Driving to the Future in the South

Much has been made in the media about the upcoming clean transportation revolution, be it private vehicles or commercial shipping, but the truth is that transportation improvements have been making their way across the country for years. And it’s critical that not only do we continue this progress, but also that state leaders expedite and improve it. The number one contributor of the climate-warming gasses that fuel the climate crisis is vehicle emissions – so making these changes is vital to both protect the way of life for people across the United States and to protect our entire planet.

To hold state and local leaders accountable for their key roles in decreasing transportation emissions, NRDC just published a State Transportation Scorecard with data about the progress each state is making – or not making – in the clean transportation revolution. The Scorecard ranks each U.S. state on a number of different metrics including state planning, vehicle electrification, expanding mobility choices, among others aimed at identifying which states are advancing equity and climate outcomes in the transportation sector. The results provide a useful snapshot of current state decisions on transportation-related policies and spending.

In the Southeastern U.S., the scorecard reveals that an area of the country not typically known for taking climate action seriously at a state leadership level is actually making some consistent progress in addressing the climate challenges and inequities present in their local transportation systems. 

This report was last produced by NRDC and David Gardiner & Associates more than a decade ago. Since our last publication, much has happened in the transportation sector – including it becoming the largest contributor to our country’s greenhouse gas emissions, the proliferation of electric vehicles (both hybrid and zero emission), and the largest federal investment in transportation, through the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021. 

State Implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

The impact of the law and its over $600 billion allocation in transportation investments can not be overstated. This unprecedented level of funding presents both opportunities and risks. States now have resources to implement policies that focus on reducing the number of cars on the road, expanding public transportation and improving its reliability, and addressing the historic harms that past decisions have caused, disproportionately hurting communities of color and low-income communities. 

The risks presented by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law stems from the reality that much of the funding is directed toward highway expansion, which increases emissions from induced demand and would likely disproportionately negatively impact the above frequently disadvantaged communities. Additionally, structural factors outside of state Department of Transportation’s control such as state-specific regulations, existing contracts, political pressures and cultural factors can present obstacles to investment choices.

While the Bipartisan Infrastructure law largely reflects the status quo, as the majority of funds allocated continue to prioritize our country’s historic investment in highway projects, there is more federal money available for transportation investments at the state level than ever before. Here’s how this money is being used, and how it should be used more effectively, across NRDC’s three priority Southeastern states: North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia. 

There’s More to be Done – and Great Opportunity – in the Southeast

While no Southeastern states made it into the top 10, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia landed squarely in the middle. The median tier status of these states highlights some of the progress made but also sheds light on the significant amount of work yet to be done in improving their transportation policies and investments, and the attention paid to equity in their design and implementation. More information, including areas for improvement and where we see in-state opportunities for this work, can be found in the below state-specific articles.

Regardless of their score this year, every state needs to be doing more to address our nation's transportation network. Across the board, what’s needed are more substantive policies aimed at reducing the numbers of vehicles on the road, prioritizing and funding transit programs, removing barriers that stymie the transition to zero emission vehicles, and improving equitable approaches to all of the above. As previously noted, funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provide a historic opportunity to states – but also contain possible risks if these funds are not invested with equity considerations at top of mind.

Virginia Leads the Southeast at Number 18

With a score of 38.8 out a total of 100 possible points, Virginia is ranked the highest out of Southeastern states, meaning that so far it’s done the most to transition to cleaner transportation options, reduce vehicle-created carbon emissions, and attend to equity considerations in its local transportation-focused policies. In particular, the state’s score is buoyed by a number of different progressive policies that accelerate the transition to zero emission vehicles and support smart equitable growth.  

These key policies include:

• Virginia’s Advanced Clean Cars Standards (ACCS), passed through the General Assembly in 2021, strengthens gas-powered vehicle efficiency standards while also incentivizing the sale of zero emission vehicles. 
• As of 2020, the Commonwealth has a provision in its state code mandating that cities and counties promote transit oriented development (TOD) in their comprehensive plans, in order to reduce emissions through coordinated transportation, land use, and housing planning. 
• The above TOD policy is strengthened by providing incentives to develop affordable housing along transit lines and near transit centers. 

But, as ever, there’s more to be done in Virginia going forward. The Commonwealth could improve its approach to transportation by establishing vehicle-miles traveled and transportation-related emissions reduction goals, both of which would complement its existing policies and make a big difference in helping Virginia continue its emissions reduction trend.

North Carolina’s Vehicle Progress is Right in the Middle at Number 23

Coming in at the middle of the pack, North Carolina’s score of 27 out of 100 indicates that it is making some progress on the issue – but there’s a lot of room for improvement, particularly in a state that’s proving to be a leader in providing vehicle-related clean energy jobs.

One significant reason that North Carolina beat out many of its compatriots farther south is that unlike Virginia and Georgia, the state has a quantified goal for reducing vehicle miles traveled per licensed driver (a requirement of the Complete 540 Settlement Agreement): To get the state’s percentage of vehicle miles traveled down by 2.5 % in 2040 and further by 5% in 2050. It should be said that this is a rather unambitious target and is not calculated to have any effect on overall vehicle miles traveled or greenhouse gas emissions. According to modeling by RMI, North Carolina would need to reduce a total of 155.9 billion miles to achieve at least a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030, compared to 2005 levels.

The benefits of reducing the vehicle miles traveled are numerous and will result in a significant reduction in transportation-related emissions, improved air quality, and reduced road maintenance. Establishing this measurement tracking is especially important in North Carolina, where the number of miles traveled by vehicle per capita is higher than the US average (9,800 US vs 11,600 NC) and continues to grow. 

Additionally, the state’s Department of Transportation includes equity in its criteria for transportation project scoring, which is far from common in Southern states and is a real feather in North Carolina’s cap. Including equity considerations is key in rectifying the past and current harms caused by inequitable funding decisions and will ensure that everyone has the infrastructure they need to have safe and healthy lives.

North Carolina’s vehicle miles traveled reduction goal is laudable, but it and the state’s overall approach to clean transportation would be strengthened by adopting and incentivizing additional smart and equitable growth policies along its transit corridors, such as supporting affordable housing developments and projects that promote density along transit corridors. 

For a more in-depth look at how North Carolina can further improve its approach to clean vehicle and transportation progress, take a look at our full North Carolina analysis.

Georgia Trails Behind at 35 – But Already Shows Promising Signs of Improvement

Bringing up the rear of our priority states, Georgia scored only 19.2 points out of 100 possible ones – but with 15 states even further behind, the Peach State has put into place key policies that we expect will raise its score significantly in the coming years. 

Despite its place in this year's rankings, Georgia is one of the leaders in our region regarding its spending for road repair and maintenance. Proper road maintenance reduces wear and tear on vehicles and lowers their associated emissions. The state’s growing number of electric vehicle charging ports, both level 2 and fast charging, also helped in improving its overall score.

If the state’s penchant for proper road repair and maintenance was applied to funding its transit agencies, the state would become a true economic powerhouse. Considering that the Atlanta metro region is the largest in the Southeast and is home to a majority of the state’s population, funding transit and other transportation projects that reduce the number of cars on the road are attainable, low-hanging fruit.

For more detail about how Georgia can improve its approach to clean vehicles and transportation, take a look at our Georgia analysis.

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Want to take action on clean transportation? Urge your governor to embrace and enact our recommendations through their Department of Transportation!