On September 16th, 2022, The Biden Administration announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. The four federal agencies will work in tandem to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the transportation sector and to increase mobility options across the entire country. The federal agencies intend to work closely with states, local communities, Tribal communities, labor unions, nonprofits, and the private sector to combine efforts to advance low-and-zero-emission transportation. This initiative is expected to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, create clean transportation jobs, and support the Biden Administration’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
The agencies will utilize funds enabled by the Infrastructure and Investments in Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act to increase access to more sustainable modes of transportation such as walking, biking, transit, and rail. The funds will also help drive down the costs of electric vehicles (EVs) and other zero emission vehicles to allow more Americans and businesses the opportunity to participate in the clean transportation economy.
In the MOU, the four agencies have committed to releasing a comprehensive blueprint for decarbonizing the transportation sector that will include investments in research, development, demonstration, and deployment in the public and private sector. The blueprint amplifies the whole-of-government approach to achieve widespread and equitable decarbonization of the transportation sector by increasing access to public transit options, modernizing the grid to meet increased demands from expanded EV adoption, and reducing emissions from the entire lifecycle of transportation. According to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, “With this agreement, we will collaborate across the federal government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deliver the clean transportation future that Americans want and deserve.”