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1 [1] (September 3, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbaxi0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Conresina Reeac Serc S September 3, 2019 Climate Change and the America's Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019 (S. 2302) Highway, public transportation, and rail programs are authorized through FY2020 by the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (P.L. 114-94). In August 2019, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works reported a bill that would reauthorize the highway elements of surface transportation programs from FY2021 through FY2025. The bill, S. 2302, the America's Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019, would be the first surface transportation authorization act to include major provisions that address climate change. Surface transportation is a major source of carbon dioxide (C02) in the atmosphere, the main human-related greenhouse gas (GHG) contributing to climate change. At the same time, the effects of climate change, such as extreme heat, sea level rise, and stronger storms, pose a threat to transportation infrastructure. S. 2302 seeks to address these two aspects of climate change with mitigation provisions that aim to reduce GHG emissions from surface transportation and adaptation provisions that aim to make the surface transportation system more resilient to a changing climate. Climate Change Mitigation Transportation is the largest source of GHG emissions in the United States, and thus is a target of emission reduction efforts to mitigate future climate change. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that, in 2017, transportation accounted for 29% of U.S. man-made GHG emissions. GHG emissions from the transportation sector come mainly from cars and light trucks (Figure 1). Total GHG emissions from transportation increased by 22% between 1990 and 2017, but peaked in 2005. Total emissions were about 6% less in 2017 than in 2005, but have increased since 2012. Most GHG emissions from the sector are due to the release of CO2 from the combustion of gasoline and diesel fuel. Other GHGs, such as methane, make up about 3% of emissions from transportation. GHG emissions from transportation are largely a function of three factors: vehicle fuel efficiency, the carbon content of fuel, and vehicle miles traveled. Vehicle fuel efficiency is regulated by the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, administered by the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and GHG emissions standards, administered by EPA. The CAFE standards are established under the authority of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended, and the GHG standards under the authority of the Clean Air Act, as amended. Neither is commonly legislated in surface transportation authorizations. Figure I. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Transportation in the United States, 1990-2017 Millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent 2,000Total transportation 1,800 1,600 1,400 1,200 Cars and light tru cks 1,000 - 800 600 Heavy and medium trucks 400 Aircraft 200 Other 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Source: Environmental Protection Agency. Note: Other includes buses, motorcycles, ships and boats, rail, and pipelines. Other climate mitigation policies affecting surface transportation are generally the indirect effects of policies enacted for other reasons. For example, the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program, part of the Federal-Aid Highway Program, provides federal funding for projects that contribute to the attainment of ambient air pollution standards for ozone, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter. This typically involves projects that reduce pollutant emissions from cars and trucks that also co-emit CO2. Other surface transportation programs that may contribute indirectly to the reduction of GHG emissions include the Transportation Alternatives program, which funds projects such as bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and the federal public transportation program. Climate Change Adaptation Climate change is likely to include higher average temperatures, greater extremes of temperature, more precipitation overall with an increase in precipitation intensity and greater variation, and a rise in sea level. Climate change may also lead to fewer but stronger hurricanes. While the consequences of some of these changes may depend to some extent on other human activities, such as urban development patterns, they are likely to include an increase in extreme heat; fewer days below freezing; more coastal, riverine, and flash flooding; and more droughts and wildfires. Intense precipitation could lead to more mudslides, particularly following droughts and wildfires. https:/crsreports.congress go

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