US announces first-ever national goal of zero-emissions freight sector

This strategy includes new federal investments announced yesterday, continued engagement with stakeholders on zero-emissions freight infrastructure and forthcoming action plans on each of the freight segments, a White House fact sheet said.

The strategy will prioritise actions to address air pollution hot spots and tackle the climate crisis, mobilising a broad range of government resources, and reflect public participation and meaningful community engagement.

The new commitment aligns with and supports President Joe Biden’s existing goals for a carbon pollution-free energy sector by 2035 and for achieving net-zero emissions from the transportation sector by 2050, the fact sheet noted.

The administration also unveiled several key steps under the strategy, including major new funding programmes, a new initiative to track and accelerate deployment of charging and refuelling infrastructure, and another programme to standardise heavy-duty vehicle charging depots.

As part of this commitment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a nearly $1-billion funding opportunity for cities, states and tribes through President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to replace Class 6 and Class 7 heavy duty vehicles—which include school buses, trash trucks and delivery trucks—with zero-emissions vehicles.

The department of transportation announced the first tranche of its $400-million Reduction of Truck Emissions at Port Facilities Grant Programme to improve air quality and reduce pollution for truck drivers, port workers and families that live in communities surrounding ports.

The department of energy also announced a $72-million investment to establish a ‘SuperTruck: Charged’ programme that will demonstrate how vehicle-grid integration enables depots and truck stops to provide affordable, reliable charging while increasing grid resiliency.

The government organised a roundtable at the White House yesterday of stakeholders from commercial truck fleets, ports, vehicle manufacturers, state and local governments, utilities, infrastructure providers, climate and environmental justice organisations to discuss supercharging the buildout of the infrastructure necessary to make a zero-emissions freight ecosystem a reality in the country.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)