Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Announces Funding for Innovative Transportation Plans, Including Climate Action Plans

As the new year approaches, my colleagues and I are reflecting on what this year brought to climate change law and looking ahead for upcoming regulations. For example, this month the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final finding that greenhouse gas emissions pose a danger to human health and the environment. We at Meyers Nave are particularly focused on the struggle of cities and counties to access the funds needed to implement recent climate change laws in a poor economy. To this end, we welcome the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's announcement that it has established a pool of funding to be used locally for innovative transportation projects.

MTC is a nine-county Bay Area regional transportation planning body and its funding will be focused on at least four components. The first, and most remarkable for cities, is the funding of climate action plans that contain innovative parking campaigns such as SFPark. Other programs that may receive funding include Safe Route to Schools programs, educational outreach for the link between climate change and transportation choices, and evaluation models to ensure that all regional projects have consistent metrics.

This program is one step towards the reductions required in climate legislation such as AB 32 and SB 375, and a step away from historical transportation planning which focuses on increasing capacity for cars.

For more information regarding the funding program, see San Francisco Streetsblog report of MTC’s funding announcement.