On Monday, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the establishment of a new DOT Climate Change Center for research into the effects of climate on transportation at the University of California, Davis.
The DOT’s initiative will fund $1.7 million for a Climate Change and Transportation Research Center called the Center for Emissions Reduction, Resiliency and Climate Equity in Transportation, and will focus on advancing the nation’s transportation decarbonization and resilient infrastructure.
“Tackling the climate crisis and making our infrastructure more resilient has never been more urgent,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “The funding and the new research center we’re announcing today will help develop the solutions we need to reduce carbon pollution from transportation and improve the resiliency of our infrastructure—and help turn those findings into national policy. ”
Officials said the new center will focus on research and technologies designed to support clean energy goals while accelerating the decarbonization of the transportation sector, strengthening the sector’s resiliency and addressing environmental inequities created by the transportation system.
“This investment will spur innovation and support research-backed transportation decisions across the nation,” Dr. Robert C. Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology and Chief Science Officer said.
The center will include partner institutions that will collectively handle research activities from California State University Long Beach, Texas Southern University, University of California Riverside, the University of Southern California and the University of Vermont.