The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) launched its Sustainable Transit for a Healthy Planet Challenge on June 15.
The challenge will encourage agencies to develop plans that will cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The challenge is designed to support President Joe Biden’s goal for the U.S. to reduce economy-wide net GHG pollution by 50-52 percent from 2005 levels.
FTA notes the transportation sector accounts for 29 percent of 2019 GHG emissions and transit plays a role in reducing GHG emissions in communities through transportation and land use efficiencies. FTA offers the example that one percent of the nation’s bus fleet was hybrid-electric in 2005; in 2019, the most recent year full data is available, 18 percent of the fleet was hybrid-electric.
Transit agencies that wish to participate in the challenge can commit through the FTA’s website. The requirements for the challenge are to develop a climate action or sustainability plan that details GHG reduction strategies and to submit this plan to FTA by April 22, 2022, which is Earth Day.
FTA encourages agencies of all sizes to participate. The administration plans to provide technical assistance to those agencies that commit to the challenge throughout 2021 and early 2022.
FTA says it will showcase the impact of the challenge on Earth Day 2022.
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.
