Transportation & Diesel

The transportation sector is a major and fast growing source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, producing about 35 percent of the global warming pollution in the region.  Two-thirds of this pollution comes from light duty vehicles—cars, SUVs, and light trucks. The remainder is emitted by heavy duty transportation engines (rail, marine vessels and air craft). Each year, billions of dollars flow out of the region to purchase transportation fuels.

Reducing GHG from the transportation sector can be achieved by making fuels and engines cleaner, and by making vehicles and transportation systems more efficient.

Although vehicle mileage standards are set by the federal government,  California is authorized under the Clean Air Act to set its own vehicle pollution standards, which other states may adopt. Some states in the Northeast are involved in ongoing efforts to adopt California’s Clean Car Law to implement higher fuel efficiency standards.

ENE is currently focusing on the following approaches to curb global warming, and toxic and particulate, pollution from vehicles in the region:

• Cleaning up diesel pollution from heavy duty vehicles (to make engines cleaner) ENE's New England Diesel Initiative
  

  Diesel exhaust contains black carbon, or soot, which has a global warming potential 600 times greater than that of carbon dioxide; the black carbon particles absorb the sun’s energy and convert it into heat.  Diesel particulate filters can reduce the amount of particles emitted by up to 90 percent.

• Low carbon fuel standards  (to make fuels cleaner)

• Raising Awareness of Impacts of Transportation and Development Choices (to increase the efficiency of transportation systems) 

   

ENE Transportation Projects: