On July 11-12, the U.S. Department of Transportation hosted a Transportation and Climate Symposium in Washington, D.C., to recognize climate champions and innovative solutions aimed at decarbonizing transportation systems and creating more accessible mobility options for Americans.

The event gathered decision-makers from private and public sectors, including state, regional, Tribal, and local governments. The symposium highlighted how President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda—comprising the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and CHIPS and Science Act—is reducing climate emissions, protecting communities against climate change impacts, lowering costs for families, and creating jobs.

“Every transportation decision we make is also a climate decision,” said Acting Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy Christopher Coes. “This symposium is a celebration of the work we’ve done and will continue to do to build a cleaner, more resilient America thanks to President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”

Deputy Secretary of Transportation Polly Trottenberg opened the symposium with a keynote fireside chat alongside Damon Smith, General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). They discussed improving coordination between housing and transportation at the local level.

“There is no silver bullet for decarbonization,” said Trottenberg. “We are partnering with agencies like HUD to help communities with land-use decisions while providing more mobility choices.”

Damon Smith added that collaboration between DOT and HUD on transit-oriented development exemplifies efforts to create accessible, affordable communities.

Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt led a roundtable titled “The Cost of Inaction on Climate” featuring Francis Bouchard from Marsh McLennan and Martin Durbin from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. They emphasized actions to strengthen America's climate resilience through nationwide investments.

“Communities across the country are experiencing more frequent extreme-weather events due to climate change,” said Bhatt. “With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law running through FHWA, we are helping states recover from extreme weather events while building resilient infrastructure.”

White House Deputy National Climate Advisor Mary Frances Repko moderated another discussion on building sustainable transportation systems with various state transportation officials.

On the second day, officials from several federal departments discussed the importance of the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization in meeting President Biden’s goals for clean energy by 2035 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

"We are collaboratively laying the groundwork for a resilient transportation future," said Michael Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation and Fuels.

Solomon Greene from HUD noted that aging housing stock increases risks related to weather disasters while Vicki Arroyo from EPA highlighted efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through alternative transportation options.

Keynote remarks were delivered by White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi along with mayors Justin Bibb (Cleveland) and Satya Rhodes-Conway (Madison).

“Decarbonizing our transportation system is critical,” said Zaidi. “Under President Biden’s leadership, we are deploying historic investments that will spur domestic manufacturing and increase zero-emission vehicles across our system.”

USDOT leadership participated in discussions highlighting progress made under various initiatives including low- and no-emission buses programs funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Assistant Secretary Victoria Wassmer remarked on DOT's measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through substantial funding while Annie Petsonk called on airlines to advance their clean future commitments.

Additional sessions included insights into expanding electric vehicle infrastructure with nearly $15 billion investment through NEVI, CFI, PROTECT grant programs as noted by Kristin White of FHWA; new fuel economy standards discussed by Sophie Shulman of NHTSA; rail innovations described by Jennifer Mitchell of FRA; support for low-emission transit outlined by Matt Welbes of FTA; among others.

The event concluded with discussions on philanthropic investments augmenting federal climate funding led by representatives from Kresge Foundation, McKnight Foundation, New York Community Trust along with closing plenary featuring AFL-CIO's Sam Smith discussing clean transportation economy futures.