Biden administration releases blueprint to decarbonize transportation

The Biden administration released Jan. 10 the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization.

Developed by U.S. DOE, U.S. EPA, and the transportation and housing and urban development departments, the blueprint is a strategy for cutting all greenhouse-gas emissions from the transportation sector by 2050.

“It exemplifies the Biden administration’s whole-of-government approach to addressing the climate crisis and meeting President Biden’s goals of securing a 100 percent clean electrical grid by 2035 and reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” DOE stated. “The blueprint builds on President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, which together represent historic investments in the future of our nation that will transform how we move and live while we build the backbone of a safer and more sustainable transportation system.”

The blueprint is the first milestone deliverable of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the agencies in September.

The blueprint will be followed by more detailed decarbonization action plans, to be developed and implemented by these agencies in cooperation with governments at the state, local, and tribal level, philanthropic organizations, the private sector, and global partners.

“The domestic transportation sector presents an enormous opportunity to drastically reduce emissions that accelerate climate change and reduce harmful pollution,” said Jennifer Granholm, secretary of energy.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan added, “Under the leadership of President Biden, EPA is working with our federal partners to aggressively reduce pollution that is harming people and our planet—while saving families money at the same time. At EPA, our priority is to protect public health, especially in overburdened communities, while advancing the president’s ambitious climate agenda. This blueprint is a step forward in delivering on those goals and accelerating the transition to a clean-transportation future.”

The transportation sector accounts for a third of all domestic greenhouse-gas emissions. Transportation costs are the second largest annual household expense in our country.

The blueprint will be followed by more detailed sector-specific action plans.

Learn more about the MOU and blueprint.