Vehicles move us and our economy. The transportation system's trucks, ships, trains, and planes move 55 million tons of goods, worth more than $49 billion, and transport people across 3 trillion vehicle miles annually. Transportation is core to how we live, work, and play, but also accounts for air pollution, increasing the risk for asthma, heart disease, and other health issues, especially in communities near highways, ports, rail yards, and warehouses. The transportation sector is also the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and is the second-highest expense in U.S. households. We can address these challenges through innovative transportation technologies while building a stronger economy and healthier communities with good-paying jobs, more customer choice, domestic manufacturing, and secure supply chains.

In 2023, the United States Department of Energy (DOE), the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization (Blueprint). The Blueprint provides the roadmap for innovative transportation fueling and vehicle technologies across every mode of transportation, expanding affordable and accessible transportation options. The Blueprint takes a systems approach to address overall efficiency and convenience across the sector and focuses on realistic, cost-effective approaches while working closely with industry.

Building on the Blueprint, DOE, DOT, EPA, and HUD worked closely with industry and other stakeholders, as well as other government agencies, to develop more detailed action plans for each mode that can spur energy innovation and help ensure U.S. global competitiveness across the sector and increase U.S. manufacturing and jobs. These action plans address challenges and present opportunities to dramatically reduce emissions across the rail, maritime, light-duty vehicle, medium- and heavy-duty vehicle, aviation, and off-road vehicle sectors, while improving U.S. competitiveness in a rapidly changing transportation sector. Action plans were also developed for the Blueprint strategies focused on system-level convenience and efficiency. These plans highlight the cross-cutting nature of land use, active transportation, mode shift, and intelligent transportation solutions for the transportation sector.

Transportation Action Plans & Technical Reports

Energy and Emissions Innovation Plans

The Energy and Emissions Innovation Plans comprise five core principles—initiate bold action; embrace creative solutions across the entire transportation system; ensure safety, equity, and access; increase collaboration; and establish U.S. leadership—to serve as the foundation for all actions.

2021 U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Transportation is responsible for a third of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Decarbonizing the transportation sector has additional broad benefits, including increased options for consumers and businesses, household cost savings through reduced transportation costs (e.g., frequency of maintenance, fuel, and parking costs), support of local economies and job creation, increased accessibility and community connectivity, and emissions reductions for clean air.