In a rare joint appearance before the U.S. Congress in March 2007, the top executives from four of the world's largest car manufacturers indicated they would cooperate with an ambitious legislative plan to address global warming and support devising a mandatory carbon emission "cap-and-trade" program. The automakers' pledge marked a significant shift in debate over drafting the first national global warming legislation. The prospect and nature of that plan, however, may require more hurdles to overcome. The climate initiatives in the individual States are playing a significant role inshaping industries' view and federal legislative process. Likewise, a comprehensive federal legislation would bring synergy and consistency betweenthe individual approaches of the individual States to global warming and provide long-term stability and resources for climate programs and more certainty for climate related business activity. While the national debate is taking a new dimension, the individual States are moving forward with setting targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adopting policies to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency, developing state-wide climate action plans, and initiating emissions trading programs. States are taking action, because they are concerned with potential long-term impact ofchanging climate on their socioeconomic viability and natural resources. They also recognize that policies that protect the climate could have multiple benefits with potential economic gains and opportunity for creating new markets such as clean technologies and alternative fuels, high-tech industries, and emission trading while improving environment and diversifyingenergy infrastructure. As a result, many States have been able to build broad support for climate policies among public and decision makers, and provide a basis for linking State and national policy agenda.ia is setting the pace for climate policy and greenhouse gas emission reduction measures in the U.S., going as far as making the practice of sustainability part ofthe fabric of the government itself with a new level of commitment to environmental stewardship. This paper examines a set of climate-related implications for California's transportation infrastructure and provides a review of some current and potential state greenhouse gas mitigation activities within the transportation sector. There is a general consensus that the transportation is an important cause of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, however, our knowledge of the ways by which our transportation infrastructure may be impaired and ability to adapt to the consequences of climate change is still developing. Therefore, achieving climate objectives require an aggressive approach to implementing early mitigating measures such as those initiated in California to drastically reduce greenhousegases. In the short-to-medium term, rapid development and availability ofalternative fuels and vehicles, increased efficiency in new cars and trucks (light and heavy duty), and super clean fuels are the most direct approach to reducing GHG emissions from motor vehicles (emission performance standards and fuel or carbon performance standards). Additionally, it is nottoo early to begin evaluating the vulnerabilities of transportation infrastructures and incorporating the effects of climate change projections into transportation planning and project development, because some transportation infrastructure has a long enough lifetime to justify a consideration of long-term environmental change. The intent is to begin developing technical requirements and procedures necessary to mainstream climate change into the transportation and land use agencies business decisions. There is aclear role for transportation and land use agencies in keeping up to datewith climate change developments and improving understanding about likelyimpacts on transportation infrastructure. Transportation agencies need toestablish climate action program and an ongoing focal point to coordinateclimate activities. For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.
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