July 28, 2023 (Lincoln, Neb) – The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) is conducting an online survey to solicit public input on strategies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transportation. The outreach is part of the department’s development of a Carbon Reduction Strategy (CRS), a document that will identify an approach to reducing Nebraska’s carbon dioxide emissions from the transportation sector.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed into law in July 2021, authorized the Carbon Reduction Program (CRP), a new federal program intended to fund efforts to reduce carbon emissions from surface transportation. As a requirement of the CRP, states must develop a CRS in consultation with the state’s metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) by November 15, 2023.
In Nebraska, the transportation sector is the second largest source of carbon emissions in the state, preceded by the electric generation sector. Activities that contribute to those emissions include the burning of fossil fuels in vehicles and infrastructure-related emissions, such as from road construction and street lighting. The CRS-development process will pinpoint strategies to reduce carbon that are proven, effective, and context-sensitive for Nebraska.
Thus far, NDOT has completed extensive internal research and interviews to review its existing policies and activities contributing to carbon reduction, held individual consultations with each of Nebraska’s four MPOs, and distributed a survey to institutional partners. Now, NDOT is seeking vital input of the general public.
The survey will be posted on NDOT’s website along with more information about the CRP and the CRS: dot.nebraska.gov/travel/carbon-reduction-strategy-crs/
