Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley with U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici today announced a federal investment of $963,000 for Portland State University to establish a transportation decarbonization resource hub.
“Carbon from the transportation sector makes a huge impact on carbon emissions statewide, and I applaud this federal investment for PSU to reduce that amount and help to tackle the current climate crisis head on,” Wyden said. “This is urgent business, and I will continue to fight for more resources to support carbon-emission reduction in Oregon and across the nation.”
“Efforts to take out dirty emissions means cleaner air and healthier communities while supporting jobs right here in our community,” said Merkley, who secured funding for this project as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Creating a transportation decarbonization resource hub at Portland State University will provide critical tools for reducing carbon emissions from transportation, which is key to fighting climate chaos. I will continue to support home-grown opportunities and matching communities with the resources they need to build a more sustainable, resilient future for all Oregonians.”
“Decarbonizing the transportation sector is a critical part of addressing the climate crisis, ” said Bonamici. “I advocated for this federal investment in Portland State University’s Transportation Decarbonization Resource Hub to enhance our region’s ability to protect public health and the environment by improving our transportation system.”
The federal investment from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology was secured by Wyden, Merkley and Bonamici through the Project Funding process, also known as Community-Initiated Project funding. The investments will PSU to do the following:
- A literature review of transportation safety modes, including micro-mobility such as electronic scooters and bikes,
- Document safety regulations at federal, state, and local levels,
- Assess new information from police, hospital, and industry data to help research,
- Interview stakeholders across public and private sectors, and
- Make recommendations to local and state policy makers on infrastructure, policy, and technology.
“I’m grateful to Senators Wyden and Merkley, as well as Congresswoman Bonamici, for their support of PSU’s Transportation Decarbonization Resource Hub, a project of our Transportation Research and Education Center. The Hub has the potential to become a national model for comprehensive assessment of decarbonization efforts – advancing best practices and facilitating project prioritization,” said Jennifer Dill, Professor and Director of the Transportation Research and Education Center at Portland State University.
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