Clean Fuels: Sustainable Travel Can Start Now

On January 30, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF), Delta Airlines, and the Clean Fuels NY Coalition hosted a Clean Fuels Forum in Albany. Industry leaders, policy makers, advocates, and other stakeholders came together to discuss the benefits of a Clean Fuel Standard and the path to getting it passed by the state legislature and over the finish line in 2024. 

“We need to start passing and implementing laws that are going to do more than trim around the edges but will instead have a substantial and lasting impact on the climate fight,” NYLCVEF President Julie Tighe told the audience. “And a clean fuel standard is exactly that kind of policy.”

Transportation is a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions, amounting to 28% of total emissions in the state. Even with a robust push towards vehicle electrification, nearly 50% of heavy-duty trucks on our roads in 2050 will still rely on liquid fuel. Utilizing low-carbon fuel options like renewable diesel is a must-do if we are going to meet our ambitious climate goals and improve air quality around the state. 

But it’s not only a climate issue, it is a public health issue. Tailpipe emissions contribute significantly to air pollution. This disproportionately impacts disadvantaged communities, especially those living near highway corridors, and it is the kids who bear the worst of it with unacceptably high rates of asthma. 

A Clean Fuel Standard will begin to reduce emissions and also lessen air pollution on Day one.

At the January 30th event, policy makers and other stakeholders were on hand to hear each other’s ideas and concerns. The program featured an expert panel including Floyd Vergara, who served as Chief and Assistant Chief in the Industrial Strategies Division and Research Division at the California Air Resources Board and then with the Clean Fuels Alliance America; Amelia DeLuca, Chief Sustainability Officer, Delta Airlines; Keith Kerman, Deputy Commissioner of Fleet Management and Chief Fleet Officer, NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services; Emily Kelly, who works on public policy for Chargepoint, the largest network of electric vehicle charging stations in North America and Europe; and Colleen Klein, Executive Director, New York Corn and Soybean Growers Association. 

We invite you to watch the entire program here.