US unveils USD one bln grant program to fund net zero emissions

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched on Wednesday a clean, heavy-duty vehicles grant program to fund the transition to net zero carbon emissions. Despite the national freight system's "significance" to the national economy, where trucks, ships, trains, and planes move 55 million tons of goods worth more than USD 49 billion every day, it still is responsible for a share of local air pollution, the White House said in a statement. This has prompted Washington to act on supporting solutions that address harmful pollution, and has spurred USD 165 billion of private sector investments in zero-emission vehicle technologies, it added. To "build on this momentum," the US Administration has announced a first-ever national goal to transition to a zero-emissions freight sector for truck, rail, aviation and marine, along with a commitment to develop a national zero-emissions freight strategy, it underlined. The strategy will "prioritize actions to address air pollution hot spots and tackle the climate crisis," while mobilizing a broad range of government resources and reflect public participation, in addition to meaningful community engagement, it said. Source: Kuwait News Agency