Aligning California’s Transportation Funding with Its Climate Policies

California has established itself as a leader in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation. At the same time, the state has not reflected its ambitious policies for GHG reduction and climate action in its practices for allocating state transportation funding. This white paper reviews the complex systems through which California generates and allocates state revenue for transportation investment. It finds that the state’s framework for funding transportation is disconnected from its climate goals. The paper also suggests preliminary steps for revising this framework to reinforce GHG reduction goals. Such recommendations are particularly salient given the state’s recently completed study of road user charges as an alternative transportation revenue source. Implementation of road charges – or any other new or revised transportation revenue source – would need to address the disposition of revenues generated. The paper argues that California should use any such opportunity to align the distribution of state transportation dollars with its climate objectives, not fall back on status quo allocation practices.

• Record URL:
  • https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%253A%252F13030%252Fm5m955wp/1/producer%252FNCST-WP-201801.pdf
• Record URL:
  • https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/NCST_Sciara_Transportation-Finance_Final-White-Paper_JAN-2018.pdf
• 
• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/35038
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  University of California, Davis

  Institute of Transportation Studies
  Davis, CA  United States  95616

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Sciara, Gian-Claudia
  • Lee, Amy
• Publication Date: 2018-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 32p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Climate change; Environmental policy; Fees; Fuel taxes; Government funding; Greenhouse gases; Pollutants; Revenues; Sustainable transportation; Transportation policy
• Geographic Terms: California
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Policy;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01663811
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: NCST-WP-201801
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Mar 22 2018 12:01PM