Clean Transportation

Clean Transportation

Clean Transportation

Revolutionizing our transportation systems is a crucial piece of Sierra Club's work to ensure we all can live in healthy communities, move around safely, and build a future powered by renewable energy.



What is clean transportation?

We all want to breathe clean air and protect our families from toxic pollution and climate change. Unfortunately, transportation is currently our nation's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and a major source of air pollution. To build a livable future, we must shift away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles and towards clean, renewable transportation.

Right now, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress want to make it harder to drive clean cars, which will increase how much money you spend at the pump. We can stop them, but we need your help to protect access to public transportation, electric vehicles, and other clean transportation options.

Over the lifetime of the vehicle, a gas car puts out 4.5x more carbon pollution and infinitely more toxic tailpipe air pollution than an electric car.

Why is clean transportation essential?

We all want to breathe clean air and protect our families from toxic pollution and climate change. Unfortunately, transportation is currently our nation's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and a major source of air pollution. To build a livable future, we must shift away from combustion vehicles and towards clean transportation.

Victory!

In a landmark legal win for clean transportation, a federal court has permanently barred the Trump administration from freezing funds for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program – that is, a $5 billion federal initiative to build reliable, high-speed electric vehicle charging stations along America's highways!

The ruling means all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico now have the legal certainty they need to move forward building a nationwide charging network, free from unlawful interference. Sierra Club and partners brought this case on behalf of members who were directly harmed by the freeze.

This is what people power looks like: Sierra Club members standing up to protect clean transportation investment, cleaner air, and better access to affordable electric vehicle driving for everyone.

April 19, 2018

New York -- Today, in response to a formal petition filed by the Sierra Club and a coalition of 40 environmental, environmental justice, labor, and transportation industry stakeholders, the New York Public Service Commission opened a new proceeding to expand New York’s electric vehicle (EV) market.

April 5, 2018

The Maryland House of Delegates joined the Senate in passing the Maryland Metro/Transit Funding Act of 2018 today. The bill provides $167 million of annual dedicated funding to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metro system, secures much-needed additional funds for the Maryland Transit Administration and the Baltimore region, and requires additional planning for central Maryland’s transportation future.

April 2, 2018

Washington, DC -- Today, Scott Pruitt reportedly  formally began the process of rolling back the clean car standards. The clean car standards will limit carbon pollution by 6 billion tons, save consumers $1.7 trillion dollars in fuel costs, and reduce oil consumption by up to 4 million barrels every day.

March 26, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the U.S. and South Korea reached an agreement “in principle” on the six-year-old U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) in which, among other things, South Korea has agreed to double the number of higher-polluting U.S. vehicles that may be imported each year without having to meet Korea’s stricter auto emissions standards. South Korea also agreed to consider the weaker U.S. standards when developing their 2021-2025 auto emissions standards.

March 8, 2018

Today, the Maryland House of Delegates passed the Maryland Metro Funding Act of 2018 with a 98-40 vote. The bill provides $150 million of annual dedicated funding for the WMATA metro system and additional funds for MTA and the Baltimore region.

February 21, 2018

New York -- Today, a coalition of 40 environmental, labor, and transportation industry stakeholders in New York submitted a formal petition to the New York Public Service Commission calling for an Order Establishing a Separate Proceeding to Advance New York’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Market. The requested proceeding would promote a coordinated, proactive approach to New York’s EV initiatives and the petition also asks that New York’s utilities submit proposals to accelerate installation of EV charging infrastructure and EV customer education.

February 15, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, 17 Massachusetts mayors sent a letter to Senator Warren and Senator Markey urging their support for strong federal vehicle fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions standards.

February 15, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, nine Connecticut mayors sent a letter to Senator Blumenthal and Senator Murphy urging their support for strong federal vehicle fuel efficiency (CAFE) and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) standards.

January 23, 2018

As reported in The Hill, in congruence with the DC Auto Show, the Sierra Club released a video calling out Ford for their work with the Trump administration to roll back the clean car standards. The video, targeted to the DC region, is accompanied by a petition calling on Ford to support strong clean car standards.

January 22, 2018

Today marks the start of the DC Auto Show. Despite recent claims of investment in electric vehicles by Ford, the auto company isn’t showcasing any of their electric vehicles. As a part of the Auto Alliance, Ford is lobbying the Trump administration to roll back vehicle fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions standards.