Reducing Carbon Emissions
Carbon emissions from the transportation sector make up approximately 2,000 million tons annually – or half of all US carbon emissions – and are projected to rise by 80% over the next 50 years. In response to these projections – as well as concerns over national energy security – the federal government has implemented several policy initiatives to reduce fossil fuel use in transportation, such as increasing renewable fuel consumption to offset gasoline volumes, enacting a major increase in the CAFE requirements for the automotive industry and funding R&D efforts for hybrid and electric drive systems.
In 2007, Congress enacted the Energy Independence and Security Act which both increased the Renewable Fuels Standard from 7.5 billion gallons by 2012 to 36 billion gallons by 2022 and raised the Corporate Average Fuel Economy requirements from 24.7 mpg today to 35 mpg by 2022.
Further carbon emission reductions from the transportation sector can be achieved by advances in hybrid and electric drive systems, further advances in the use of renewable fuels, the conversion of diesel buses to clean burning natural gas systems and incentives to spur greater increases in fuel efficiency.
The Southeast Energy Alliance supports:
- Development of regulations, expansion of infrastructure and implementation of incentives to ensure the production and consumption of increasing levels of renewable fuels without raising logistical issues or raising prices of gasoline or diesel in the Southeast;
- Tax incentives to encourage increases in fuel economy in cars and trucks; and
- Development and implementation of programs to incentivize the conversion of bus fleets from diesel to clean burning natural gas.