Global Pathways to Net-Zero: Behavioral, Social, and Technological Research and Innovation Strategies for Transportation Decarbonization; Summary of the Seventh EU-U.S. Transportation Research Symposium: Proceedings of a Symposium (2024)
Chapter: Appendix F: Briefing Paper 5: The United States and the European Union: Relevant Policies, Programming, and Collaboration
Appendix F
Briefing Paper 5: The United States and the European Union: Relevant Policies, Programming, and Collaboration
Alasdair Cain, U.S. Department of Transportation, United States
Maria Carbone, European Commission, Belgium
Gretchen Goldman, U.S. Department of Transportation, United States
Patrick Mercier-Handisyde, European Commission, Belgium
CURRENT U.S. TRANSPORTATION DECARBONIZATION POLICIES AND PROGRAMS
Regulation and Technology Deployment
Recent historic United States (U.S.) regulatory actions and federal investments are driving greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in the United States, where the transportation sector is roughly one-third of domestic GHG emissions. Most prominently, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the most significant climate legislation in U.S. history, with substantial federal investments in clean energy and transportation deployment, as well tax incentives and regulatory action to reduce GHG emissions, mitigate other environmental pollution, and advance environmental justice. Among other program and policy investments, the law invested $7.5 billion in Alternative Fuel Corridors and established the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program to work with states on standards and charging infrastructure buildout nation-wide. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was a generational investment in the nation’s infrastructure and the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act is building domestic manufacturing capability for clean technology production. Furthermore, the Justice40 Initiative, launched by President Joseph R. Biden, and bolstered with resources from the IRA and the IIJA, is working to ensure that at least 40% of the benefits of the nation’s climate and clean energy investments are going toward disadvantaged communities. Together, these three laws are shifting the U.S. domestic GHG emissions trajectory toward meeting our national and international climate goals, through unprecedented investments and actions spanning research and deployment of clean fuels including sustainable aviation fuels and hydrogen, battery technologies, pollution mitigation and environmental justice, and climate resilience.
Several federal and state-level policies and programs are making substantial progress. In March 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule for GHG emission standards1 for light- and medium-
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1 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Regulations for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Passenger Cars and Trucks,” https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/regulations-greenhouse-gas-emissions-passenger-cars-and (accessed May 2024).
duty vehicles, leveraging clean car technologies to lower GHG emissions for future car model years. At the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issues Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards and the Joint Office for Energy and Transportation works to deploy a network of electric vehicle chargers, zero-emission fueling infrastructure, and zero-emission transit and school buses. The Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emission Grant Program and Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities program2 have deployed $3.3 billion including nearly 1,800 zero-emission transit buses, and the Federal Railroad Administration has invested $16.4 billion under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program3 to encourage mode shift to lower-carbon rail trips. Several U.S. states also play a leading role in driving regulatory standards, incentives, and other programs to accelerate decarbonization of the transportation sector.
Research and Planning
In recent national commitments, the United States has established a goal of net-zero GHG emissions by no later than 20504 with an interim, near-term milestone of a 50–52% reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net GHGs by 2030. U.S. national climate goals, and the need for research and technology, is laid out in several key documents. The Long Term Strategy,5 released in 2021, lays out the vision for a net-zero nation by 2050, including near complete decarbonization of the transportation sector, noting that
Federally-supported research, development, demonstration, and deployment can be the prime mover to carry new carbon-free technologies and processes from the lab to U.S. factories to the market.… R&D today will lay the technology foundation necessary to maximize economic benefits from the post-2030 transformation to net-zero.
The U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization,6 released in 2023 by U.S. DOT, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and EPA, provides a comprehensive, system-level perspective for decarbonization of the entire transportation system across all passenger and freight travel modes and fuels. Implementing immediate strategies that achieve meaningful emission reductions this decade is essential to reaching our nation’s 2030 emissions reduction goals in line with the president’s commitment and the U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement. Through an interagency Memorandum of Understanding, the federal government agencies that produced the blueprint are now developing detailed action plans for implementation of the blueprint and the strategies, partnerships, and levels of government needed to achieve these goals.
Additionally, several programs across the government make important contributions to decarbonization planning and research activities. The U.S. Global Change Research Program,7 comprising 14 federal departments and agencies, invests in coordination of climate-related research and climate services activities across the federal government and produces landmark reports including the National Climate Assessments and National Nature Assessment. U.S. DOE has substantial research investments in fuels, carbon management, vehicle and battery technology, as well as energy-efficient mobility systems, and the newly launched U.S. DOT Climate Change Research
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2 U.S. Federal Transit Administration, “FY23 FTA Bus and Low- and No-Emission Grant Awards,” https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/fy23-fta-bus-and-low-and-no-emission-grant-awards (accessed May 2024).
3 U.S. Department of Transportation, “President Biden Advances Vision for World Class Passenger Rail with $16 Billion Investment in America’s Busiest Corridor,” November 2023, https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2023-11/FRA%2011-23.pdf.
4 U.S. Departments of Energy, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “The U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization: A Joint Strategy to Transform Transportation,” January 2023, https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/the-us-national-blueprint-for-transportation-decarbonization.pdf.
5 U.S. Department of State and Executive Office of the President, “The Long-Term Strategy of the United States: Pathways to Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2025,” November 2021, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/us-long-term-strategy.pdf.
6 U.S. Departments of Energy, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “The U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization: A Joint Strategy to Transform Transportation,” January 2023, https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/the-us-national-blueprint-for-transportation-decarbonization.pdf.
7 U.S. Global Change Research Program, “U.S. Global Change Research Program Releases Fifth National Climate Assessment,” https://globalchange.gov (accessed May 2024).
& Technology Program8 is working to bridge research and decision making on decarbonization and resilience efforts across the U.S. government. U.S. DOT’s University Transportation Centers program9 supports research partnerships with university consortiums, including centers focused on climate and environmental preservation, and other U.S. DOT research programs support sustainable aviation fuel, maritime decarbonization strategies, and other key transportation decarbonization research areas.
CURRENT EU TRANSPORTATION DECARBONIZATION POLICIES AND PROGRAMS
Regulation and Technology Deployment
The European Green Deal, approved in 2020, is a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the overarching aim of making the European Union (EU) climate neutral in 2050. The plan is to review each existing law on its climate merits and introduce new legislation on the circular economy, building renovation, biodiversity, farming, and innovation.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that the European Green Deal would be Europe’s “man on the moon moment.” On December 13, 2019, the European Council decided to press ahead with the plan, with an opt-out for Poland. On January 15, 2020, the European Parliament voted to support the deal as well, with requests for higher ambition. A year later, the European Climate Law was passed, which legislated that GHG emissions should be 55% lower in 2030 compared to 1990. To deliver on these targets, the Commission proposed “Fit for 55” legislative packages in July and December 2021.
The European Commission’s climate change strategy, launched in 2020, is focused on a promise to make Europe a net-zero emitter of GHGs by 2050 and to demonstrate that economies will develop without increasing resource usage. However, the Green Deal has measures to ensure that nations that are already reliant on fossil fuels are not left behind in the transition to renewable energy. The green transition is a top priority for Europe. The EU Member States want to reduce GHG emissions by 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels and become climate neutral by 2050.
Following Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, the European Commission published the REPowerEU Communication10 in May 2022, which emphasizes the need to ramp up rapidly and efficiently the clean energy transition. In line with the REPowerEU priorities, this work program contributes to the move toward the elimination of Europe’s dependency on Russian fossil fuel imports by bolstering the diversification of Europe’s gas supply, the electrification of the energy system, and the transformation of (energy-intensive) industries.
To support a just and inclusive transition within the Green Deal, the European Commission has established the Just Transition Mechanism11 that supports those regions and Member States that rely heavily on very carbon-intensive activities. It also supports the citizens most vulnerable to the transition, providing access to reskilling programs and employment opportunities in new economic sectors. Also, the Social Climate Fund12 provides Member States with funding so that the most affected vulnerable groups, such as households in energy or transport poverty, are directly supported and not left behind during the green transition.
From a global perspective, a fair green transition also means addressing the disproportionate burden of climate change borne by countries in the Global South as well as Indigenous communities worldwide vulnerable to climate change. While historically contributing less to carbon emissions, these nations and peoples often face the
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8 U.S. Department of Transportation, “DOT Climate Change Center,” https://www.transportation.gov/priorities/climate-and-sustainability/dot-climate-change-center (accessed May 2024).
9 U.S. Department of Transportation, “University Transportation Centers,” https://www.transportation.gov/content/university-transportation-centers (accessed May 2024).
10 European Commission, “REPowerEU: Joint European Action for More Affordable, Secure and Sustainable Energy,” March 2022, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2022%3A108%3AFIN.
11 European Commission, “The Just Transition Mechanism: Making Sure No One Is Left Behind,” https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal/finance-and-green-deal/just-transition-mechanism_en (accessed May 2024).
12 European Commission, “Social Climate Fund,” https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/eu-emissions-trading-system-eu-ets/social-climate-fund_en (accessed May 2024).
brunt of environmental degradation and extreme weather events. A just green transition entails not only supporting developing countries and climate vulnerable communities but also addressing the systemic inequalities that perpetuate this vulnerability.
Research and Planning
International cooperation is a driver of world-class research and innovation (R&I). The European Union’s strategy for international cooperation is set out in the Global Approach to Research and Innovation Communication.13 Horizon Europe, the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, is one of the main tools to implement this strategy.
Horizon Europe offers opportunities to researchers and innovators from all over the world, albeit with the possibility of restrictions where necessary. Horizon Europe (HE), the €95.5 billion R&I framework program is the EU tool to support these challenges. Transport research is highly visible in HE, embedding all activities in the Cluster 5 “Climate, Energy and Mobility” with a total budget of €15 billion.
At least 35% of its funding will be dedicated to climate action, with partnerships as an important mechanism contributing to key areas, and the Green Deal Missions14 will inspire and catalyze ambitious R&I. Almost 50% of EU funding in the transport part of HE Cluster 5 is implemented via public–private partnerships, in the form of either institutionalized partnerships (i.e., Clean Aviation, SESAR3, Europe’s Rail Joint Undertakings in the areas of aviation and rail) or co-programmed partnerships (i.e., Towards Zero-Emission Road Transport [2Zero], Connected, Cooperative, and Automated Mobility [CCAM], and Zero-emission waterborne transport [ZEWT]) in the areas of automotive and waterborne. Additional partnerships such as the BATT4EU (in the field of batteries, co-programmed partnership) and Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (institutionalized partnership) and in particular one Mission, the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, are also relevant for transport R&I within the HE Cluster 5.
MULTILATERAL AND BILATERAL COOPERATION PROGRAMS THAT INCLUDE THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION AND THE UNITED STATES IN THE FIELD OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION (R&I) FOR TRANSPORTATION DECARBONIZATION
There are different ways of cooperation between the European Union and the United States in the field of R&I, at the project-to-project level and at the program-to-program level. In addition, there is ongoing policy cooperation with international institutions such as the International Civil Aviation Organization for aviation and the International Maritime Organization for the maritime sector.
At the program-to-program level, cooperation can be done either at the multilateral level or the bilateral level. It is hope that reinforced cooperation and/or development of this type of cooperation can be achieved through this symposium on transportation decarbonization. Here are some of the programs or groups where this cooperation has started and can be enhanced (which is not exhaustive):
- Bilateral collaboration between the European Commission and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Both sides acknowledged the importance of continued investments in R&I to reach climate neutrality in aviation. Coordination will continue on sustainable aviation fuels and addressing the non-CO2 climate impacts of aviation.
- Multilateral collaboration in the framework of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Co-operation in the Research, Development and Deployment of Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technology Collaboration Programme (HEV TCP). In 2024, the European Commission represented by the Directorate-General for
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13 European Commission, “Global Approach to Research and Innovation: Europe’s Strategy for International Cooperation in a Changing World,” May 2021, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2021%3A252%3AFIN.
14 European Commission, “The European Green Deal,” https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en (accessed May 2024).
- Research and Innovation (DG RTD) joined the HEV TCP (where U.S. DOE is also a member), which enables member parties to discuss their respective needs, share key information, and learn from an ever-growing pool of experience from the development and deployment of hybrid and electric vehicles. A topic of strong common interest could easily turn into a task co-led by the European Union and the United States with funded projects from both sides contributing to it. For transport modes other than road, the TCP-AMF on advanced motor fuels may be relevant too.15
- Multilateral collaboration through Mission Innovation. Mission Innovation is a global initiative to accelerate public and private clean energy innovation to address climate change, make clean energy affordable to consumers, and create green jobs and commercial opportunities. It was launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in November 2015 and currently comprises 24 countries (including the United States) and the European Commission. Two main areas for the transport sector are Mission Innovation in Waterborne and Mission Innovation in Road Transport. The United States and the European Union already cooperate though the Zero-Emission Shipping Mission under the framework of Mission Innovation, with the United States being a co-lead and the European Union being a supportive member.
- Multilateral collaboration in the framework of International Transport Forum at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (ITF/OECD) within Transport Research Committee (TRC) meetings and studies, funded by annual gross domestic product–based contributions from member countries including many in the European Union as well as the United States. ITF at OECD is an intergovernmental organization with 66 member countries. It acts as a think tank for transport policy and organizes the annual summit of transport ministers. ITF is the only global body that covers all transport modes. The European Commission (EC), through the DG RTD and the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE), attends the meetings of the TRC as an observer whereas U.S. DOT attends as a full partner or as a member of ITF. The main aim for attending the meetings is to encourage the implementation of EU priority policies from the perspective of transport R&I and to follow up on the action points that are on the agenda, especially as regards the European Green Deal. An important activity was providing financial support to the “Decarbonising Transport” project led by ITF, which aimed to help governments and decision makers to identify and implement policy measures for reducing transport carbon dioxide emissions and attain the Paris Agreement targets. The ITF 2024–2025 Programme of Work16 includes new collaborative decarbonization research projects that are commencing in 2024 and will be completed in 2026. Good examples of a fruitful EC-ITF cooperation in the recent past include the Horizon 2020 research projects Decarbonising Transport in Europe and Transport Decarbonisation: Driving Implementation (DT Implement).
PROJECT-TO-PROJECT COOPERATION IN KEY R&I ACTIVITIES
For the project-to-project cooperation, main areas are to be discussed during the symposium. Funding to projects on both sides of the Atlantic, which are equally balanced in terms of research targets and budgets, can enhance the exchanges and information sharing but also build trust and momentum and more effectively address global transport targets. This type of cooperation in the field of transportation decarbonization could be of mutual benefit, for example, in the fields of road transport, aviation, maritime/ports, batteries, logistics, and urban mobility.
There are nevertheless, at this time, limitations on project-to-project cooperation (and how to overcome them); for example, misfit between programs’ focus, timing, budget, and participation rules, and reactive instead of proactive instruments. In the past (Framework Programme 6, Framework Programme 7, and Horizon 2020), “twinning” of EU and U.S. projects was used in several sectors. While some twinned projects in the CCAM space achieved successful collaboration outcomes, the EU-U.S. twinning concept had limited overall impact. The area of technology testing and evaluation is one area that has high potential for project-to-project collaboration,
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15 Technology Collaboration Programme on Advanced Motor Fuels, https://www.iea-amf.org (accessed May 2024).
16 International Transport Forum, “ITF’s Transport Research Programme of Work for 2024–2025,” January 2024, https://summit.itf-oecd.org/2024/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/itf_programme_of_work_itf_annual_consultation_30_january_2024_0.pdf.
for example, using the same impact assessment framework to develop system solutions that are nationally and internationally harmonized, exchanging research data supporting the improvement of good practices and taking advantage of roadmap-based research agendas for the alignment of programs.
PROGRAMMING (WHAT)
Current Strategies and Models
- What are the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the current strategies for decarbonization transportation, and how do these impacts differ between the United States and the European Union?
- What are examples of successful research and collaborations? What about failed research or collaboration attempts? What aspects made them successful or unsuccessful, and where/how can we apply these lessons moving forward?
Short-Term Programming Actions
- What should the United States and the European Union be prioritizing now to set us on the best path toward a net-zero transportation sector? To what extent should U.S. and EU governments be prioritizing deployment versus research and technology investments in the short term?
- What research topics and themes are the most important areas to focus on moving forward?
Long-Term Programming Actions
- How do we bridge the different aspects of transportation decarbonization research (i.e., technologies, digitalization, land and transportation planning, social and environmental considerations) to create a research action plan?
- Are there gaps in research that should be prioritized for future investments and EU-U.S. cooperation? If so, what are those gaps?
- In what technical areas are there opportunities for additional collaboration and partnership between the European Commission and U.S. DOT leaders on decarbonization?
- Are there other research areas that are ripe for international collaboration?
Discussion Goals
- “What” are the R&I actions and themes to cooperate on in the field of transport decarbonization, identifying a list of collaboration areas and priorities in the different transport sectors (based on the briefing papers and discussions at the symposium)?
- What are the potential obstacles or barriers to achieve R&I actions (e.g., regulations, competition, or other framework conditions)?
POLICY (HOW)
Current Strategies and Models
- At the level of program-to-program cooperation, what types of partnerships—such as between public agencies, private companies, academic institutions, and nongovernmental organizations—do you consider to be the most effective, and why, in advancing transportation decarbonization efforts in the European Union and the United States?
- What models exist for successful international partnerships in technology development and deployment, and how might these be applied to transatlantic collaborations, at either bilateral or multilateral level?
- What are the possible instruments and tools that exist or are to be developed at the U.S. and at the EU level to implement this R&I cooperation?
Short-Term Policy Actions
- How can strategic planning be best used to align priorities on a proactive and multiannual basis?
- What are the mechanisms, programs, entry points, etc., for facilitating research collaboration?
- What lessons learned or best practices can be shared between the European Union and the United States in terms of effective short-term strategies?
- What tools and strategies can we use to develop programming in these areas and more effective collaborative efforts between the European Commission and U.S. DOT?
Long-Term Policy Actions
- In what R&I policy areas are there opportunities for additional collaboration and partnership between the European Commission and U.S. DOT on decarbonization?
- Where are the gaps in R&I policy investments toward transportation decarbonization that should be prioritized for future investments and EU-U.S. cooperation?
- What mechanisms can be put into place to ensure that the U.S. DOT and the European Commission not only share research findings, but also actively learn from one another’s policy successes and setbacks in transportation decarbonization?
Opportunities, Challenges, and Barriers
- What barriers are in place that hinder collaborative action, and what options or opportunities are there to move past these barriers? Identify areas of opportunities, as well as bottlenecks, for collaboration between the European Commission and U.S. DOT.
Discussion Goals
- How can we organize and develop an action plan with concrete steps and strategic rationale for moving forward in transport research cooperation.
- Several program-to-program cooperation frameworks already exist between the European Union and the United States. How can we build on them (e.g., Mission Innovation, IEA HEV-TCP)?
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