Gov. Brown says the new state report should establish “clear targets to improve freight efficiency, transition to zero-emission technologies, and increase competitiveness.”
California Governor Jerry Brown has ordered development of an “integrated action plan” on freight transportation.
Issued on Friday, Executive Order B-32-15 gives members of his administration until July 2016 to create a plan that “establishes clear targets to improve freight efficiency, transition to zero-emission technologies, and increase competitiveness of California’s freight system.”
Brown said the state’s freight transportation system “is responsible for one-third of the State’s economy and jobs, with freight-dependent industries accounting for over $700 billion in revenue and over 5 million jobs in 2013.”
California has recently set new, aggressive targets for reducing pollution, including decreasing greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and cutting petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to half from current levels by 2030.
The state has also established strategies to prepare for climate change, and the order says freight transportation in California generates a high portion of local pollution in parts of the state with poor air quality and an increasing contribution of greenhouse gas emissions.
Brown ordered the plan to be prepared by the secretaries of the California State Transportation Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency, and the California Natural Resources Agency together with other state departments including the California Air Resources Board, the California Department of Transportation, the California Energy Commission, and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.
The order notes, “California is the largest gateway for international trade and domestic commerce in the nation” and “significant investments in freight infrastructure are necessary to ensure the continued economic competitiveness of our state.”
The Pacific Merchant Shipping Association President John McLaurin applauded the order in a statement from the PMSA, saying it “recognizes the competitive pressures faced by California ports and directs the creation of a balanced plan which will ensure that ports have an opportunity to grow while also taking the next steps in our already successful environmental improvement programs.”
“Additional cargo through California ports is good not only for the economy but for the environment, as California ports are leading the way in air quality improvement investments,” said McLaurin. “Today’s executive order is a good first step towards ensuring that California’s efforts to reduce emissions are sustainable both environmentally and economically.”
Adrienne Alvord, director for California and Western States at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), said her organization was “very pleased to see Governor Brown make a clear commitment to clean up California’s freight system, taking action that will be critical to both the health and well-being of Californians and to the continued growth of our state’s economy.
“Freight emissions in California caused 2,200 premature deaths and health effects totaling $20 billion in 2012. Moreover, the costs of freight pollution are not evenly felt by all Californians. The health impacts from freight pollution are disproportionately borne by low-income communities and communities of color that live in close proximity to highways, ports, and railyards that move goods through the state,” said Alvord.
“While our economy depends on trucks, trains, and ships to move goods to market, the freight system is a big source of air pollution and a significant and growing, contributor to global warming. To provide clean air and a safer climate, California needs a modern freight system that cuts oil use, air pollution and carbon emissions wherever possible,” she added.
“A successful clean freight action plan will require a clear commitment to funding, regulations, and infrastructure investments to commercialize advanced technologies like electric batteries and hydrogen fuel cells for heavy-duty vehicles over the next 20 years,” she said.
California to develop freight transportation action plan
