US advocates transportation electrification to curb emissions

Andrew Wishnia, deputy assistant secretary for climate policy at the US department of transportation, says the country is investing $174 billion in transportation electrification.

He said this is part of the American jobs plan in the transportation sector to achieve zero-emission vehicles. This also involves the establishment of charging stations for electric vehicles.

Speaking during a briefing of the US Foreign Press Centers’ virtual reporting tour on the climate crisis, Wishnia said the administration of President Joe Biden is committed to drastically reducing emissions.

“We also want to reduce waste to the greatest extent possible as well. So hopefully, as kind of a topper, that’s a helpful construct for folks to think about our North Star net-zero emissions by 2050 and how are we thinking about creating options to reduce trips, shift trips, improve trips,” Wishnia said.

“As many of you might have heard, the President has articulated a very clear and transformative vision for our transportation infrastructure and that package is known as the American Jobs Plan.

“And the American Jobs Plan really has transformative investments across the board for rail, for ports, for airports, for our roads and bridges, for sort of transformational and innovative projects for safety and to really solve for the Biden-Harris administration priorities of climate, of equity, of safety, and all of our other north stars.

“So we do have a $50 billion fund for infrastructure projects across the whole-of-government, including at the Department of Transportation, but we’re also thinking about resilience and adaptation strategies as part of all of our programs.

“And then what has been talked about at some length is also $174 billion fund for transportation electrification. And really, that’s an effort to stimulate as much transportation electrification scale to meet the moment and to reduce emissions to align with our net zero strategies.”

Wishnia urged other countries to follow suit by adopting transportation electrification.