning Emissions Reductions Requirements

At the Colorado’s transportation commission’s December 2021 meeting, 10 out of the 11 commissioners in attendance approved a new rule requiring the state’s Department of Transportation to direct its d...
Model Law Congress

LPDD Model Law: Legislation Mandating Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Reduction as Part of Metropolitan Transportation Planning

Under federal law, states must establish a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for each urban area with a population of at least 50,000. MPOs are subject to a variety of requirements, including t...
Example States and State Governments

Washington Requirements to Lower Vehicle Miles Traveled

Washington law (at Wash. Rev. Code 47.01.078) requires the state transportation department to develop strategies to lower per capita VMT. Another provision (at Wash. Rev. Code 47.01.440) calls on the ...
Resource Foreign

Model Law on Data Sharing for Transportation Policy Development

Myriad transportation apps — like CityMapper, ridesharing, or public transit apps — know how our cities move about better than anyone, and yet they often protect that user data en masse. The Chancery ...
Resource Congress

Proposed Green Streets Act (2021)

Reintroduced in 2021, the federal GREEN Streets Act would establish standards for emissions and vehicle miles traveled on the national highway system, while requiring states and Metropolitan Planning ...
Resource States and State Governments

Colorado SB 260 (2021)

This omnibus transportation bill includes specific provisions on transportation equity and expanding access to electric vehicles. The bill includes the following: Creates the Community Access Enterpri...
Example Executive Branch

Repealed Rules Requiring Planning Agencies to Track CO2 Emissions

Although it was swiftly repealed by the Trump Administration, in January 2017 the Federal Highway Administration briefly published a final rule (82 Fed. Reg. 5970) requiring state and regional plannin...
Example States and State Governments

Virginia Transportation Board’s Project Prioritization System

The Virginia Transportation Board’s project prioritization system uses the potential to reduce GHG emissions as a factor in scoring projects so that they can be prioritized for inclusion in the state ...
Example Local Governments

Boston Transportation Improvement Program

The Boston Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Transportation Improvement Program, the region’s five-year transportation capital investment plan, uses GHG and VMT reductions as a factor in a...
Example Local Governments

NYC Congestion Pricing Program

The Central Business District Tolling Program, a congestion pricing proposal, was approved in 2019 as part of the New York State Budget. While pricing, exemptions, and other details of the law have ye...
Resource Local Governments

GoEVCity Policy Toolkit

The GoEVCity Policy Toolkit is a catalog of local policies, strategies, and programs designed to advance the transition to EVs in Colorado communities. The toolkit takes a holistic approach to the tra...