The Clean, Low-Emission, Affordable New Transportation Efficiency Act (CLEAN TEA)

This is a bill in the House (H.R. 1329) and Senate (S. 575) that would set aside 10 percent of funds generated from the auction of carbon emissions allowances from a future cap and trade climate bill to fund a Low Greenhouse Gas Transportation Fund.

The bill would require States and regional and local governments with a population over 200,000 to establish a goal of reducing emissions from the transportation sector and develop a transportation greenhouse gas reduction plan. The plan would be integrated into existing state and regional transportation plans and approved by the USDOT and EPA.

Funds in the Low Greenhouse Gas Transportation Fund would be awarded through a competitive grant process to regional and local governments, based on the quality of their plan. Projects eligible for grant funding include: transit, passenger and freight rail, biking and pedestrian improvements, travel demand management such as vanpools and telecommuting, as well as land use changes that would help make communities more walkable. Regional and local governments with a population under 200,000 could voluntarily develop a plan to become eligible for funding.

The bill also includes a provision to improve research, data collection, and tools to measure and evaluate the greenhouse gas impacts of transportation projects and plans

America Bikes endorses CLEAN TEA.

The transportation sector accounts for 30 percent of our nation’s carbon emissions and 70 percent of our oil consumption. CLEAN TEA would give local governments resources to counter the many security, economic, environmental and health risks that come from our country’s and our cars’ oil dependence.

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