The Future of Low-Carbon Transportation: Policies and Strategies
Monday, January 12, 2009
3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
U.S. Capitol Visitors Center
Congressional Auditorium
Washington DC
You are cordially invited to attend a briefing on future policies and strategies for a low-carbon transportation future by the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis). The briefing is sponsored by Congressman Mike Thompson, who represents California’s First Congressional District.
Who Should Attend:
This event is designed for new or experienced legislative or federal agency staff who will be working on climate change, transportation and energy issues in the 111th Congress. All others interested are invited to attend.
Please RSVP to Pilar Rivera, UC Davis Government and Community Relations (perivera@ucdavis.edu or 530-752-9795). This will speed up your access to the new U.S. Capitol Visitors Center (on the east side of the Capitol building). You may still attend if you don’t RSVP, but access to the building may be slower.
Presentations:
- Introduction and Moderator
Dan Sperling, Director, ITS-Davis; Member, California Air Resources Board - Feebates to Support Improved Vehicle Efficiency
David L. Greene, Corporate Fellow, Oak Ridge Nat’l Lab; Visiting Scholar, ITS-Davis - Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Bringing them to Market
Tom Turrentine, Director, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Research Center, ITS-Davis - Low Carbon Fuel Standards to Complement Cap-and-Trade Initiatives
Sonia Yeh, Research Engineer, ITS-Davis - Implementing Smart Land Use for GHG Reduction: California’s SB 375
Mike McCoy, Director, Urban Land Use and Transportation Center, UC Davis
Briefing Focus
Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector will be front and center for the 111th Congress. As Congress convenes, lessons from other nations and from sub-national GHG reduction efforts will be carefully considered. California is pursuing innovative approaches to accelerate light-duty vehicle efficiency, low carbon fuels, and the reduction of vehicle travel through smart land use planning (and other means). These approaches are particularly important for federal consideration for several reasons. First, they indicate the magnitude of possible reductions in transportation greenhouse gases and oil use. Second, they provide a policy model for Congress. California’s approaches are firmly grounded in the state’s historic California Climate Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32) and California’s recent legislation that requires new land use patterns that will reduce GHG emissions (SB 375, 2008).
The UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis) conducts considerable analysis to support California’s carbon emission reduction policies. Faculty from ITS-Davis will provide this briefing to inform staff members from the House, Senate and federal agencies. The Institute will present four talks to explain the basis and current implementation stage of four key California low-carbon transportation strategies: its low carbon fuel standard (LCFS), a renewed consideration of feebates, PHEV roll-out strategies, and tools to support smart land use under SB 375.
The Institute has a strong history of engagement with federal agencies such as U.S. DOT, U.S. DOE, U.S. EPA, and the USDA. This ITS-Davis briefing will be informed by past federal studies, and the Institute’s broad connections to government, industry, academia, and environmental NGOs.
Background on ITS-Davis
ITS-Davis organizes the most active university-based transportation energy program in the U.S. Its programs are internationally recognized and include 50 affiliated faculty and researchers, 111 graduate students, and a $6 million annual budget. ITS-Davis runs the nation’s most comprehensive comparative analysis of future fuels and vehicles, the 22-member Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways (STEPS) research program. The Institute’s mission is to serve the needs of society by organizing and conducting multidisciplinary research on emerging and important transportation issues, disseminating this research through conferences and scholarly publications, and enhancing the quality and breadth of transportation education. By partnering with industry, government, and NGOs, ITS-Davis has successfully contributed to and advanced public discourse on key transportation energy issues.
Two Billion Cars Book by Sperling and Gordon now available
Attendees of this briefing may be interested in the new book by UC Davis’ Dan Sperling and his co-author Deborah Gordon Two Billion Cars. For more information and to order, click here.