Clean Cars 2030

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Problem

Climate change is an existential threat not only for future generations but for everyone around the world. Here in Washington state, we’re already feeling the effects of the climate crisis. The last few summers have been the hottest we’ve ever felt, wildfire season is getting longer and longer, and we’ve seen major declines in our iconic orca and salmon populations in the Salish Sea. While the state has made a lot of progress in reducing our emissions, transportation is our largest source of carbon pollution. Transitioning from expensive fossil-based fuels to lower-cost green electricity will reduce our emissions, improve our competitiveness, and save consumers money in the long term.  

 

Solution

Meeting our climate commitments and saving our planet will require bold action to reduce transportation emissions. The private sector is already deploying vehicles to help us do this. Several major automakers have announced plans to phase out gas-powered vehicles in the next 15 years. Every year, more zero-emission models at all price points are being introduced. What we need is the charging infrastructure and political will to accelerate this transition. Setting a goal that 100% of new cars sold will be clean cars by 2030 will align the incentives to build charging networks and reduce emissions faster. It also sends a powerful market signal to automakers and provides an incentive to those that are early adopters.  

Biogas to Vehicle Fuel

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Problem

Lincoln is dedicated to a climate-smart, low-carbon way of life and has set an ambitious goal to reduce our net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2050. The anaerobic digestion of solids that go to wastewater treatment facilities produces methane, a powerful GHG. Historically, Lincoln burned off the gas by flaring it. By 1991 however, Lincoln installed generators that could harness the biogas from the anaerobic process to produce electricity for the treatment plant. When these generators reached the end of their useful life, Lincoln went in search of solutions that could further optimize our wastewater system by harvesting renewable methane, converting it to usable fuel, and significantly reducing GHG emissions.  

Solution

Lincoln developed a new process that treats, cleans, and transforms the biogas generated by our wastewater system into quality, renewable vehicle fuel. This solution also protects air quality by stripping the biogas of dangerous pollutants, including sulfur and carbon dioxide. The City partnered with HDR Engineering, Building Crafts Incorporated, and Black Hills Energy, which built the infrastructure needed to connect the renewable natural gas to the national natural gas pipeline system. To get renewable natural gas on the marketplace, the City is also partnering with Bluesource, a national energy management company.  

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round, Clean and Quiet, All Through the State

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Problem

 As in most states, Virginia’s public school buses are run on diesel fuels that produce carcinogens like Benzene and particulate matter (PM 2.5) which increase the risk of asthma and heart disease. Studies have found these toxins are present up to six times higher inside a diesel school bus, thereby exposing our youngest citizens to serious health issues. Among children ages 5-17, asthma is one of the top causes of their missed school days. Additionally, the transportation sector is responsible for 48% of Virginia’s carbon emissions and Virginia has the second-largest school bus fleet in the country. The Union of Concerned Scientists found that buses that operate on electric batteries have 67% lower life-cycle emissions than diesel, even when purchasing electricity from a utility.

Solution

My solution is to encourage local schools to convert to electric school buses using state incentives. To reduce both the health and climate aspects from the continued reliance on diesel school buses, I recently passed a bill to create the “Virginia Electric Vehicle Grant Program and Fund.” The new fund would support awarding competitive grants to local public schools to replace diesel school buses with electric versions, and to pay for the charging infrastructure, and for using labor-union trained workers to support maintenance. Based on the criteria of the Fund and Program, additional funds may support similar projects proposed by public, private, or nonprofit entities in Virginia to assist with replacing any commercial motor vehicle, heavy equipment, or other machinery that are used in Virginia that rely on diesel fuels with electric vehicles or equivalent equipment that reduce air emissions.

Project Taillight: Keeping Columbus Safe One Vehicle at a Time

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Problem

 Too often, low-income individuals don’t have the disposable cash to have their vehicle’s safety lights repaired when headlights, taillights, license plate lights, or brake lights are broken or burned out. The result is unsafe vehicles on the road and opportunities for folks to be pulled over and ticketed for safety violations. Those tickets cost money (on top of repair costs) and could result in unpaid fines leading to suspended licenses or worse. In the City of Columbus, we have seen a disproportionate number of vehicle safety violations issued to residents in our most economically challenged neighborhoods and wanted to take a proactive approach to address the issue.

 

Solution

Offer free vehicle safety light repairs to low-income households. Through Project Taillight, individuals living in households with annual income less than 200% of the federal poverty line and needing safety light repairs can contact the City Attorney’s Office to schedule repair appointments with Columbus State Community College’s Automotive Technology Program. Project Taillight participants receive free light repairs, vehicle safety checks, and fluid top-offs (oil, coolant, etc.).  We tested the model with 79 people and had overwhelming responses from participants, residents, and community leaders– all recognizing how a small setback, like an unpaid ticket, could upend families struggling to make ends meet and that a small investment in parts and labor could help overcome this challenge. We piloted the program through our local community college and plan to expand/scale the service through commercial auto repair shops and have an agreement from local law enforcement to give Project Taillight information to drivers in lieu of citations.

Marko Liias, Senator (Lynwood, WA)

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Phasing Gasoline Vehicles Out of Washington

The Washington State legislature passed the groundbreaking Clean Cars 2030 bill, championed in the Senate by NewDEAL Leader Washington Senator Marko Liias. The bill requires all passenger vehicles model year 2030 or later to be electric vehicles, the most aggressive state goal in the country, and is the first gasoline phaseout legislation to be passed. Senator Liias noted that the legislation clarifies the transition to electric by creating a timeline and providing tools and guidelines for businesses and consumers alike to have a roadmap for the way forward. Read more about this pioneering bill.

Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation nominee

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Pete Buttigieg Impresses on Capitol Hill

NewDEAL Alumnus Pete Buttigieg, President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Transportation, testified before the Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday, emphasizing he’ll bring a local perspective to the top transportation job. If confirmed, Buttigieg would be the second NewDEALer to lead the Department of Transportation after Secretary Anthony Foxx, also a former mayor, served in the Obama administration. He would also be the first openly gay member of a Cabinet to be confirmed by the Senate. As the Washington Post reports, Buttigieg was a leader in innovative transportation policy as mayor, and he offers a perspective on the importance of an effective federal partnership with states and cities. Take a look at the NewDEAL Forum Renewing America Task Force’s white paper on effective policy to restore trust in transit and expand access for a taste of what could get done with a friend to states and cities leading the Department of Transportation. Read more about the hearing here.

Levar Stoney, Mayor (Richmond, VA)

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Making Transit Equitable & Easier

NewDEAL Leader Richmond, VA Mayor Levar Stoney is creating a new Office of Equitable Transit and Mobility to oversee multimodal transit programs and expansion, with a focus on providing low-income neighborhoods with access to transportation. The office will help groups and agencies collaborate on major transit projects to minimize duplicative work, and will work on rethinking streets for all users, not just cars, as well as developing the bus and bike systems, improving last mile connectivity, and extending free bus fares. This holistic approach to transit development will be a focal point of an upcoming white paper on transit from the NewDEAL Forum’s Renewing America Task Force. Learn more about Mayor Stoney’s work from the city’s press release on this groundbreaking new office.

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