April 15, 2008
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The Honorable Barbara Boxer
Chairman
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
410 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6175
Dear Chairman Boxer:
On behalf of the more than 1,500 member organizations of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), I thank you for your interest in seeking greater emission reductions from the transportation sector when the Senate considers the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 2191). Our nation’s transportation system produces one-third of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the U.S., and transportation is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. Between 1990 and 2006, transportation emissions increased by more than 25 percent, representing almost half of the total national growth in greenhouse gas emissions during this period.
Public transportation use already reduces the emission of more than 37 million metric tonnes of CO2 every year by reducing travel and congestion on roadways and supporting more efficient land use patterns. APTA applauds the initial efforts of the Environment and Public Works Committee to recognize public transportation’s role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The current Lieberman-Warner bill allocates 1 percent of revenue from emission allowances directly for public transportation investment, but more investment is needed to effectively reduce a significant amount of emissions from the transportation sector. APTA urges Congress to dedicate no less than 6 percent of revenues from the Lieberman-Warner bill to direct investment in public transportation, and we urge Congress to dedicate no less than 4 percent of Lieberman-Warner revenues to support local, regional and state efforts to minimize transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions.
The current emission reductions from public transportation are important, but much more can and should be done to address greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. Studies indicate that projected growth in vehicle travel in the next 30 years will negate the emission savings from the recent changes in Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. If that occurs, the burden of emission reductions will fall more heavily on other sectors of our economy. Public transportation investment, transit-supportive land-use policies and other strategies that increase mobility while simultaneously reducing emissions are simply a less intrusive way to address emissions from the transportation sector.
As Congress develops climate change legislation, it must move to protect, preserve, and most importantly, expand public transportation service across the nation. Public transportation ridership has increased by 32 percent since 1995, providing more than 10.3 billion passenger trips in 2007. However, as ridership has increased, transit facilities across the country are often operating at capacity during peak travel times and transit providers are struggling to maintain the quality of their physical infrastructure and the reliability of their service. To achieve the gains in transit ridership that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, Congress must begin to address the estimated $32.8 billion annual capital funding shortfall for public transportation.
In addition to recognizing the benefits of capital investment in public transportation, climate change legislation should consider the operating needs of transit providers. Agencies across the country are currently under pressure to raise passenger fares or find other means to pay for higher operating costs produced by the rising cost of fuel and electricity. At current prices, transit providers in the U.S. will spend more than $3.8 billion on diesel, electricity and other fuels for passenger operations in 2008, three times more than they spent in 2003, and federal climate change legislation will add to these operating costs. A portion of revenues from Lieberman-Warner should be used to offset increased fuel and electricity costs, which may otherwise necessitate fare increases or service reductions that discourage transit use.
Climate change legislation should also encourage new investment in energy efficient technology that could increase the annual CO2 savings from public transportation services and reduce the cost of transit operations, thereby increasing resources for expanded service. Transit agencies, often using local funding, have already begun to invest in new low emission vehicle technology and new energy efficient facilities. Federal investment would speed the adoption of energy efficient technology in the transit industry and would spur demand for these products, which are domestically developed and manufactured for the transit industry.
Finally, APTA supports creating a new source of funding to support local, regional, and state efforts to advance mobility in ways that reduce the projected growth of vehicle travel. New funding could be linked to performance-based goals and planning efforts that will capture maximum emission savings through energy efficient land-use patterns, expanded transit, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and transit-oriented development. These investments would give communities the full range of tools needed to fight congestion and expand mobility while reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.
If you have any questions about these issues, please have your staff contact Homer Carlisle of APTA's Government Affairs Department at (202) 496-4810 or email hcarlisle@apta.com. Thank you.
Sincerely,
William W. Millar
President
WWM/tjj
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