The climate, public health, and jobs benefits of electric vehicles are clear, but how do we get to a highly electrified transportation future when internal combustion engines still dominate the market today? To reap these benefits, we need a smart combination of federal and state actions to pave the way. In this final episode of our 3-part transportation series, host Sara Baldwin speaks with Margo Oge, former Director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to learn more about the critical role of the EPA in setting tailpipe emission standards nationally. And, we hear from Anjali Bains, Senior Transportation Manager at Fresh Energy, who shares the full story of how Minnesota became the 15th state (and first Midwest state) to adopt a clean cars standard. Tune in to learn more about viable pathways and strategies to avoid blockades on the road to a clean, electrified transportation future. 

Guest Bios:

Margo Oge, Chair of the International Council on Clean Transportation Board of Directors and the former Director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Margo had a 32-year career with the EPA, and during her 18-year tenure as Director, she was the chief architect of numerous programs that reduced emissions from gasoline and diesel-fueled automobiles, trucks, buses, and off-road vehicles by up to 99 percent. She led the EPA's development of the first-ever national greenhouse gas emission standards for cars and heavy-duty trucks and helped establish the Renewable Fuels Standard, among other accomplishments. She is a Distinguished Fellow with the ClimateWorks Foundation, a member of the Volkswagen Group’s International Sustainability Council, member of the board of the Union of Concerned Scientists, and a member of the Advisory Committee of the US Global Change Research Program.

Anjali Bains, Senior Clean Transportation Manager at Fresh Energy, a Saint-Paul based clean energy & climate nonprofit advocating for policies to accelerate Minnesota’s transition to a zero-emissions economy by 2050. At Fresh Energy, Anjali leads the electric transportation program, advocating in the state legislature, regulatory arenas, and other decision-making bodies as a technical expert in issues ranging from clean car standards and to utility EV programs.  

To Dig in Deeper, Check out these Must-Read Resources:

·      Fresh Energy, Transportation Program

·      Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Rulemaking: Clean Cars Minnesota

·      State judge Oks ‘clean cars’ plan, MPR News

·      Minnesota Advances to Become First Midwest Clean Cars State, NRDC

·      Emissions Standards Reference Guide for On-road and Nonroad Vehicles and Engines

·      U.S. EPA Transportation: Mobile Sources, website