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Energy and Transportation Task Force
Purpose
The Energy and Transportation Task Force is developing both short- and
long-term policy recommendations and complementary implementation
strategies to help guide the nation towards a more sustainable energy and
transportation future.
Method
Earlier this year, the Task Force drafted four plausible energy and
transportation scenarios. The Task Force came to the following
conclusions from this effort:
Despite measurable progress in enhancing environmental quality,
some current energy and transportation trends are still unsustainable.
Changes will be necessary to shift toward a more sustainable future;
A desire to achieve greater social equity will change the nature of
environmental protection and possibly constrain some options;
There is value to preparing policies to avert or adapt to a potential
ecological crisis; and
Rapid technological advances may help achieve economic aspirations and
ecological goals, but may not by themselves adequately address equity
concerns.
Based on the lessons of the scenarios project, the Task Force drafted
three provisional goals:
Pursue economic, environmental and social policies that encourage
global competitiveness and a long term economic growth rate of [at least
2.5 percent] per year, realizing environmental improvements while
providing opportunities and income gains distributed broadly throughout
society and that contribute to reducing poverty and inequity;
Improve the economic and environmental performance of the U.S. energy
supply and use by ensuring that all Americans have access to affordable
energy services and increasing the competitiveness of American business;
and
Improve the sustainable performance of the U.S. transportation system.
Progress toward the energy goal is measured against provisional
quantitative targets for increased energy efficiency, a greater share of
renewable energy, and increased efficiency of electricity generated from
fossil fueled facilities. Transportation performance measures are shown
through increasing national and economic security, and reduced dependence
on oil imports, reduced greenhouse emissions from the transportation
sector, reduced traffic congestion in urban areas, decreased per capita
vehicle-miles traveled, and levels of ride sharing as an alternative to
personal motor vehicles.
The draft goals and measures of progress are viewed as works in progress.
Although the goals are not "end points" in themselves, if achieved they
would significantly contribute to the ultimate goal of becoming a more
sustainable society. The numerical values included in the goals are
supported from a variety of analytical sources and are undergoing further
analysis.
The Task Force is developing policy options that will contribute to
achieving the goals. This list of policy options was narrowed and grouped
into two main areas:
Current Administration policies contributing to achieving the goals
that could be continued or expanded
Nineteen additional policy options to accelerate the trends toward
sustainability. These options under consideration are not current
Administration policies but are believed to offer a relatively high
contribution toward achieving the proposed goals.
Next Steps
The Task Force currently is gathering further analytical information from
a variety of sources to further evaluate the numerical measures in the
goals as well as to provide a better understanding of the economic, equity
and environmental impacts of each option. Policy recommendations from the
task forces are due to the full Council by March 31, 1995 for its
consideration.
Task Force Council Membership
Co-Chairs
John H. Adams, Executive Director, Natural Resources Defense
Council
Kenneth T. Derr, Chairman & CEO, Chevron Corporation
Hazel R. O'Leary, Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy
Members
Richard A. Clarke, Chairman & CEO, Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Thomas Donahue, Secretary-Treasurer, AFL-CIO
Judith Espinosa, Former Secretary of the Environment, State of
New Mexico
William Hoglund, Executive Vice President (ret.), General
Motors Corporation
Fred D. Krupp, Executive Director, Environmental Defense Fund
Jonathan Lash, President, World Resources Institute