AASHTO hosts climate change symposium

State DOTs share ideas

Jon Boyd, Aug 08, 10.

The AASHTO National Climate Change Symposium facilitated a discussion about how states can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, reports the AASHTO Journal:

Despite a lack of action by Congress this session on a comprehensive energy and climate-change bill, numerous state transportation departments are taking steps to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions before the problems associated with a warming climate get worse, experts told attendees at a seminar Thursday in Washington.

The National Climate Change Symposium—sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials [AASHTO], the Federal Highway Administration, and the Federal Transit Administration—concludes today. It has brought together transportation officials from across the country to discuss the climate challenges facing the transportation sector—responsible for 29% of the greenhouse-gas emissions in the United States—and how they can be resolved.

“To progress toward energy independence and address the issue of global climate change, transportation policies are needed to aid in reducing dependence on foreign oil and energy consumption,” said AASHTO Executive Director John Horsley, who addressed the symposium Thursday morning.

Last month, the Senate abandoned efforts to pass a comprehensive climate bill, as reported in Houston Tomorrow. The AASHTO Journal mentioned efforts by Washington DOT (WSDOT), New York DOT (NYSDOT), and EPA to reduce GHG. Most of these were related to fuel efficiency and improved technology, but WSDOT said part of their strategy is reduction of vehicle traveled (VMT), as reported in the AASHTO Journal.

(Photo credit: biofriendly)