Transportation

History

• 1970
|

Amtrak

Amtrak is a government subsidized passenger railroad service and one of the largest public transportation systems in the United States.

• 1970
|

Federal Clean Air Act

In 1970, President Nixon signed the Clean Air Act, significantly expanding the federal government’s role in combating air pollution.

Introduction

The United States continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially in the transportation sector, accounting for almost 29% of American emissions. The automobile and airplane industries are undergoing new initiatives for further reduction. However, emissions from the aviation industry have risen. As demand for electric vehicles increased, the automobile industry reduced emissions. Due to this increased demand, the government’s objective to be 50% electric by 2030 could be feasible.

Carbon emissions from various transportation methods, such as passenger cars, maritime shipping, and commercial aviation, constitute almost a third of all emissions in the nation, the most of any sector. Every gallon of gasoline burned by the average gasoline-dependent vehicle creates roughly 9,000 grams of carbon dioxide.

Air travel is responsible for 2.4% of carbon emissions and 5% of global warming, percentages that will continue to rise in the next few years. While not as widespread as automobile transportation, current projections expect total passenger numbers to double in the next 20 years; aviation emissions have increased by over 30% since 2013. Plane manufacturers have been working to produce more fuel-efficient models to balance increased air traffic.

President Joe Biden announced that by 2030, he aimed for half of all new American vehicles to be electric. As of 2021, less than 2% of all car sales are electric vehicles, and most Americans are still purchasing SUVs that emit significant carbon levels. Despite the seemingly minuscule proportion of purchased electric vehicles, their sales have been on the uptick in recent years. Some of the most prominent car makers such as Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, and the United Auto Workers union have met with President Biden to discuss this new shift in the auto industry, signaling support for the electric initiative.

Auto Express

A longstanding debate around public transit has been the implementation of high-speed rail in the United States. Although the amount of federal public transportation funding has been steadily increasing over the years, partly thanks to programs such as the Transport Investment Generating Economic Recovery program, we have not seen a major shift in the capability of U.S. train systems. With an estimated $16.4 billion in discretionary funding and $58.7 billion in mandatory funding for FY2018, the funds are adequate for maintaining existing operations. Yet, the United States public train system is crumbling and far inferior to other nations due to additional challenges not seen in those countries. However, the problems do not stop at funding. Unlike federal highway funding, most of which flows to the states, most transit funding flows directly to local transit authorities. Only transit funds designated for urbanized areas with 200,000 people or less and non-urbanized (rural) areas are administered by the states.

Rail Pictures

Most U.S. railroad tracks are owned and maintained by private freight railroad companies whose trains operate more economically at slower speeds. Improving the quality of this track to allow for higher-speed passenger trains could involve rebuilding track substructures, such as replacing the ballast, improving drainage, replacing wood ties with concrete ties, and upgrading signaling and communications systems. Although the host freight railroads might benefit from such improvements, they may be reluctant to fund them, as they may gain little advantage from operating freight trains at higher speeds. The general rule of thumb for trains is, “the higher the speed, the higher the price.”

1. If plane travel is responsible for 5% of global warming, why is more action not being taken by the companies?
2. What are the benefits of using greener transportation?
3. How beneficial do you believe transitioning to an electric vehicle in the future is?