How U.S. Congress Can Get Cities Moving
Originally published on the NRDC Expert Blog.
By Sarah Kline, Federal Transportation Consultant to NRDC.
The Biden administration has set an ambitious climate goal for America: a 50 percent decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. To reach this goal, changing the way we move must be key since transportation is the largest contributor of GHGs in the United States.
Fortunately, cities are already leading the way. My colleagues and I have been working since 2018 with 25 cities as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge. Along with local partners, the cities have made significant strides in adopting climate-friendly transportation policies to encourage people to bike, walk, or use public transit instead of driving.
Cities are the natural leaders as they oversee land use, including the location of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and local infrastructure, like streets and sidewalks, and may also provide transit service. But cities cannot tackle the climate crisis alone. The federal government has the tools to support bottom-up climate action and bring solutions to the national scale.
Here are two ways the federal government can help cities accelerate reductions in transportation emissions. In a future installment, I’ll discuss how the federal government can empower more local climate action.
1. Level up federal transit funding to match federal highway funding.
Bus Lanes. Photo by Caroline Yang for NRDC.
One of the most effective ways of reducing emissions is increasing transit use so that more people can get to jobs, schools, health care, and other places without driving. Many of the Climate Challenge cities have taken bold steps. St. Petersburg, Florida, is building the first bus rapid transit (BRT) line in the Tampa Bay Area, which will provide service between downtown and the beach. Charlotte, North Carolina, plans to build a 26-mile Silver Line that links the airport to the region’s light rail system, connecting communities of color to Charlotte’s uptown, thousands of jobs, and many other essential destinations. San Antonio voters passed a ballot measure in 2020 to dedicate a portion of an existing sales tax to expanding transit. Likewise, Cincinnati voters replaced a portion of the city’s earnings tax with a 0.8% increase to the county’s sales tax to fund the Southern Ohio Regional Transit Agency (SORTA) and infrastructure projects. The success of these and other ballot measures demonstrate the growing demand across the country for clean transportation options.
But cities are still limited in what they can deliver, due to the overall low level of funding. They’re forced to build out transit systems at a snail’s pace, one line at a time, with cobbled-together funds, meaning it can take decades to deliver the transit network that residents want. The federal transportation program has exacerbated this problem: For every $4 spent on roads and highways, just $1 has been spent on transit. It’s time for the federal program to level up investments in transit to match highways. That way, cities can realize transit projects and reap the benefits of greener transportation that much sooner.
2. Fund the transition to electric vehicles.
Increasing the use of zero-emission vehicles is one of the most effective tools for cutting emissions. Several cities, including St. Louis, Chicago, Boston, and Indianapolis, have adopted or are exploring EV readiness ordinances to ensure that new homes and buildings are prepared for an EV future.
Orlando, Florida, installed 100 electric chargers, pivoted its municipal light-duty fleet to EVs, and attracted federal funding for 140 EV buses. The city’s utility also hired an EV specialist to oversee incentives for EV adoption programs.
Philadelphia introduced 25 electric buses and is working on a clean fleet plan, while Pittsburgh debuted its first two electric buses and partnered with its electric utility to install two chargers. Charlotte added its first five battery electric buses at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, which will result in an annual decrease of about 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel, saving an estimated $90,000 each year. Los Angeles is in the process of adding 155 electric buses to its fleet.
Though cities are transitioning to electrification, it comes at a price. Purchasing an electric bus — not to mention installing the charging infrastructure — costs more than a diesel bus. Although these upfront costs are recouped over time through lower operating expenses, they can be a burden for strapped local governments. The only federal grant program focused on low- and no-emission bus purchases represents less than half of one percent of the federal transportation program. To accelerate fleet conversions, a significant increase in federal grants for EVs and charging infrastructure is needed, such as the $174 billion proposed by the Biden administration in the American Jobs Plan.
Image by Electrify America.
The Time Is Now
The U.S. Senate just passed a major Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, and pivoted to an even bigger budget reconciliation package. There is a lot of work to do over the next month, especially with current transportation law expiring on September 30th. These bills should be a one-two punch that helps knock the funding shortfalls in transit and electrification and give cities the tools they need to make immediate and lasting progress in reducing transportation emissions.
Japanese equipment giant Kubota brought 22 new or updated machines to the 2025 bauma expo earlier this year, but tucked away in the corners was a new retrofit kit that can help existing customers decarbonize more quickly, and more affordably.
No matter how badly a fleet may want to electrify, harsh economic realities and the greater up-front costs typically associated with battery electric remain high hurdles to overcome, but new retrofit options from major manufacturers are popping up to help lower those obstacles.
The latest equipment maker to put its name on the retrofit list is Kubota, who says its kit can be installed by a trained dealer in a single day.
That’s right! By this time tomorrow, your diesel-powered Kubota KX019 or U27-4 excavator (shown) could be fitted with an 18 or 20 kWh li-ion battery pack and electric drive motors and ready to get to work in a low-noise or low-vibration work environment where emissions are a strict no-no. Think indoor precision demolition or historic archeological excavation.
Then, if necessary, it can go right back to diesel power.
From diesel to electric and back again
If that sounds familiar, that’s because we’ve talked about a similarly flexible power solution from ZQUIP. The battery packs and diesel engines are much larger in that application, but the basic sales pitch remains the same: electric when it benefits your operation, diesel it doesn’t.
Kubota says its modular retrofit kits is a response to the increasing global demand for sustainable alternatives by focusing on making machinery that’s flexible and repairable enough to be “reusable,” and offer construction fleet managers a longer operational lifespan, superior ROI (return on investment), and lower TCO (total cost of ownership) than the competition.
Kubota’s solution also notably reduces maintenance costs and operational overheads. With no engine and associated components, servicing time and expenses are considerably reduced, saving customers both time and money. Additionally, with electricity costing far less than fossil fuels, it offers a highly economical advantage.
International Rental News reports that other changes to the excavators include a more modern cab controls with a digital instrument cluster, a 60 mm wider undercarriage for more stability, and an independent travel circuit allows operators to use the boom, dipper, bucket, and auxiliary functions without an impact on tracking performance.
Kubota’s new kit, first shown at last year’s Hillhead exhibition in the UK, will officially be on sale this summer – any day now, in fact – though pricing has yet to be announced.
Electrek’s Take
If you’re wondering how it is that we’re still talking about bauma 2025 a full quarter after the show wrapped up, then I haven’t done a good enough job of explaining how positively massive the show was. Check out this Quick Charge episode (above) then let us know what you think of Kubota’s modular power kits in the comments.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Kubota, via International Rental News.
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Elon Musk isn’t happy about Trump passing the Big Beautiful Bill and killing off the $7,500 EV tax credit – but there’s a lot more bad news for Tesla baked into the BBB. We’ve got all that and more on today’s budget-busting episode of Quick Charge!
We also present ongoing coverage of the 2025 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix and dive into some two wheeled reports on the new electric Honda Ruckus e:Zoomer, the latest BMW electric two-wheeler, and more!
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Environment
FERC: Solar + wind made up 96% of new US power generating capacity in first third of 2025
Solar and wind accounted for almost 96% of new US electrical generating capacity added in the first third of 2025. In April, solar provided 87% of new capacity, making it the 20th consecutive month solar has taken the lead, according to data belatedly posted on July 1 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign.
Solar’s new generating capacity in April 2025 and YTD
In its latest monthly “Energy Infrastructure Update” report (with data through April 30, 2025), FERC says 50 “units” of solar totaling 2,284 megawatts (MW) were placed into service in April, accounting for 86.7% of all new generating capacity added during the month.
In addition, the 9,451 MW of solar added during the first four months of 2025 was 77.7% of the new generation placed into service.
Solar has now been the largest source of new generating capacity added each month for 20 consecutive months, from September 2023 to April 2025.
Solar + wind were >95% of new capacity in 1st third of 2025
Between January and April 2025, new wind provided 2,183 MW of capacity additions, accounting for 18.0% of new additions in the first third.
In the same period, the combination of solar and wind was 95.7% of new capacity while natural gas (511 MW) provided just 4.2%; the remaining 0.1% came from oil (11 MW).
Solar + wind are >22% of US utility-scale generating capacity
The installed capacities of solar (11.0%) and wind (11.8%) are now each more than a tenth of the US total. Together, they make up almost one-fourth (22.8%) of the US’s total available installed utility-scale generating capacity.
Moreover, at least 25-30% of US solar capacity is in small-scale (e.g., rooftop) systems that are not reflected in FERC’s data. Including that additional solar capacity would bring the share provided by solar + wind to more than a quarter of the US total.
With the inclusion of hydropower (7.7%), biomass (1.1%), and geothermal (0.3%), renewables currently claim a 31.8% share of total US utility-scale generating capacity. If small-scale solar capacity is included, renewables are now about one-third of total US generating capacity.
Solar is on track to become No. 2 source of US generating capacity
FERC reports that net “high probability” additions of solar between May 2025 and April 2028 total 90,158 MW – an amount almost four times the forecast net “high probability” additions for wind (22,793 MW), the second-fastest growing resource. Notably, both three-year projections are higher than those provided just a month earlier.
FERC also foresees net growth for hydropower (596 MW) and geothermal (92 MW) but a decrease of 123 MW in biomass capacity.
Taken together, the net new “high probability” capacity additions by all renewable energy sources over the next three years – i.e., the bulk of the Trump administration’s remaining time in office – would total 113,516 MW.
FERC doesn’t include any nuclear capacity in its three-year forecast, while coal and oil are projected to contract by 24,373 MW and 1,915 MW, respectively. Natural gas capacity would expand by 5,730 MW.
Thus, adjusting for the different capacity factors of gas (59.7%), wind (34.3%), and utility-scale solar (23.4%), electricity generated by the projected new solar capacity to be added in the coming three years should be at least six times greater than that produced by the new natural gas capacity, while the electrical output by new wind capacity would be more than double that by gas.
If FERC’s current “high probability” additions materialize, by May 1, 2028, solar will account for one-sixth (16.6%) of US installed utility-scale generating capacity. Wind would provide an additional one-eighth (12.6%) of the total. That would make each greater than coal (12.2%) and substantially more than nuclear power or hydropower (7.3% and 7.2%, respectively).
In fact, assuming current growth rates continue, the installed capacity of utility-scale solar is likely to surpass that of either coal or wind within two years, placing solar in second place for installed generating capacity, behind only natural gas.
Renewables + small-scale solar may overtake natural gas within 3 years
The mix of all utility-scale (ie, >1 MW) renewables is now adding about two percentage points each year to its share of generating capacity. At that pace, by May 1, 2028, renewables would account for 37.7% of total available installed utility-scale generating capacity – rapidly approaching that of natural gas (40.1%). Solar and wind would constitute more than three-quarters of installed renewable energy capacity. If those trend lines continue, utility-scale renewable energy capacity should surpass that of natural gas in 2029 or sooner.
However, as noted, FERC’s data do not account for the capacity of small-scale solar systems. If that’s factored in, within three years, total US solar capacity could exceed 300 GW. In turn, the mix of all renewables would then be about 40% of total installed capacity while the share of natural gas would drop to about 38%.
Moreover, FERC reports that there may actually be as much as 224,426 MW of net new solar additions in the current three-year pipeline in addition to 69,530 MW of new wind, 9,072 MW of new hydropower, 202 MW of new geothermal, and 39 MW of new biomass. By contrast, net new natural gas capacity potentially in the three-year pipeline totals just 26,818 MW. Consequently, renewables’ share could be even greater by mid-spring 2028.
“The Trump Administration’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ … poses a clear threat to solar and wind in the years to come,” noted the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director, Ken Bossong. “Nonetheless, FERC’s latest data and forecasts suggest cleaner and lower-cost renewable energy sources may still dominate and surpass nuclear power, coal, and natural gas.”
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