Commentary: A national clean fuel standard would benefit the environment and public health
BY: JULIE TIGHE
8/15/23
Albany Times Union | This summer, tens of millions of Americans have borne witness to eerie scenes of hazy, orange skies filled with smoke and flooded streets from torrential rain. As a result, the eastern United States has experienced some of the worst air quality conditions ever recorded.
These wildfires and extreme rain events, exacerbated by climate change, are part of the new reality we now face. While the public perception of climate change has been an abstract, far-away hypothetical, these apocalyptic scenarios have shifted that narrative.
It is imperative that we act now to stem the warming of the atmosphere by decarbonizing all aspects of our society as quickly as possible. Congress took an important step last year when it passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which contains crucial tax incentives and federal spending to increase deployment of clean-energy sources. However, that law alone is not enough to decarbonize the transportation sector, the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions that accounts for roughly one-third of U.S. emissions annually.
To meet both near-term and midcentury decarbonization targets, we need a new federal fuels policy that puts American innovation, consumer choice, energy independence, emissions reductions and public health at the forefront. There is a proven method of achieving this: a clean fuel standard (CFS).