Kentucky Is The Worst State For Green Travel
Transportation is among the top contributors to air pollution. This includes cars, trains, buses, airplanes and ships. A new study examines which states have done the best job putting federal dollars to work to mitigate transportation pollution. Research from NRDA titled GETTING TRANSPORTATION RIGHT: RANKING THE STATES IN LIGHT OF NEW FEDERAL FUNDING provided information to “identify the degree to which states have adopted policies and directed dollars to improve equity, public health, and climate outcomes.” Among all states, Kentucky ranked at the bottom of the list.
The purpose of the research is straightforward. The methodology and attempted conclusions are less so. The authors stated that transportation is America’s largest cause of greenhouse gases. Laws and regulations could either help or hinder what they call a “climate-friendly solution.” The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which will expire in 2026, is the primary source of funds to move infrastructure in the right direction. Of this money, slightly more than $1.2 trillion goes to infrastructure. The majority of this is for modifications to the transportation system.
Much of this money is downsteamed to states that determine how it is used, often through their departments of transportation. The NRDA gathered the state-based data between December 2022 and February 2023. Twenty metrics were used to create a score as high as 100. By far, the most weight was given to vehicle electrification (31 points) and Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) via “expanded transportation alternatives (34 points). Most of the balance of the yardstick was based on state spending and what the authors call “clean car rules.” The decisions on using this data are purely subjective, although it is the best set of measurements available.
The grades by state were based on which states are “doing the most to improve equity and climate outcomes from the transportation sector.” California topped the list with a score of 86.9. No other state had a score above 70.
Kentucky had an abysmal rating of 12.7. The South generally did poorly–Louisiana (13.1), Alabama (14.7), South Carolina (14.8), and Mississippi (17.6).
Kentucky scored zero on over half of the metrics used. Based on the NRDA yardsticks, it did not stand a chance to finish any higher than it did. Zero scores included rebates for low-income EV buyers, zero for advanced clean car rules, zero for state funding for transportation, zero for incentives to locate affordable housing near public transportation, and zero for vehicle-miles traveled reduction goal.
