TriMet released a plan last week detailing eight actions it is committed to taking to reduce the agency’s carbon footprint and includes reducing emissions with renewable resources and partnerships to help fund transit subsidies and new carbon initiatives.
“For the past 50 years, TriMet has been helping the region reduce auto emissions by providing an estimated 3.3 billion rides with our transit service, while also exploring opportunities to reduce our own carbon emissions,” said TriMet General Manager Doug Kelsey. “TriMet is redoubling our efforts with specific actions that will reduce our carbon footprint even more. The time for meaningful actions to address the climate crisis is now.”
Kelsey and Portland General Electric President/CEO Maria Pope joined Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler in October at the C40 World Mayor Summit in Copenhagen, where leaders from cities across the world discussed the urgent need to address global warming and the growing emissions of carbon dioxide from human activities. One of the actions to come from the summit was the signing of the C40 Clean Air Cities Declaration by 35 mayors, including Mayor Wheeler, which commits cities to set ambitious pollution reduction targets and implement substantive clean air policies by 2025.
“I want to thank Mayor Wheeler for not only inviting TriMet into the conversation of addressing climate change internationally but taking leadership here locally to make sure transit is at the table, because transit is a vital part of the solution,” said Kelsey.
TriMet’s Green Actions include:
- Convert MAX to 100 percent wind power by February 2020;
- Stop diesel bus purchases after 2025;
- Convert buses to renewable diesel by April 2020;
- Convert non-bus fleet to electric and non-bus heavy-duty vehicles to renewable diesel by 2030;
- Support Youth Pass Program;
- Conduct a carbon baseline analysis and develop a net zero carbon strategy;
- Develop a carbon lens; and
- Support regional air quality testing.
ACTION 1: A Greener MAX
TriMet’s MAX Light-Rail System is already powered by electricity, but the system is converting to 100 percent wind power effective Feb. 1, 2020.
“Light rail is already one of the lowest carbon transportation systems in our region and now a third of the daily trips provided by TriMet will use 100 percent renewable, clean wind power,” said Kelsey.
TriMet explained that although Portland General Electric (PGE) is already aggressively reducing the carbon footprint of its power, moving to wind power for the light-rail system will reduce the region’s carbon use even further.
ACTION 2: No future diesel bus purchases after 2025
TriMet became what is believed to be the first transit agency in the U.S. to power its five electric buses with wind power back in April. In just the first six months of operation, the five buses reduced TriMet’s diesel use by more than 11,000 gallons and dropped the agency’s emissions by more than 250,000 tons.
TriMet previously committed to transitioning to a clean energy fleet by 2040 and with the new environmental action plan, will not purchase any diesel buses after 2025. The agency estimates it will have at least 340 electric buses by 2030 as it explores other clean energy technology and brings more zero-emission buses into the mix including retrofitted diesel to electric vehicles.
ACTION 3: Cleaner, renewable diesel
TriMet began testing renewable diesel in 180 buses last May. This emerging fuel comes from sustainable resources such as natural fats, vegetable oils and greases. It produces fewer emissions, resulting in a cleaner, low-carbon fuel. The agency will begin using the renewable diesel in all of its fixed-route buses no later than April 2020.
“We are also moving to transition our LIFT paratransit vehicles to renewable diesel. It’s a simple step with a huge benefit for the environment as it allows us to continue providing the transit service needed to move the region, but it contains just one percent fossil fuel,” said Kelsey.
ACTION 4: Electrifying other TriMet vehicles
TriMet will convert its fleet of 285 non-revenue vehicles to battery electric before 2030. For heavy-duty vehicles, for which battery conversion is not a viable option, TriMet is investigating the use of renewable diesel.
ACTION 5: Youth Pass Program
TriMet and the city of Portland support making a broad expansion of Youth Pass a priority for the 2020 transportation ballot measure being developed by Metro.
As part of a regional strategy to increase transit ridership and reduce greenhouse gas emission, the proposed Metro measure also includes critical funding for the Southwest Corridor Light Rail Project, which is anticipated to provide 37,500 trips a day by 2030.
“This measure is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put Portland at the forefront of carbon reduction as it relates to transportation, our biggest carbon challenge,” said Kelsey. “We can have all the well-meaning plans in the world, but unless we agree to all invest in making it happen, it won’t.”
ACTION 6: Carbon baseline analysis and net zero carbon strategy
TriMet will assess its current carbon footprint, including all petroleum products but also its facilities, procurement practices and maintenance programs to establish a carbon baseline. Using that analysis, the agency will establish a strategy to bring its carbon emissions to net zero, as well as identifying actions to reduce its waste stream.
ACTION 7: Carbon lens
TriMet will develop a “carbon lens” to apply to planning, procurement and other decisions to ensure that carbon emissions are considered in all of the agency’s major decisions.
ACTION 8: Carbon emissions testing
TriMet is pursuing placing sensors on buses to monitor the air quality in the neighborhoods where service is provided. TriMet believes the monitoring could provide a regional map of emissions and help the region target emissions reductions efforts.
While not an official step in its action plan, TriMet says the community can take an easy step to reduce individual carbon footprints: Take one more transit trip a week. A month later, make it two more transit trips a week. The month after that, make it three more transit trips a week.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
