In a previous post, I asked why we don't consider the federal transportation bill a major energy bill. Leaving that question aside, on Friday, Senators John Kerry and Barbara Boxer introduced a bill that couldn't be mistaken for anything else: the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S. 1733).

As much as we must pass transportation legislation that focuses on energy and climate change, we must also pass climate and energy legislation that focuses on transportation. And the Kerry-Boxer Clean Energy Jobs bill does just that.

The transportation sector represents nearly two-thirds of US oil consumption, and a third of US carbon emissions, and the Clean Energy Jobs bill zeros in on this growing source of emissions.

The legislation begins by having EPA and DOT set national targets for reducing GHG emissions from the transportation sector. It then sets up a framework under which states and large metropolitan regions would begin to plan for transportation emissions reductions, and monitor their progress over time. Setting targets and developing strategies to reach these targets will allow states and regions to integrate climate and energy concerns into their transportation plans in a way that is both flexible and prioritizes the most effective projects.

The bill would also assist states and regions by offering them a new set of tools, including state-of-the-art transportation and emissions models, standard methods for assessing transportation carbon, and improved and expanded data.

Perhaps more importantly, the bill would give states and regions access to new federal grants - totaling up to $1.5 billion each year - to assist them in developing and implementing low-carbon transportation plans. These grants represent direct investment in our communities that will create jobs, stimulate local economic development, and improve local transportation options, all while cutting emissions.

Along with other provisions that invest in more efficient clean cars and new sustainable transportation fuels, the Kerry-Boxer bill takes a big step forward on transportation.  While the next big step must be taken in the federal transportation bill, Kerry-Boxer's passage will jumpstart a more efficient and affordable transportation network that will become the wheels of America's Clean Energy Economy.