FACT SHEET A Plan Is Needed to Reduce Emissions, Boost Revenue, and Ensure Reliable Transit

The Union of Concerned Scientists proposes a transportation-based cap-and-invest program for New York State, citing the success of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in the power sector. The document highlights that transportation is the largest source of emissions in New York and a major cause of health issues in New York City. It suggests that such a program could raise over $1.2 billion annually to fund electric vehicle infrastructure, public transit, and climate resilience.

• Transportation is the primary source of emissions in New York State, and its share has been increasing for at least 30 years. To meet the state's target of reducing emissions to 40 percent of 1990 levels by 2030, transportation emissions must be cut by nearly half within 12 years.
• Transportation pollution significantly impacts public health in New York City, where particulate matter from gasoline and diesel combustion is linked to at least 3,000 annual deaths from heart and lung disease, 2,000 hospital admissions, and 6,000 emergency room visits for asthma.
• Low-income households are disproportionately affected by transportation costs and pollution. In large US metropolitan areas, families earning between $20,000 and $50,000 spend an average of 30 percent of their income on transportation.
• New York City faces extreme vulnerability to climate change and congestion; it is the third most congested city globally, and its sea levels have risen by 1.2 inches per decade, which is double the global rate.
• The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a power sector cap-and-invest program involving nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, generated over $4 billion between 2009 and 2017 and helped reduce New York's power sector CO2 emissions by more than 5 million tons from 2009 to 2015.
• Implementing a cap-and-invest program specifically for transportation in New York could generate more than $1.2 billion annually to be invested in electric vehicle (EV) charging, clean bus fleets, and car-free alternatives.
• Electrification is presented as the most cost-effective modernization strategy, reducing reliance on oil imports—which cost the state $9.6 billion for gasoline and $6.7 billion for other petroleum products in 2015—and providing more stable fuel costs for drivers.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2018). FACT SHEET A Plan Is Needed to Reduce Emissions, Boost Revenue, and Ensure Reliable Transit. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/07/cv-factsheet-ny-capandtrade_0.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. FACT SHEET A Plan Is Needed to Reduce Emissions, Boost Revenue, and Ensure Reliable Transit. 2018. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/07/cv-factsheet-ny-capandtrade_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=FACT SHEET A Plan Is Needed to Reduce Emissions, Boost Revenue, and Ensure Reliable Transit |date=July 2018 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/07/cv-factsheet-ny-capandtrade_0.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2018fact, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{FACT SHEET A Plan Is Needed to Reduce Emissions, Boost Revenue, and Ensure Reliable Transit}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2018}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/07/cv-factsheet-ny-capandtrade_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }