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The second edition of the “Getting Transportation Right” scorecard from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has ranked all 50 states (and Washington, DC) in the U.S. based on their transportation policies. States with policies that emphasize greener, more equitable transportation ranked higher in the list, while those with policies that favor highway expansions or that lack sustainable transportation policies ranked lower.
States were ranked on 21 metrics total, with opportunities to accumulate points based on factors such as equitable public transportation access; targets to reduce transportation emissions by 2035; EV charging infrastructure; rebates or grants for low-income residents to purchase EVs; spending toward bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure over highway expansions; maintenance spending; and bid preferences or targets to hire minority- and women-owned small businesses for state-funded transportation projects.
“Progress will fundamentally depend on whether states choose to spend their transportation dollars on new road and highway expansion projects that will increase carbon emissions and air pollution while leaving drivers trapped in interminable traffic — or on clean and equitable solutions for all,” Samantha Henningson, senior transportation advocate at NRDC and project manager of the scorecard, said in a statement. “This report shows which states are leading the way.”
According to the latest edition of the scorecard, the top 10 states with policies that emphasize sustainable transportation include Vermont in the No. 1 spot followed by California, Oregon, Washington, Maryland, Colorado, Massachusetts, Washington, DC, Rhode Island and New York.
Several states have much more room for improvement, as they have instead focused on more polluting policies such as highway expansions over cleaner transportation options. Texas ranked last on the list, preceded by Kansas, Arkansas, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Nebraska, Idaho, Louisiana and Kentucky.
“Even without the current actions of the Trump administration, too many states are using the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund projects that will not reduce emissions or improve access to affordable clean modes of transportation,” Henningson said.
As the report authors pointed out, these rankings were based on 2024 data during the former administration that had a higher priority for funding clean and equitable transportation projects. With the Trump administration prioritizing fossil fuels, reversing climate policies and freezing funding to states that was provided by the Inflation Reduction Act, states will need to continue to fight and lead the way for more sustainable transportation.
The authors also noted that their findings could help positively influence policies and programs amid negotiations for the next transportation infrastructure bill.
“States have always led on transportation policy, but their role is more important now with the Trump administration moving federal transportation policies back to the bad old days of gridlock and pollution,” Henningson said. “Given the harmful direction from Washington, it’s more important now than ever before that state transportation policies deliver for their residents.”
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