USDOT Transportation and Climate Change Newsletter – March 2009

April 21, 2009 at 6:28 pm

(Source: USDOT – Office of Planning, Environment and Realty, Federal Highway Administration)

Recent Events

 Secretary LaHood Announces Recovery Act Funding for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction. On March 24, USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood announced the availability of $100 million in federal funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, 2009, for the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction grant program. Projects will compete for a portion of the funds on the basis of how much their proposed capital investment is expected to reduce either energy consumption or greenhouse gases, or both, among other measures. FTA will post application instructions and additional information on its website atwww.fta.dot.gov.CLEAN TEA Bills Introduced to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions. On March 11, US Senators Thomas Carper (D-Del.) and Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) and Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) with several co-sponsors, introduced legislation that would establish a low greenhouse gas transportation fund (S. 575 and H.R. 1329). The Clean Low-Emissions Affordable New Transportation Equity Act, or CLEAN TEA, would be funded by 10 percent of the money generated from the auction of greenhouse gas emissions allowances in a climate change bill. For more information, see the text of H.R. 1329.

EPA Seeks Comment on Annual U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory. On March 4, EPA released a draft of their annual inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2007. The report indicates that CO2 emissions from transportation sources were 0.34 percent higher in 2007 than in 2006. The draft report will be open for public comment through April 9.

Reps. Waxman and Markey Release Draft of Joint Energy and Climate Legislation. The draft of “American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009,” released on March 31, includes a proposal for a cap and trade program and several provisions related to the transportation sector. It includes requirements to establish transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions goals and inclusion of a plan to achieve those goals in some metropolitan long-range transportation plans and transportation improvement programs. The legislation also calls for greenhouse gas emission standards on new vehicles including heavy duty on-road and non-road, marine, locomotive, and aircraft engines. Full text of the proposed legislation is available here

State News

CaliforniaReleases Proposed Regulations for Low Carbon Fuel Standard. On March 5, 2009, the California Air Resources Board released proposed regulations for a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), which would require transportation fuel providers to lower the life-cycle carbon intensity of their fuels over the next decade. For more information, see CARB’s website for the rulemaking.

Pew Center for Global Climate Change – State Climate Action Plans. The Pew Center keeps a database of comprehensive Climate Action Plans which have been completed by many states. For more information, see the Pew Center’s State Climate Action Plans Clickable Map.

Announcements

DOE Funding Available for Transportation Projects that Conserve Energy. The America Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 appropriated $3.2 billion for The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. Transportation strategies are eligible for funding. Eligible transportation projects include, but are not limited to:

  • Employee flex time programs;
  • Promoting use of satellite work centers;
  • Development and promotion of zoning guidelines or requirements that promote energy efficient development;
  • Development of infrastructure such as bike lanes and pathways and pedestrian walkways;
  • Synchronization of traffic signals;
  • State/locals/regional integrated planning activities (i.e. transportation, housing, environmental, energy, land use) with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled;
  • Incentive programs to reduce commutes by single occupancy vehicles;
  • Improvements in operational and system efficiency of the transportation system such as implementation of intelligent transportation system (ITS) strategies;
  • Idle-reduction technologies and/or facilities to conserve energy, reduce harmful air pollutants, and greenhouse gas emissions from freight movement; and
  • Installation of solar panels on interstate rights-of-way to conserve energy in highway operations and maintenance activities.

For more information about the funding, including deadlines and how to apply, see DOE’s EECBG Homepage.

2009 Transportation, Planning, Land Use and Air Quality Conference to focus on Climate Change. The conference, sponsored by the Transportation Research Board, FHWA, and others, will explore the latest research in the coordination of transportation, land use and air quality with a specific focus on climate change strategies. The conference will be held in Denver, CO July 28 and 29, 2009. For more information, visit theconference website.

Asset Management and Adapting to Climate Change Webinar, April 23. FHWA’s Office of Asset Management in cooperation with AASHTO is conducting a webinar that will provide an overview of climate change and management of highway infrastructure and will focus on the issue of adapting transportation infrastructure to the effects of climate change. This is one in a series of free webinars that FHWA and AASHTO conduct quarterly to provide support to transportation agencies as they develop and implement asset management programs. The webinar will be held 1:00-2:30 Eastern Time. To connect, click here and dial 1-800-988-0375, code CCW for the audio.

Job Opening: FHWA Sustainable Transport and Climate Change Team Leader. FHWA is seeking a GS-15 Team Leader to head our recently formed Sustainable Transportation and Climate Change Team. The position is open to all applicants and closes April 7. For more information and to apply, see the OPM job announcement number FHWA.HEP-2009-0007.

Reminders

U.S. DOT Launches Web-Based Clearinghouse of Transportation, Climate Change Resources. The USDOT has launched a new, web-based clearinghouse of information on transportation and climate change. The site provides an introduction to climate change and transportation and related information on greenhouse gas inventories and forecasts, methodologies for analyzing greenhouse gases from transportation, climate change and adaptation, and federal, state and local actions on transportation and climate change. The site also includes a calendar of events and will soon be enhanced to provide an opportunity for users to post and respond to discussions and receive updates by email. To access the site, go to: http://climate.dot.gov.

Transportation Research Board Starts a New Climate Change website. Transportation Research Board (TRB) has a new website offering information on TRB activities and products addressing transportation and climate change. To access the site, go to: http://tris.trb.org/climatechange/.

If you have any suggestions for inclusion in future issues of Transportation and Climate Change News, or if someone forwarded this newsletter to you and you would like to receive it directly in the future, please send your suggestions or request to Becky Lupes at Rebecca.Lupes@dot.gov.

Virgin America Becomes First US Airline to Report Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions

April 21, 2009 at 3:29 pm

 (Source: Virgin America & Tree Hugger)

California-based Virgin America (which is an entirely separate company than Virgin Atlantic, by the way…) has announced that it has become the first US airline to join The Climate Registry, committing to report all of its greenhouse gas emissions:

Young Fleet Helps Lower Emissions
Founded in 2007, Virgin Atlantic touts its fuel saving measures: It operates a very young fleet of aircraft (Airbus A320s) which on a fleet-wide basis means that Virgin America emits about 25% fewer emissions than other domestic carriers on the routes it flies. It also undertakes techniques such as single-engine taxiing, a limiting cruising speeds.

The Virgin America press release states that the airline’s move to voluntarily report emissions comes at a critical time as U.S. legislators and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have recently solicited public input about mandatory GHG emissions reporting policies. In addition, Congressmen Waxman (D-CA) and Markey (D-MA) recently proposed legislation that would require EPA to create greenhouse gas emissions standards for aircraft and aircraft engines by the end of 2012. 

“We are very pleased to welcome Virgin America as our first airline Member. The company is known for being a pioneer in delivering innovative service. Being a pioneer in environmental responsibility, though, makes a significant impact in addressing our very urgent issue of climate change. For taking such a visible leadership role among its peers and other businesses across the U.S., Virgin America should be recognized and serve as a model for other highly visible businesses,” said Diane Wittenberg, Executive Director of The Climate Registry.

Tata Motors sends executives on an environmental tour to Europe – looks to raise eco-awareness;

April 21, 2009 at 2:46 pm

(Source: Autobloggreen & Financial Times)

Executives at India’s Tata Motors admit that their company is a bit behind the times when it comes to environmental awareness when compared to established players in Europe. “We are behind as far as the world is concerned. There are many Scandinavian companies because they are more conscious of this than the rest of us,” says JJ Irani, a director for Tata’s automotive business. He adds, “We are not shy of learning.”

Img. Source: Flickr

“Tata is new at this game,” Mr Irani told the Financial Times, explaining that the Indian group had not concentrated much on environmentally friendly products until now.

 “What we wanted was the experience of other global conglomerates who have been on this journey before,” he said.

For this reason, Irani and a few of his colleagues are currently visiting a number of large European companies in an attempt to pick up a few pointers on how to improve their eco-credentials. In addition, the group has plans to meet with executives at some of the world’s largest oil companies. Irani hopes these meetings will allow Tata to “catch up faster” than if they were on their own.  Mr Irani said he was taking managers from Tata companies to see how other groups behaved. “We want to see what sort of problems they face and how they deal with it so we can catch up faster.”

Tata has come in for heavy criticism from some environmentalists about the Nano, the world’s cheapest car, but the Indian company retorts that it is more fuel-efficient than a motorbike.

Tata sees a big opportunity because it operates in some of the biggest polluting sectors such as power generation, steel manufacturing and chemicals and carmaking. It has set up a group dedicated to exploring ways of becoming more environmentally friendly and has about 100 people working on it across all its companies.

The Tata managers will also meet some grandees of the oil industry including Lord Browne, the former BP chief executive, and Lord Oxburgh, ex-chairman of Shell.

They will also visit executives at banks Standard Chartered and Deutsche Bank as well as Siemens, Europe’s largest engineering group.

On a related note, TATA is releasing its all-electric Indica for the Norwegian market and eventually for the rest of the world. 


Although the all-electric Tata Indica on display at the SAE World Congress in Detroit this week is not the soon-to-be-released model, there’s a lot we can learn from the vehicle – and from TM4’s Eriz Azeroual – about how the technology will be implemented when the new model goes on sale in Norway either later this year or in early 2010 (yes, this is later than previously expected).  A limited number of the Indica’s are already testing in Norway and the TM4 reps are heard saying that Tata Motors is “a cool company. Very aggressive.” Even though they’re most famous for the Nano and apparently wanting to dominate the low-end automobile market, in Europe market they want to be known for electric vehicles.   Norway is a perfect entry point to bring an EV to Europe because there is a high tax on gasoline-powered vehicles. The high cost of electric vehilces isn’t totally equalized by the taxes, but EVs and gas-powered vehicle prices end up being “comparable” in Norway.

New report from Brookings Institute – “Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany”

April 17, 2009 at 3:57 pm

(Source: The Brookings Institute)

To help improve the energy efficiency and overall environmental sustainability of the U.S. transportation system, we will need to adopt policies that foster changes in the way Americans travel. A new Brookings report “Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany” finds that Germany may offer valuable lessons. Like the United States, Germany is a federal republic but it has taken impressive steps to improve transportation options, link transportation planning to land use, and advance other reforms – all while empowering metropolitan action.

Lessons for the United States:

Public policy can play a major role in reshaping America’s transportation system. The German experience offers five lessons to the United States for improving transportation sustainability through changes in travel behavior:

Get the Price Right in order to encourage the use of less polluting cars, driving at non-peak hours and more use of public transportation
Integrate Transit, Cycling, and Walking as Viable Alternatives to the Car, as a necessary measure to make any sort of car-restrictive measures publicly and politically feasible
Fully Coordinate and Integrate Planning for Land Use and Transportation to discourage car-dependent sprawl and promote transit-oriented development
Public Information and Education to Make Changes Feasible are essential in conveying the benefits of more sustainable policies and enforcing their results over the long term
Implement Policies in Stages with a Long Term Perspective because it takes considerable time to gather the necessary public and political support and to develop appropriate measures.

Click here to download the report.  Here is the read-only version of the report.

GM calls for plug-in vehicle standards, says Standards Necessary for Consumer Acceptance of Electric Vehicles

April 16, 2009 at 7:55 pm

(Source: Autobloggreen & GM Fast Lane)
One of the factors that has helped to make cars so ubiquitous over the past century is standards. By standardizing things like fuel fillers, inflation nozzles on tires, 12V power sockets and countless other elements, automakers have been able make owning and operating a car much more practical. After all, if you had to drive around to 20 different gas stations to find one with a nozzle that fits your tank, it would be a real nuisance to drive. Most of those industry standards are defined by committees of the Society of Automotive Engineers. One of the standards currently being worked on is SAE J1772 which will define standard connectors for plug-in vehicles.  GM’s Fast Lane blog notes “with SAE J1772™, we’re defining what a common electric vehicle conductive charging system architecture will look like for all major automakers in North America, but more importantly, we’re working to resolve general physical, electrical and performance requirements so these systems can be manufactured for safe public use.

Through SAE, our industry is working together to answer fundamental questions about plug-in electric vehicles such as battery electrochemistry, optimal battery-size and state of charge, and lifecycle among other issues, but zeroing in on the ergonomics, safety and performance of the charging interface is one of the most basic ways we can help build consumer confidence in plug-ins.

Think about it, if you have no reservations or confusion about charging your vehicle, you’re probably going to be more likely to drive one. Drivers shouldn’t have to worry about electromagnetic compatibility, emission and immunity when they need to plug-in – that’s what engineers like me get paid to do.”

Chrysler enters the Electric Vehicle fray with sizzling hot Dodge Circuit

April 16, 2009 at 4:36 pm

(Source: AutoBlogGreen, CNNMoney)

Dodge Circuit, a two-seat roadster, could be Chrysler’s first step into electric cars, provided the company survives.

A battery-powered 268-horsepower two-seat sports car is in line to become Chrysler LLC’s first electric car, provided the carmaker lives to see another day.   

To survive, help is needed from Italy’s Fiat but, as negotiations with the Italian automaker bog down and the two week deadline to hammer out a partnership approaches, the company’s future – as well as its aspirations for an electric hot rod – are increasingly in doubt.

Chrysler’s first electric car, set to be introduced late next year around the same time as General Motors’ Chevrolet Volt, will be a sports car with a zero-to-60 time of under five seconds and a top speed of 120 miles hour.

It looks like the Dodge Circuit EV may have won the “who wants to be the first electric Chrysler concept to go into production” contest. Although they still haven’t officially made an announcement, Chrysler’s viability plan did list an “EV Roadster” as part of their 2010 product line. Based on the lightweight Lotus Europa and using drivetrain parts pilfered from UQM, the concept drew some fairly positive responses when it took on the newDodge Challenger in an impromptu drag race and later, when it got its crosshair makeover. Its 150 to 200 mile range is significantly higher than many other electric vehicles in the works and should add to its appeal.

“To be able to meet a 2010 timeline, you have to be pretty far along in development, and right now we are,” said Lou Rhodes, head of Chrysler’s electric car program, in a recent CNNMoney.com interview.

The Circuit is similar to the Tesla Roadster, a $109,000 sports car produced by a small California company. Pricing for the Circuit has not been announced but will likely undercut the Tesla.

Time examines the “Cash for Clunkers” initiative: A Deal to Help Detroit — and the Planet?

April 16, 2009 at 12:08 am

 (Source: Time)

A Lot Full of Old Clunkers For Sale

It’s no secret that one of the biggest reasons the U.S. auto industry is teetering on collapse is that, quite simply, Americans have stopped buying cars. U.S. auto sales were down 37% in March from 2008, the latest in a nearly unbroken year-and-a-half streak of falling sales. And if the cratered economy is the main culprit behind backed-up inventory at U.S. car dealers, another is that American automakers have failed to produce the more fuel-efficient vehicles that gas-price-conscious car buyers are beginning to demand. As a result, the U.S. still sends hundreds of billions of dollars overseas for oil — and adds ever more greenhouse-gas pollution into the atmosphere. 

Now what if there were a way to tackle both these problems with one policy: to stimulate demand for American cars while making the U.S. auto fleet cleaner, greener and more efficient? It sounds like the kind of slick two-for-one pitch you might hear from a used-car salesman, but that’s exactly what proponents of a “cash for clunkers” program are promising.

In its broad outlines, the prospective policy — for which a number of proposals have been put forward in Congress — would offer Americans cash rebates of up to several thousand dollars if they traded in an old, inefficient car for a new, greener one. The ailing U.S. automakers would receive a shot in the arm — potentially worth up to 2 million additional sales a year — while polluting cars would be taken off the road and replaced with more efficient ones. (All cash-for-clunkers programs require the old cars to be scrapped rather than resold.) “There are significant environmental advantages and substantive benefits for the auto sector,” says Benjamin Goldstein, a policy analyst for left-leaning think tank the Center for American Progress. “This goes right for the source of the problem, for vehicles sales and for oil use.”

But is cash-for-clunkers really two-for-one? That depends. There are currently two main bills in the House and Senate, which, according to greens, are not created equal. One, sponsored by Democratic Ohio Representative Betty Sutton, allows any car from model year 2000 or earlier to be traded in, without any restriction on fuel economy. In return, car buyers will get $4,000 if they buy a new U.S. car that gets a minimum mileage of 27 m.p.g. and $5,000 if they buy a U.S. car with at least 30 m.p.g. Crucially, the new cars have to be made in the U.S. — foreign brands can qualify, but only if they’re manufactured on U.S. soil, which would disqualify super-efficient vehicles like Toyota’s Prius hybrid, made only in Japan.

Whichever bill is chosen — and others are being circulated as well — a successful cash-for-clunkers program wouldn’t be cheap. Germany’s program may end up costing the government some $6 billion, three times the initial price tag. Since Obama has said that money for the cash-for-clunkers program needs to come out of existing stimulus spending, that might take some creative accounting. But a cash-for-clunkers program, whatever its environmental benefits, would provide the government with a way to aid the domestic auto industry without giving Detroit any more direct handouts. “There’s a lot of justifiable taxpayer reluctance to keep helping the auto industry,” says Goldstein of the Center for American Progress. “Politically this is a viable alternative to sending them additional loan money.”

Click here to read the rest of this article.

Note:  Below is a list of articles on this issue, previously published on TransportGooru.  This compilation of articles offer an insight into state of various “Cash for Clunkers” style programs implemented (or currently being debated) across the globe (Germany, UK, etc,). Stay plugged in to TransportGooru for more on this topic in the days to come.

 Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) Act revives “Cash for Clunkers” scrapping plan in U.S

Germany plans to extend Abwrackprämie aka “Environmental Bonus”

The bickering starts over the implementation of the Cash for Clunkers legislation

Obama Favors “Cash for Clunkers”

Germany increases subsidy to 5 Billion Euros, tripling incentives for its “Cash for Clunker” (Abwrackprämie) program

Britain mulls implementation of “Cash for Clunkers” scheme to boost ailing auto sales 

Where the US stands in pushing “Cash for Clunkers”- Four bills in Congress; Details Needed

Goodbye, Gas Guzzlers? – Washington Post editorial analyses the keys to succesful implementation of US’ Cash for Clunkers” initiative

Goodbye, Gas Guzzlers? – Washington Post editorial analyses the keys to succesful implementation of US’ Cash for Clunkers” initiative

April 15, 2009 at 12:42 am

(Source: Washington Post

Without higher gas taxes, ‘cash for clunkers’ won’t do the job 

CAR SALES in Germany jumped an astonishing 40 percent in March, thanks in large part to a “cash for clunkers” program in which the government gave those handing over old-model cars roughly $5,000 toward the purchase of newer, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Lawmakers in the United States have crafted similar proposals, hoping both to provide a boost to the U.S. auto industry and to spur sales of environmentally friendlier cars. But even the best of these proposals is not likely to provide the punch of the German initiative.

A bill co-sponsored by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) offers the most sensible approach. Buyers are eligible for vouchers worth $2,500 to $4,500 toward the purchase of a new car if they turn in older vehicles that get less than 18 miles to the gallon. The older vehicles would be junked and turned into scrap. The new car must have a sticker price of less than $45,000 and surpass fuel economy standards by 25 percent. Buyers may also apply the vouchers to fuel-efficient used cars manufactured after 2003. Vouchers could also be used for participating in public transportation programs. A similar proposal in the House provides credits only for vehicles made or assembled in North America; such a provision is problematic because it could violate free-trade agreements.

But would even a perfectly crafted program trigger the kind of spending spree witnessed in Germany? Unlikely, largely because of simple economics and human nature. In 1999, the German government began to gradually impose an additional tax on each gallon of gas beyond the existing tax; today, the additional tax stands at 50 cents, and high gas prices push consumers toward fuel-efficient cars or public transportation even without additional incentives. Yet the Germans did not stop there. The country announced at the start of this year that it would implement in July a new tax based on carbon dioxide emissions; the larger the car and the greater its emissions, the higher the tax. No wonder, then, that Germans flocked to take advantage of the cash-for-clunkers deal before driving becomes even more expensive.

Click here to read the entire article (free regn. required).  

Note:  Below is a list of articles on this issue, previously published on TransportGooru.  This compilation of articles offer an insight into state of various “Cash for Clunkers” style programs implemented (or currently being debated) across the globe (Germany, UK, etc,). Stay plugged in to TransportGooru for more on this topic in the days to come.

 Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) Act revives “Cash for Clunkers” scrapping plan in U.S

Germany plans to extend Abwrackprämie aka “Environmental Bonus”

The bickering starts over the implementation of the Cash for Clunkers legislation

Obama Favors “Cash for Clunkers”

Germany increases subsidy to 5 Billion Euros, tripling incentives for its “Cash for Clunker” (Abwrackprämie) program

Britain mulls implementation of “Cash for Clunkers” scheme to boost ailing auto sales 

Where the US stands in pushing “Cash for Clunkers”- Four bills in Congress; Details Needed

“Just 15 of the world’s biggest ships may now emit as much pollution as all the world’s 760m cars”

April 14, 2009 at 7:47 pm

One giant container ship can emit almost the same amount of cancer and asthma-causing chemicals as 50m cars, study finds

(Source: Guardian via Tree Hugger)

The Guardian has a pretty shocking piece about giant cargo ships and the pollution they emit. The title of this post is a line from “confidential data from maritime industry insiders”, and according to them, the low-grade ship bunker fuel that powers cargo ships has up to 2,000 times the sulphur content of diesel fuel used in US, and European automobiles and emission control is practically non-existent.  Here we can see that the primary concern with shipping is air-pollution (“US academic research which showed that pollution from the world’s 90,000 cargo ships leads to 60,000 deaths a year in the US alone and costs up to $330bn per year in health costs from lung and heart diseases”). It does contribute significantly to global warming, but about 5-6 times less than land-based transportation.

Shipping by numbers (From Guardian)The world’s biggest container ships have 109,000 horsepower engines which weigh 2,300 tons.

Each ship expects to operate 24hrs a day for about 280 days a year

There are 90,000 ocean-going cargo ships

Shipping is responsible for 18-30% of all the world’s nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution and 9% of the global sulphur oxide (SOx) pollution.

One large ship can generate about 5,000 tonnes of sulphur oxide (SOx) pollution in a year

70% of all ship emissions are within 400km of land.

85% of all ship pollution is in the northern hemisphere.

Shipping is responsible for 3.5% to 4% of all climate change emissions

The calculations of ship and car pollution are based on the world’s largest 85,790KW ships’ diesel engines which operate about 280 days a year generating roughly 5,200 tonnes of SOx a year, compared with diesel and petrol cars which drive 15,000km a year and emit approximately 101gm of SO2/SoX a year.

Where the US stands in pushing “Cash for Clunkers”- Four bills in Congress; Details Needed

April 13, 2009 at 4:09 pm

(Source: Tree Hugger)

Congress to Buy Old Cars.jpg

There are currently four bills in Congress focused on stimulating car sales by allowing people to trade an old car for a new one. There’s been lots of buzz, but not so many details. That’s starting to change as people such as Rep. Betty Sutton goes on the offensive for her own proposal .

There are currently four different proposals in Congress to stimulate stimulate car sales by way of incentives from the government to buy older, less fuel-efficient vehicles. Three are from the House of Representatives and one from the Senate . Already the topic has lit up the blogosphere with buzz about the opportunity for people to get $3,000.00 to $5,000.00 for exchanging that junker for a shiny, new automobile.Rep. Betty Sutton was on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street today talking about her version of the bill. With an official title of “To accelerate motor fuel savings nationwide and provide incentives to registered owners of high polluting automobiles to replace such automobiles with new fuel efficient and less polluting automobiles or public transportation” it’s easy to see why few details are in the media as of yet. The bill’s short title as introduced is Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act of 2009. Anchors Mark Haines and Erin Burnett posted questions about how the proposal may work.

Leader in the Pack 
Rep. Sutton’s Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) Act would give consumers incentives of $3,000 to $5,000 for turning in vehicles that are 8 years or older to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles or to obtain a transit voucher. She says that support is growing every day. The bill has gathered 21 co-sponsors so far, up from 19 a couple of weeks ago. The bill is still working out the metric of how cars would need to be traded in and what fuel efficiency would need to be for the new car. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has a similar proposal (with a short title of Accelerated Retirement of Inefficient Vehicles Act of 2009) that would mandate that the new car be 25% aboveCAFE standards . There has not been anything mentioned about how many cars one person or family can switch for the credit. Also, some states already have incentives for buying cleaner cars, so will individuals be able to get both state and federal credits? If so, in places like Texas , a person could get a combined total of as much as $8,500.00 for a new car.

Click here to read the entire article.  Here is the CNBC video of  the Cash for Clunkers featuring industry experts Dave McCurdy, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and John Wolkonowicz, IHS Global Insight.

 Note:  Below is a list of articles published on TransportGooru, offering insight into state of various “Cash for Clunkers” style programs implemented (or currently being debated) across the globe (Germany, UK, etc,).

 

Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) Act revives “Cash for Clunkers” scrapping plan in U.S

Germany plans to extend Abwrackprämie aka “Environmental Bonus”

The bickering starts over the implementation of the Cash for Clunkers legislation

Obama Favors “Cash for Clunkers”

Germany increases subsidy to 5 Billion Euros, tripling incentives for its “Cash for Clunker” (Abwrackprämie) program

Britain mulls implementation of “Cash for Clunkers” scheme to boost ailing auto sales