[ad_1]
Kamala Harris is Vice President Unveiled a series measuresMonday’s announcement by the Biden administration outlined the steps it is taking to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions which cause climate change. Harris was joined at the White House by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Michael Regan, Administrator of Environmental Protection Agency, also announced two sets of actions. They include investments in low emission and zero-emission bus fleets for public transit systems and school districts.
“Our transportation sector has reached a turning point,” Harris said. “We have the technology to transition to a zero-emission fleet. All of us are working together to make this possibility a reality. We can address the climate crisis and grow our economy at the same time.”
According to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act that President Biden signed last autumn, the Department of Transportation will invest $1.1 billion this year in funding to assist state and local governments with the purchase of U.S.-built transit buses and other cleaner models.
“In our economy, transportation is the biggest contributor to climate change,” Buttigieg noted on Monday. “So that also means transportation has to be a part of the solution to the climate crisis. Public transit is one of the best ways to do it … and transit is even better when it’s clean transit.”
Officials from the administration stressed that electric and hydrogen-powered buses and trucks would not only help lessen climate change, but also significantly reduce local air pollution, especially in areas with a high concentration of vehicle exhaust from garages and highways. These areas tend to have lower incomes and are more likely be communities of color.
“There are many communities … where pollution from heavy-duty trucks and buses has made the air poisonous,” Harris said. “Imagine that they produced zero emissions.”
The EPA released a proposal rule on Monday, which would reduce nitrogen oxide emission from heavy-duty vehicles. It also sets stronger greenhouse-gas emissions standards for certain heavy-duty vehicle categories. The agency estimates that the rule would prevent nearly 2,000 deaths annually and prevent 18,000 cases from childhood asthma if it is fully implemented. The EPA is also providing $17 million to finance electric zero-emission or low-emission school bus projects under its existing programs. However, this is insignificant compared to the $5 billion available for cleaner school buses through the infrastructure law.
“EPA’s two announcements today are about seizing the opp that tech presents in driving towards a cleaner, healthier, more just future,” Regan said.
Transportation accounts for 29 percentU.S. greenhouse gases emissions. Next is electricity generation at 25%.
It is worth noting that public transit only plays a small part in American transportation systems. Even before the pandemic, however, public transit was a small part of American transportation patterns. Mass transit ridershipMore than 80 percentPrivate vehicles were used for many commutes throughout the country.
Global temperatures are rising and have been increasing for many decades. Look at the data to see how climate change is occurring.
