Transportation Actions

The transportation sector includes on-road vehicles like cars, trucks, and buses; industrial and agricultural vehicles and equipment; and modes such as aviation, marine shipping, and rail. It includes personal vehicles and public transportation, as well as infrastructure for active transportation, including sidewalks and dedicated bicycle lanes. This sector is responsible for 35 percent of Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions, making it the largest source of emissions in the state.

While electrification is a viable and cost-effective strategy for most on-road transportation, some segments of the sector – such as aviation, marine and rail transport, long-haul trucking, and agricultural or other off-road equipment – are more difficult to fully electrify and will require increasing shares of low-carbon fuels to achieve decarbonization. The Low-Carbon Fuels Actions section describes near-term priorities to support this transition, while this section focuses on strategies to electrify on-road vehicles and expand access to and appeal of multimodal transportation options.

Achieving Oregon’s climate and energy goals will require a fundamental transformation of the transportation sector – accelerating the transition to zero-emission vehicles, reducing reliance on single-occupancy trips, and shifting to low-carbon fuels. Meeting this challenge demands a strong and sustained commitment to expand existing programs and establish new ones that directly support these shifts. Current funding levels are inadequate to address the scale of the challenge.

The energy strategy modeling found that transportation electrification and reducing vehicle miles traveled offer the greatest cost and energy savings, compared to strategies that rely more heavily on replacing fossil fuels with low-carbon fuels.

Transportation Action 1

Review Oregon’s transportation funding mechanisms, recommend strategies for alignment with the state’s energy and climate policy priorities, and identify new revenue sources – particularly to support the deployment of ZEVs and ZEV infrastructure – through a Climate Aligned Transportation Funding Task Force.

Transportation Action 3

Increase statewide support for public and active transportation in Oregon by expanding the statewide payroll tax to fund transit and boosting investments in Safe Routes to School and Great Streets at levels that reflect the scale of community needs.

Transportation Action 5

Require investor-owned utilities to publish and maintain interactive, feeder-level Hosting Capacity Maps (HCMs) showing available capacity for EV charging infrastructure, building electrification, distributed generation, and battery storage.

Transportation Action 7

Establish a statewide technical assistance program to support public and private fleets in planning and executing a successful transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs).

Transportation Action 9

Amend DEQ’s Clean Fuels Program to extend Advance Crediting eligibility to high-mileage private fleet operators whose vehicles operate predominantly in Oregon.

Transportation Action 2

Implement a Road Usage Charge program for all light-duty passenger vehicles to stabilize transportation funding and support accelerated adoption of zero emission vehicles.

Transportation Action 4

Expand local governments’ authority to generate and direct transportation revenues toward climate-aligned transportation infrastructure that meets local needs and priorities.

Transportation Action 6

Establish a statewide incentive program for both standard and cargo e-bikes, with enhanced incentives and prioritization for income-qualifying Oregonians to ensure equitable access to clean, affordable transportation options.

Transportation Action 8

Develop a MHD ZEV Roadmap to guide and accelerate the deployment of medium- and heavy- duty zero-emission vehicles across the state. The Roadmap should provide actionable insights to inform state policy and investment, support fleet decision-making, and ensure alignment with climate, air quality, and equity goals.

Transportation Action 10

Develop regulations and minimum standards for public heavy-duty hydrogen refueling infrastructure in Oregon. A working group could address key elements such as technical specifications, safety protocols, fuel quality standards, consumer protection measures, and streamlined permitting processes to ensure that stations are safe, reliable, and accessible. The working group should also establish targets for the carbon intensity of hydrogen supplied at fueling stations and recommend inclusive processes for community engagement in station siting decisions to align with Oregon’s climate and equity goals.