Report: R.I. one of least transportation polluting states

TEXAS HAS THE most carbon pollution from the transportation sector, while Rhode Island is one of the states with the least, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. / COURTESY U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
TEXAS HAS THE most carbon pollution from the transportation sector, while Rhode Island is one of the states with the least, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. / COURTESY U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

PROVIDENCE – It could have something to do with its tiny size, but Rhode Island is one of 10 states that have the least transportation carbon pollution, according to a study released this week by the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council.
Vermont has the least transportation carbon pollution in the nation, emitting 3.2 million metric tons, compared with Rhode Island’s 3.7 million metric tons. Generally, the most populous states have the most. Texas topped the list at 201.8 million metric tons, followed by California at 190.8 million.
The NRDC cited data from 2013 from the U.S. Energy Information Administration on state energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.
NRDC, which said cars and trucks are a leading source of carbon pollution in the United States, said that seven states – California, Florida, New Jersey, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia – generate more than 40 percent of their carbon pollution from transportation.
On a national average, transportation accounts for about one-third of carbon pollution, it said.
A poll conducted by NRDC found that 95 percent of Americans want automakers to continue improving fuel economy for cars and trucks, and 79 percent want the government to keep increasing fuel efficiency standards.
“Our poll shows Americans have just two words to say about clean transportation: ‘Floor it.’ Americans want cleaner cars, and better planning that green-lights transportation options that saves money, reduces the use of oil and improves our air, health and quality of life,” Pete Altman, director of federal campaigns at NRDC, said in a statement.
“The Obama administration is on the right track to deliver cleaner transportation, and we must resist attempts by automakers to weaken our fuel economy standards. … We need to make our cars and trucks even more efficient. And we should modernize the way we plan and build the transportation systems of the future,” he added.

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