Local opinion: Funding available to reduce dangerous greenhouse gases

One of the many new programs of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is the Carbon Reduction Program. The intent of this program is to reduce greenhouse gases that are emitted from automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles.

Transportation has grown to 43% of regional GHG pollution from 32% in 2010 and is the second largest source overall according to the 2021 Greenhouse Gas Inventory for eastern Pima County.

The federal government is providing Arizona and in particular Pima County with millions of dollars to fund activities that reduce tailpipe emissions. Pima Association of Governments (PAG), our metropolitan planning organization, has already received well over $4 million of the $11M promised CRP funding.

The CRP funding is very flexible and gives Pima County a wide variety of options to reduce GHG. ADOT recommends three areas of focus: reduce fuel consumption through electrification of vehicles, reduce driving by promoting non-motorized travel, carpooling and transit, and reduce emissions from construction and road maintenance.

So what is PAG doing with millions of CRP dollars? According to Farhad Moghimi, the executive director of PAG, the money is being spent on hiring consultants to “build a foundation” by collecting data, setting benchmarks and creating a plan or two. The problem is that these expenditures won’t reduce one ounce of GHG.

I believe the foundation, as well as viable program elements, for a rigorous CRP already exists and doesn’t require millions of dollars to create.

First of all the Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report, produced by PAG with data going back to 1990, can provide a baseline level of greenhouse gas emissions and the data to create benchmarks. Starting with this pre-existing report will save millions of dollars in consulting fees and allow local governments some resources to develop their own programs.

Next, Mr. Moghimi’s predecessors created a rideshare program that reduced driving and a Clean Cities program that reduced fuel consumption, two of the three ADOT priorities; however, Mr. Moghimi has systematically dismantled the rideshare program and totally eliminated the Clean Cities program. Let’s resurrect and enhance these programs by redirecting CRP monies from consulting fees and data collection to activities that reduce GHG.

The rideshare program can be quickly enhanced with more outreach to the community, incentives to reduce driving, education about the various transportation options, partnerships with the large employers and jurisdictions, and an improved website. Also, bring back the low cost and very popular Guaranteed Ride Home safety net for all those commuters doing the right thing by carpooling, biking, walking or riding the bus to work.

A Clean Cities type program will promote electric vehicles and other alternative fueled vehicles, fleet conversions away from gas, and the development of the necessary infrastructure for electrification. In a recent presentation of the 2021 Greenhouse Gas Inventory report for eastern Pima County, PAG staff concludes that GHG can be drastically reduced by the electrification of cars, trucks, and buses; yet there is not one electrification project in the PAG CRP budget.

Finally, spend some money, as promised, on the vanpool program, by offering discounts for riders and incentives for drivers. Vanpools are leased vans that seat from six to 14 people and can be a cost effective transportation option for regular commuters. The low ridership Sun Tran express routes can be converted to vanpools saving thousand of dollars each month.

PAG currently supports only nine vanpools compared to 322 vanpools in the Reno area. Mr. Moghimi reduced the vanpool subsidy back in 2019 from $500 to $300/month. With all the recent price increases and no increase in the PAG subsidy, vanpooling just isn’t affordable for the vast majority of commuters.

The PAG Regional Council meets on Dec. 7 at noon and will be discussing the CRP funding. It’s up to us to provide the oversight, demand accountability and transparency, and ensure there is a regional benefit.