Transportation and Sustainability - Sam Estes

Our nation, as is the case with numerous other countries around the world, is in the midst of a sustainability crisis. For many years the United States has been greedy with the abundance of natural resources at its disposable, and the problem has now come to fruition with our generation. Several variables come into play when discussing America’s desperate need to become more sustainable, but no area has caused more concern than the transportation sector.

According to a 2009 speech given by current U.S. Secretary of Transportation (and former U.S. Congressman from Illinois) Ray LaHood, “the transportation sector currently accounts for nearly one-third of U.S. greenhouse emissions, more than half of nitrogen-oxide emissions, and almost three-quarters of petroleum consumption.” To say that transportation in the U.S. is leaving a considerable sized carbon footprint would be an understatement.

The challenge that faces the U.S. government is reworking a massive, interwoven transportation system that has been at the very center of our culture for over a half century. President Obama, with the passage of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, has made clear the need to rebuild a faltering interstate highway system that is in need of considerable repair.

But the problem is more than just that of fixing speed bumps of I-57. As Secretary LaHood stated in his 2009 speech, “We need to keep our economy moving, and keep America growing and innovating, but we’ve got to find new ways of doing it. We need to make the changes and investments in our transportation infrastructure that will put us firmly in control of our destiny, especially when it comes to energy.” The goal should be not only to make American travel more efficient but also to effectively reduce the staggering amount of emissions we produce.

Some ideas that have been openly discussed by public officials include better public transportation, vehicles that produce less carbon emissions, high-speed railways, and more. High-speed rail, for example, would pay for itself by reducing our $700 billion oil purchases each year, and would be a major step in reducing the effect the U.S. has on global warming (this according to the U.S. High-Speed Rail Association’s website.) The use of a more sustainable form of transportation will not only help our deteriorating environment but can also help a financial system that remains in desperate need of repair.

No matter what the government decides to do, legislation affecting sustainable transportation will continue to be a critical issue in American public policy for years to come. As the Rockefeller Foundation has stated, “Transportation is a critical issue because it is woven into almost every aspect of our existence…In the United States at every level of government, too little attention is paid to getting a return on transportation investments or maintaining the infrastructure we already have so we can grow sustainably and affordably…We are at a tipping point for change in transportation policy in the United States.”

 Works Cited:

United States High-Speed Rail Association. “Numerous benefits with train systems.” 2011. Web. 10 October 2011.

<http://www.ushsr.com/benefits.html>.

The Rockefeller Center. “Promoting Equitable, Sustainable, Transportation.” 2011. Web. 10 October 2011. < http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/what-we-do/current-work/promoting-equitable-sustainable/>.