Greenhouse gas emissions include carbon dioxide, which is produced when vehicles burn fuel that contains carbon. To reduce those emissions, Oregon needs to lower the amount of carbon in those fuels or use less fuel.
Some examples of fuels that produce lower emissions:
Electricity.
Blended fuels like ethanol added to gas, and biodiesel.
Renewable diesel.
Renewable natural gas.
Clean hydrogen.
Renewable propane.
Some of these fuels require new vehicle technology or fueling infrastructure to use them, while other fuels can use existing technology and infrastructure.
Fuel technology focuses on ways to reduce the amount of carbon emitted by the fuels Oregon uses for transportation.
Carbon intensity and lifecycle emissions
Carbon intensity is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions a fuel emits per unit of energy it produces. Greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.
Different fuels have different carbon intensities. Oregon measures a fuel’s carbon intensity across the entire “life” of a fuel, including what it’s made from; how it’s made; how it’s transported to Oregon; and how it’s used to power our vehicles. This measurement is called lifecycle emissions.
For example, gasoline lifecycle emissions factor in emissions from drilling, pumping, refining, distribution to the local gas station, and emissions from a vehicle’s tailpipe.
For electricity, carbon intensity factors in where the electricity is generated, because electric vehicles do not produce tailpipe emissions when they’re driven. Carbon intensities of electricity can vary; electricity generated by hydropower would have a significantly lower carbon intensity than electricity generated by coal, for example.
Progress snapshot
Lower emission fuels
The average carbon intensity of Oregon’s transportation fuels has been steadily decreasing in response to the Clean Fuels Program, run by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. The program regulates the transition to lower carbon fuels by incentivizing cleaner production and sourcing of fuels. It also incentivizes fuel blends that reduce carbon intensity per gallon or fully replace the fossil fuel.
Making low-emission fuels more available to freight, transit and delivery vehicles, and addressing unique fleet challenges is key to near term GHG reduction.
Cleaner electricity grid
Oregon’s electricity grid is among the cleanest in the nation, and new regulations will push towards zero emission electricity by 2040. Expanding electricity demands are coinciding with loss of federal funding for new renewable electricity generation and transmission grid upgrades.
Electric vehicle charging
This action is identified as a high risk area that represents reversed progress from previous cycles. The loss of sustained funding for public EV chargers may slow EV adoption.
Oregon is a leader in public EV charging infrastructure for cars, trucks and SUVs. The state oversees several programs that are expanding Oregon’s public charging network. However, stable and more investments are needed at all levels to sustain progress, especially to support larger vehicles like buses and long-haul freight trucks. With more reliance on market-driven EV adoption, it is important that sufficient EV chargers avoid adding range anxiety.
Explore each category below for an in-depth breakdown of our progress.