An Action Plan for Rail Energy and Emissions Innovation: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT); U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Publication Type

Government Report

Authors

Popovich, Natalie, Michael Johnsen, Morgan Ellis, John Cabaniss, Ben Simon, Ben Gould, Pete Devlin, Siddiq Khan, Robert Natelson, Aaron Hula, Lauren Steele, Melissa Shurland, Andrea Wohleber, Paige Shevlin, Hal Connelly, Katherine Bourdon, Madeleine Parker, Theodore Krause, Thomas P Wenzel, Matthew Simon, Kara Podkaminer, Matt Dannenberg, Noel Crisostomo, Julie Peacock, Christopher Irwin, Austin Brown, Alexis Zubrow, Gurpreet Singh, Avi Mersky, Jesse Adams, Nichole Fitzgerald, Sunita Sayapal, Valerie Reed, Deborah Sunter, Anna Waldman-Brown, Liya Rechtman, Tina Hodges, Kevin MacWhorter, Kristin Ferriter, Marlys Osterhues, Alexandra Brun, Vanessa Shoenfelt, Alejandra Nunez, Chad Bailey, Abby Swaine, Chris Ramig, Anjuliee Mittelman, Andrew Kodjak, Diego Nunez, Alycia Gilde, Catherine Ledna, Abigail Wheelis, Michael Berube, Karl Simon, Alexis Pelosi, Ann Shikan

DOI

Abstract

The Action Plan for Rail Energy and Emissions Innovation proposes actions to reduce and nearly eliminate emissions in the U.S. rail sector, in line with the U.S. economy-wide goal of net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. It also proposes actions to leverage the rail system to reduce emissions from other modes. The national goal of achieving a zero-emission freight system by 2050 draws our attention to the fact that freight transport cannot be addressed simply mode by mode, but it should instead be treated as an interdependent system. This is especially true when pursuing decarbonization. This action plan presents how both rail transport and decarbonization intersect with our national transportation decarbonization blueprint, the decarbonization of the freight system, and national transmission goals. The intended audience of this report is the stakeholders who will advance rail decarbonization in a just and economical way by propelling the suite of actions listed here. This includes government at all levels, rail companies, locomotive manufacturers, labor unions, Amtrak, and more.

Year of Publication

2024

URL

Notes

NREL Publication Number: NREL/MP-5400-92102

DOE Report Number: DOE/EE-286

Organization

Research Areas