Evaluating Heterogeneity in Household Travel Response to Carbon Pricing: A Study Focusing on Small and Rural Communities

Vermont has a goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 75% by 2050 but Vermont’s GHG emission have been increasing since 2011. Transportation is Vermont’s largest source of GHG emissions. Vermont along with 11 northeastern and mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia have joined the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) to cut GHG emissions from transportation through a regional carbon cap and invest program. A concern for Vermont, and other rural states, is that TCI may disproportionately impact the welfare of rural households because rural households may be more automobile dependent and less able to adapt. While the proceeds from TCI emission allowance auctions could be used to mitigate inequities, data to understand welfare impacts and the effectiveness of investment decisions is lacking for rural communities. The aim of this research project is therefore to collect new information about household travel behavior, how households may respond to increased transportation fuel costs, and information about real and perceived barriers to avoiding higher transportation fuel costs in diverse rural communities. This project will provide Vermont and other rural states with new information that can be used to help design investment strategies that maximize program effectiveness while mitigating possible inequities.

• Record URL:
  • https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/project/evaluating-heterogeneity-household-travel-response-carbon-pricing-study-focusing-small-and

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $170000
• Contract Numbers:

  DOT 69A3551747114

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  University of Vermont

  Transportation Research Center
  Burlington, Vermont  United States  05405
• Project Managers:

  Iacobucci, Lauren

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Vermont

  Transportation Research Center
  Burlington, Vermont  United States  05405
• Principal Investigators:

  Rowangould, Gregory

• Start Date: 20200901
• Expected Completion Date: 20221231
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Climate change; Costs; Equity; Forecasting; Households; Pollutants; Rural areas; Rural travel; Travel behavior
• Geographic Terms: Vermont
• Subject Areas: Economics; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01735663
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Center for Sustainable Transportation
• Contract Numbers: DOT 69A3551747114
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Apr 2 2020 1:58PM