Clean, Low-Emission, Affordable, New Transportation Efficiency Act (CLEAN-TEA)

The transportation sector is the second-largest and fastest-growing contributor to global warming pollution in the United States, in large part due to steadily rising number of miles that cars and trucks travel each year. Despite some stagnation in the last year because of the economy, driving -- or the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) rate -- has grown by three times the rate of population growth over the past 15 years and is expected to grow by 40 percent by 2030, largely because we've designed the vast majority of our communities in ways that give people no other option but to drive everywhere. While there has been a federal focus on increasing fuel economy of vehicles and decreasing carbon content in fuels, these strategies alone will not be enough to slow and reverse overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector. The number of miles that vehicles travel is the critical, but often forgotten, "third leg" of the transportation stool.