Coalition plans to cut down emissions from transportation

BOSTON — A coalition of nine Northeast and mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia have announced an agreement to work to impose regional limits on carbon emissions from transportation sources.

The goal of the landmark agreement, announced Tuesday, is to create “a regional low-carbon transportation policy proposal that would cap and reduce carbon emissions from the combustion of transportation fuels through a capand-invest program.”

The group said emissions from transportation sources account for the largest portion of the region’s carbon pollution.

The states will work to draft a more detailed plan within a year. At that time each state will decide whether to formally adopt the policy. Proceeds from the program would go toward developing low-carbon and more resilient transportation infrastructure — from bike lanes to public transit to zero-emission vehicles.

The agreement is in part a recognition of the role that transportation plays in the release of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

The agreement was endorsed by Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

A joint statement released by the states and DC says they will work together to decide key elements of a final deal including: the level at which to cap emissions; monitoring and reporting guidelines to ensure a decline in emissions over time; shared priorities for investment of proceeds, and clear timelines for putting a final deal in place.

The deal, if finalized, would be modeled after the nine-state regional “capand-invest” system for power plant emission known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said the agreement reflects the urgency of the challenges posed by carbon emissions.

“Do not be fooled by the climate change deniers in Washington, climate change is real and if we do not take significant action now to reduce carbon emissions the harm to our economy, communities, and the planet will be irrevocable,” Malloy said in press release.