(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . President Biden Has Yet ANOTHER Path to Saving the Planet! Boosting Biden Day 97 [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-05-22 The U.S. freight system is vital to our nation’s economy. Trucks, ships, trains, and planes move 55 million tons of goods worth more than $49 billion every day. But while emissions in this sector are down, it’s still our biggest source of climate pollution. Emissions from moving freight still threaten millions of Americans with asthma, heart disease, emphysema and more. What’s more, air quality disparities have gotten worse in the last decade even as air pollution levels have fallen. So an even bigger slice of the population at risk is people of color, who have nearly eight times more pediatric asthma and a 1.3 times higher risk of dying early because of pollutants. Guess who’s doing something about it? You guessed it, Handsome Joe!! President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is supporting solutions that address harmful pollution — and has spurred $165 billion of private sector investments in zero-emission vehicle technologies. On April 24, the Administration announced a first-ever national goal to transition to a zero-emissions freight sector for truck, rail, aviation and marine freight movers, while better protecting Americans at risk: This new commitment to zero-emissions freight aligns with and supports President Biden’s existing goals for a carbon pollution-free energy sector by 2035 and for achieving net-zero emissions from the transportation sector by 2050. It also aligns with the Administration’s commitment to work with other countries to find pathways and implementation actions that enable zero-emissions medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to reach 30 percent of new sales in 2030 and 100 percent of new sales by 2040. As you can imagine, working on a goal this big will require a lot of moving parts. One major effort will supercharge progress towards cleaner heavy-duty vehicles, served by better infrastructure. The Environmental Protection Agency is announcing today a nearly $1 billion funding opportunity for cities, states and Tribes through President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to replace Class 6 and Class 7 heavy duty vehicles — which include school buses, trash trucks, and delivery trucks — with zero-emissions vehicles. The funding will support infrastructure to charge, fuel and maintain heavy-duty zero emission vehicles, along with workforce development and training to get this work done. Under the requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act, at least $400 million of the program’s funding will serve communities dealing with significant air pollution. Two other big efforts will make cities, schools and ports safer for everyone — especially areas struggling with high air pollution. The Department of Transportation is announcing the first tranche of its $400 million Reduction of Truck Emissions at Port Facilities Grant Program to improve air quality and reduce pollution for truck drivers, port workers and families that live in communities surrounding ports. The Department of Energy is also announcing a $72 million investment to establish a “SuperTruck: Charged” program that will demonstrate how vehicle-grid integration enables depots and truck stops to provide affordable, reliable charging while increasing grid resiliency. And there’s lots more — this is huge! Evergreen Action summed up the progress to come in Keep on Trucking: The Biggest Coordinated Investment in Freight Electrification Is Here: This plan will coordinate and accelerate billions in cross-sector investments to build the charging infrastructure needed to bolster our grid, electrify trucks, and achieve a completely zero-emission freight network by 2040. It’s a huge deal, representing the largest-ever coordinated investment in cleaning up our freight supply chain. The outcome of decades-long advocacy [ . . . ], this plan will cut pollution, create tens of thousands of jobs, catalyze private-sector investment, and help companies meet pollution reduction targets. It will bring clean air and massive health benefits to the predominantly Black, Brown, and low-income communities living near port and freight infrastructure. Lawmakers and stakeholders across the country revealed lots of enthusiasm for this. It’s not just green activists — there were cheers from trade associations like NATSO, which represents the travel plaza and truck stop industry in the U.S., and SIGMA, which represents fuel marketers and chain retailers in the U.S. and Canada. David Fialkov, executive vice president of government affairs for NATSO and SIGMA, said, "We’re grateful that the Biden administration is recognizing the critical link between how freight moves today and the efficient buildout of a nationwide network of charging stations for medium and heavy-duty trucks. “For this to work, it needs to impose minimal disruption on how businesses operate today. This plan recognizes that." Other groups expressing support included the Union of Concerned Scientists, CALSTART, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Earth Justice, which said: The future is electric for how we move goods across this country. [. . .] It’s time to lift the burdens of diesel pollution from communities living in the shadow of railyards, ports, mega-warehouses, and freeways with zero-emissions solutions. Is there still more work to be done? 100%! Lots more work. But Biden has done so much more than many people guessed could be done. He deserves a lot of credit. AND he deserves to be re-elected. What can you do to help? Your donation will come bundled with others from our Good News community and will show Biden that there are many of us who support him and combine hard work with optimism in our battles for a better America! Want to do something else? Rec and comment on these posts to keep them alive at DKos and share them with others who might not realize how great a president Joe Biden has been. Looking for something else? Here are some other ideas: This is an entry in my ongoing series Boosting Biden. Check the comments for more information on how to find other entries and subscribe. These posts are written by Goodnewsroundup (Goodie), edited by Matilda Briggs, supported by 2thanks and WolverineForTJatAW, and reinforced by several other notable Kossacks! As with all good things, it takes a village. 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