PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island has partnered with 18 other U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions as part of a multistate coalition that developed and released an action plan to reach 100% zero-emission trucks, vans and buses by 2050, Gov. Daniel J. McKee and the R.I. Department of Environmental Management announced Friday.
The Multi-State Zero-Emission Vehicle Task Force – comprised of 17 states, the District of Columbia and the Canadian province of Quebec and facilitated by the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management – developed the Multi-State Medium- and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicle Action Plan, which provides a road map to make 30% of new medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sales be zero-emission vehicles by 2030 and 100% of sales be zero-emission vehicles no later than 2050, while directly tackling deadly climate and air pollution from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
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The action plan includes more than 65 strategies and recommendations for policymakers to rapidly and equitably accelerate electric truck and bus adoption, including vehicle sales and purchase requirements such as the advanced clean trucks regulation, vehicle and infrastructure purchase incentives, utility investment in charging infrastructure, innovative financing mechanisms, workforce development programs, and deployment of public charging in communities and along travel corridors.
“We are excited about this regional opportunity for Rhode Island because of its helpful impacts on climate change and public health,” McKee said in a statement. “Reducing diesel emissions while increasing the number of zero-emission vehicles on our roads will reduce total greenhouse gas emissions and result in cleaner air for everyone, but especially vulnerable communities along the urban corridor that are disproportionately affected by dirty air.”
The plan highlights the economic and job opportunities associated with medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicle market growth and the benefits of multistate collaboration. The plan recommends partnerships with the trucking industry, community groups, labor groups, educational institutions and others to develop workforce training and retraining programs, and identifies key labor issues affecting workers.
The plan also places a sharp focus on the need for a just and equitable transition for overburdened and underserved communities and workers, while emphasizing the need for a “whole-of-government” approach across government agencies to ensure that transportation electrification policies deliver benefits where they are needed most.
Under the 2021 Act on Climate, Rhode Island is required to reduce its overall greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030, 90% by 2040, and to reach net-zero by 2050.
“Meeting Rhode Island’s mandates pursuant to the Act on Climate requires solutions on both a regional and local scale, and this initiative will help us meet our mandates,” McKee said.
