Marylandranks second in the U.S. for its environmentally friendly transportation policies and investments, according to a report released Tuesday. The report, “Getting Back on Track: Climate Change and State Transportation Policy,” released by environmental advocacy groups Smart Growth America and the Natural Resources Defense Council, compared the 50 states’ transportation systems and their effects on gas emissions. The three states in the top tier were California, Maryland and New Jersey. States were graded on 17 factors that analyzed policies such as commuter incentive plans and lower insurance rates for low-mileage drivers. State spending was also evaluated on a variety of projects including road and bridge funding and public transit improvements and growth.
Virginia ranked 12th, receiving good scores for policies that supported commuter choices, its gas tax to fund transit investments and streets that help reduce congestion and pollution.
Trip Pollard, land and community director for the Southern Environmental Law Center, said Virginia ranked among the top 10 for state policies but scored low on investments to match policies such as funding transit and nonmotorized transportation, adding that it is “not doing enough to put our money where our mouth is.”
Parris Glendening, former Maryland governor and president of the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, said the report’s findings prove that states must make transportation improvements “front and center as we think about how to get the most out our public investments.”
He said Maryland’s strength was consistency in “meeting the challenges to innovate” by continuing to create pedestrian-friendly communities and recognizing the continued investment in public transportation.
“States that create transportation choices give their citizens other options about how to meet their daily needs without being held hostage to congestion,” he said, adding that states ultimately will benefit with less pollution and lower costs.
