1、The Transportation Energy Institute(TEI)has commenced a study of transportation equity(TE)issues that exist in rural,tribal and urban communities,in particular,looking a how to reduce“energy burdens”on these communities.The ultimate question is how to transition to cleanertransportation options whil

2、e reducing socioeconomic gaps within the U.S.TEI has formed aworking group to explore these issues and to consider whether TEI ought to consider funding amore extensive study to more deeply examine the issues.Transportation equity is an issue thatdeserves an in-depth explanation.We will address that

3、 below.In summary,there is a lot of history and expertise developed on the topic of equity at the federal,state and local levels(though this whitepaper focuses on federal efforts).Moreover,the BidenAdministration has made equity,including TE,a major policy priority(see Inflation ReductionAct),includ

4、ing the development of data and tools to better assess disadvantaged communities(DACs)so that they can be better served.When it comes to personal mobility,most recent TEefforts have focused squarely on electrification.Other fuel/vehicle combinations,especially those linked to fossil fuels,have not b

5、een included inequity efforts and this may be problematic because,for example,rural and tribal drivers willlikely depend upon internal combustion engine vehicles(ICEVs)and conventional fuels for theforeseeable future.Are there wider,more diverse ways to achieve the TE goals of theAdministration that

6、 achieve the same objectives(i.e.reduce energy burdens as well asemissions)?Are existing TE efforts for electrification sufficient?These are two of the questionsthat could be explored further.This whitepaper first describes what TE is and how states/federal government have approachedTE in transporta