On December 17, the Biden-Harris Administration hosted the first White House Sustainable Freight Workshop. The event gathered around 100 stakeholders from various sectors to discuss reducing emissions in the freight system while maintaining economic vitality under President Biden's Investing in America agenda. This workshop aimed to develop a national zero-emissions freight strategy by involving federal agencies, industry leaders, and environmental organizations.
The freight sector, including maritime, rail, and trucking, is vital to the U.S. transportation system, moving over 20 billion tons of goods worth more than $18 trillion annually. It is also a significant source of climate pollution and local air pollutants that disproportionately affect communities of color and low-income families. Globally, it contributes approximately eight percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
The Biden-Harris Administration has introduced several initiatives to accelerate decarbonization within this sector. These include $3 billion from the EPA’s Clean Ports Program and $735 million for zero-emission commercial vehicles. Additionally, $2.4 billion from the Department of Transportation's CRISI grants will support low- and zero-emission locomotives.
The workshop highlighted aligning maritime, rail, and trucking industries with sustainability goals through recent strategies like the National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization and the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy announced earlier this year.
Among key actions announced was the Electrification Coalition's launch of the Sustainable Freight Partners Group to coordinate emission reduction efforts across different transport modes. The Department of Energy also discussed implementing modal action plans for scaling low-emission fuels in marine vessels and designing a future rail network for low-emission locomotives.
A Zero Emissions Freight Map developed by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation was unveiled at the workshop. It showcased over 700 projects worth $12.8 billion aligned with public-private investments in zero-emission technologies.
Environmental groups participated in a social media campaign #RouteZeroWeek to promote clean transportation initiatives supported by significant investments in advanced technologies throughout the U.S.
