House Climate Bill Proposes "Smart Growth" Policies

Included in the draft climate and energy legislation proposed by Representatives Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) Tuesday would require state and local transportation planners to link transportation and land-use decisions.  This provision would likely make it more difficult for transportation planners to meet mobility needs through projects that add highway capacity. Under the draft bill, states would have three years to craft plans to curb transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions across states and for any metropolitan area with more than 200,000 people.  States would work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set emissions targets for 10- and 20-year periods and are encouraged to expand environmentally-friendly modes of transportation, such as bus and light rail systems, and re-evaluate their land-use planning to create cities that require less driving and achieve increased mobility. Grants would be available from the EPA and the Department of Transportation to help finance state and local projects aimed at meeting the emission-reduction goals.  Although funding is not set in the draft legislation, lawmakers, including Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), have called for 10 percent of any future cap and trade revenues to be devoted to low-carbon transportation projects. Nearly one-third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are caused by transportation.  In addition to the measures proposed in the Waxman-Markey draft bill to put in place greenhouse gas emission standards from on-road and off-highway vehicles and engines and a low carbon fuel standard, proponents of climate change legislation are also advocating for transportation policies that reduce vehicles miles traveled (VMT) in the United States.  These proponents are also advocating for VMT reduction strategies in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill. AGC is working with Congress to ensure that states and localities have the flexibility to meet their unique transportation needs, including through capacity enhancements.  AGC believes that enhancing capacity, especially at the worst congested bottlenecks, would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save fuel through better flowing traffic.