Nevada Department of Transportation

Transportation Emission Reduction Act

The Transportation Emission Reduction Program was established in order to meet the requirement that each state, in consultation with Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO’s), develop a Carbon Reduction Strategy as required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) also know as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and in 23 U.S.C 175(d). The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) has developed the program to identify strategies to reduce overall transportation emissions, not just carbon/GHG emissions and to build the tools and measures to evaluate emission reduction along with other goals of the transportation system. The program aims to strike a balance between meeting federal requirements while reflecting Nevada specific circumstances for strategies and solutions.

Carbon Reduction Program

The Carbon Reduction Program is a federal funding program related to the Carbon Reduction Strategy mentioned above. Nevada is anticipated to receive approximately $57M for transportation projects and programs that reduce carbon emissions from the transportation system. Sixty-five percent of the funding is sub-allocated by population, with the majority going to large urban areas through their MPOs. The remaining 35% is anticipated to be allocated for use throughout the state and has been dedicated to a Clean Buses and Trucks Program. This program, currently in development, is a partnership between NDOT and NDEP, designed to incentivize the adoption of Medium and Heavy Duty Zero Emission Vehicles.

NDOT Greenhouse gas (GHG) Reduction Strategic Plan

The NDOT GHG Reduction Strategic Plan, completed in February 2021, describes implementing 24 strategies to reduce GHG emissions in NDOT’s operations, planning, construction, and maintenance of existing and future transportation systems. NDOT primarily impacts GHG emissions reduction through enhancing system e ciency and minimizing emissions related to construction, maintenance, and operations. Since the
plan’s completion, GHG emissions from NDOT operations have decreased by more than 17% between fiscal years 2019 (baseline) and 2023.

NDOT Resiliency in Transportation Planning and Operations: Resiliency Study

The NDOT Resiliency Study, completed in September 2023, is a collaborative study that aims to better understand and quantify the vulnerability of NDOT's transportation systems to extreme weather impacts and other shock events. The study assesses three vulnerability sources: flooding, wildfire, and earthquakes. It identified 32 assets that would benefit from resiliency improvements based on the vulnerability rankings to specific or combinations of hazards. The study also provides recommendations to help NDOT incorporate resiliency strategies into long-term transportation planning to prepare for, adapt to, mitigate, and recover from these vulnerabilities.

Nevada Alternative Fueling Infrastructure Plan (National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program or NEVI)

The NDOT Alternative Fueling Infrastructure Plan or National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (NEVI) began prior to the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to identify and designate routes for all alternative fuels, including, but not limited to electric, hydrogen, and propane. With the passage of BIL, the program has been focused on electric charging to fulfil the NEVI program requirements. NDOT has created annual plans as required by the BIL to identify existing and proposed charging infrastructure along designated corridors, first focusing on interstates, then US routes.