Passenger cars and trucks are the largest source of climate pollution in Maryland’s transportation sector, followed by medium- and-heavy duty vehicles (large trucks, school buses, delivery vans, etc.) from vehicles is a leading source of harmful pollution that sends countless Maryland residents to the hospital every year.
Residential neighborhoods located near major roads and highways face disproportionate burdens from traffic and transportation pollution. These neighborhoods are far more often communities of color due to decades of residential segregation, and bear a burden of unsafe pedestrian conditions, higher rates of asthma, and unremitting noise pollution.
Though medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses make up only nine percent of the state’s 4.2 million registered vehicles, they contribute a disproportionate 39 percent of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in the state, 48 percent of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and 21 percent of global warming emissions from all on-road vehicles in the state.
We are working to:
- Defend and implement the federal funding programs to expand passenger electric vehicle and freight electric vehicle charging Infrastructure.
- Advocate for policies that help get electric vehicle charging infrastructure interconnected and energized on time.
- Push to keep Maryland’s Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Trucks standards on the books.
Below are some of our previous campaign wins related to vehicle electrification:
- In 2023 Maryland adopted the Advanced Clean Cars II program, requiring that 100% of light duty vehicle sales are electric by 2035.*
- In 2023, Maryland adopted the Advanced Clean Truck rule, requiring that manufacturers sell an increasing percentage of new zero-emission trucks and school buses every year*
*Note these programs cannot currently be enforced due to federal rollbacks.
If you’d like to volunteer to support these efforts contact transportation@mdiserra.org