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Suggested Citation:"Contents." Transportation Research Board. 2011. Policy Options for Reducing Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Transportation: Special Report 307. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13194.
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Page 15
Page 16
Suggested Citation:"Contents." Transportation Research Board. 2011. Policy Options for Reducing Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Transportation: Special Report 307. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13194.
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Page 16

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Contents Summary 1 1 Study Purpose and Background 15 Why Examine Policies for a Single Sector, Transportation? 18 Informing Transportation Policy Choices 23 Transportation’s Current Dependence on Fossil Fuels 24 Outlook for Transportation Energy Use 27 Transportation Energy Use and GHG Buildup 30 Report Organization 34 2 U.S. Transportation Today 37 Scale, Scope, and Patterns of Personal and Goods Transportation 38 Energy Performance of Major Transport Modes 52 Considerations Affecting the Adoption of Fuel-Saving and GHG-Reducing Technologies 72 Summary Assessment 76 3 Transportation Policy Landscape 79 Overview of Decision Makers and Actors 81 Current Policies to Reduce Energy Use and Emissions 88 New and Proposed Policies 97 Summary Assessment 99 4 Factors Driving Modal Energy Use and Emissions 101 Factors Influencing Trends in Light-Duty Vehicles 102 Heavy-Duty Trucks 111 Air Passenger Transportation 125 Other Modes 129 Summary Assessment 129

5 Policy Options to Reduce Transportation’s Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions 133 Transportation Policies in the National Context 133 Transportation-Specific Policy Options 139 Transportation Fuel Taxes 140 Vehicle Efficiency Standards 149 Feebates as Financial Incentives 154 Low-Carbon Fuel Standards 157 Measures to Curb Private-Vehicle Travel 159 Measures Targeted to Freight and Passenger Service 168 Summary Assessment 173 6 Informing the Choices Ahead 179 Aligning Strategic Interests and Policies 182 Research to Inform Strategic Policy Making 188 Concluding Observations 190 Appendix: Scientific Concern over Greenhouse Gas Buildup 193 Study Committee Biographical Information 199

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Policy Options for Reducing Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Transportation: Special Report 307 Get This Book
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TRB Special Report 307: Policy Options for Reducing Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Transportation examines the potential for policies to yield major changes in transportation energy use and emissions trends by policy measures targeting cars and light trucks, medium and heavy trucks, and commercial airliners. These three modes are by far the largest users of energy by U.S. transportation because they account for the vast majority of passenger trips and freight.

According to the committee that produced the report, it will take more than tougher fuel economy standards for U.S. transportation to significantly cut national petroleum use over the next half century. It will likely require a combination of measures that foster consumer and supplier interest in vehicle fuel economy, alternative fuels, and a more efficient transportation system.

Major policy options examined in the report-fuel taxes, vehicle efficiency standards, fuel standards, infrastructure investments, and coordinated transportation and land use planning-have the potential to bring about large energy and emissions savings from these modes over time; however, each option presents particular challenges with respect to the scope and timing of its impacts. The report suggests that combining transportation policy options to increase the timeliness and expand the scale and scope of the response may be warranted.

Saving energy in transportation can have important implications for the cost of securing the world's oil supplies, since transportation accounts for most of the petroleum consumed in the United States. It can also help with controlling the buildup of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which will require major reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from economic sectors that are heavy users of carbon-rich fossil fuels. Scientific analyses and models indicate a need to stabilize atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and other GHGs by the middle of this century to reduce the risks of climate change. A response by the transportation sector to this energy and emissions challenge will be important because it produces between one-quarter and one-third of all of the CO2 emitted from the country's energy consumption.

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