Clean Fuels NY Coalition

The Clean Fuels NY coalition is led by the New York League of Conservation Voters and was formed to demonstrate the broad and diverse support for New York State to create a clean fuel standard to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector.

A clean fuel standard requires transportation fuel suppliers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the fuels they make and sell, creating a more dependable market for clean fuels, electric vehicles, and other technologies that are essential to reaching the goals set out in New York’s Climate Leadership and Protection Act (CLCPA). Under a CFS, all fuels produced in or imported to a state are assessed on a carbon intensity (CI) scale that measures the full lifecycle emissions of each fuel, including extracting and refining oil, growing crops and producing biofuels, or generating electricity. Fuels more polluting than the standard generate deficits, and fuels cleaner than the standard generate credits. The pollution standard is reduced steadily each year, which creates a growing market for clean fuels.

Click here to read the legislation.

Why Does New York Need a Clean Fuel Standard Now?

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New York consistently has some of the worst air quality in the country, which is largely due to tailpipe emissions. This contributes to asthma, lung disease, and other chronic health conditions. A Clean Fuel Standard will immediately reduce air pollution from vehicle exhaust.
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Even with aggressive electrification, nearly 50% of the heavy-duty trucks on the road in 2050 will still require a liquid fuel, and combustion-engine vehicles sold today will be around for decades. We must transition our transportation fleet to electric vehicles, but in the interim, we need fuels to power combustion engines currently on the road that drastically lower carbon intensity.
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On average, people of color breathe 66% more air pollution from vehicle emissions than white residents. A Clean Fuel Standard will reduce air pollution in the most impacted communities, which are often low-income areas and communities of color that bear the brunt of environmental injustice.
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Some transportation sectors, like aviation and marine transit, cannot be electrified in the near future. A CFS will make these industries greener with low-carbon fuels.
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Every state with a Cap-and-Invest program also has a CFS, as each policy improves the effectiveness and lowers the cost of the other. This ensures that corporate polluters, not everyday New Yorkers, are the ones paying for the clean transit transition. As New York implements Cap-and-Invest, we need a Clean Fuel Standard too.
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Thanks to the environmental, health, and economic benefits of a Clean Fuel Standard, 2 in 3 New Yorkers support it.
 
 
 

New York’s transportation sector is damaging our air quality

  • 35% of New York’s GHG emissions come from the transportation sector and NYC air quality is consistently ranked among the lowest in the nation

  • Cars and trucks overwhelmingly rely on petroleum-based fuels, which represent a significant portion of New York’s harmful air pollution.

  • On average, communities of color breathe 66% more air pollution from vehicles than white residents and a recent Harvard study found a link between communities near pollution centers and exacerbated health effects from COVID-19

 

Take Action

Join the effort to pass a Clean Fuel Standard for all New Yorkers!

 

Coalition Members

Is your organization interested in joining the Clean Fuels NY Coalition?