Asia-Pacific seeks cleaner transport

   Transportation and energy ministers from 21 economies in the Asia-Pacific region, including the United States, on Tuesday agreed to continue initiatives for cleaner and more energy-efficient transportation in the region.
   The announcement came during the first-ever joint Transportation and Energy Ministerial Conference held in San Francisco by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the principal economic organization for the region.
   “Our roadways, runways, railways, waterways and transit systems all must move greater numbers of people and products while leaving a smaller environmental footprint,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, in a statement.
   The trade ministers directed their energy and transportation working groups to study ways that APEC members could make their transportation systems more energy-efficient. The ministers noted APEC economies are progressing toward the goal, adopted by the organization in 2007, of reducing the use of energy in economic activity by at least 25 percent by 2030. they called for efforts to make further improvements and efforts to phase out subsidies that promote the use of fossil fuels.
   Other actions called for by the ministers include:
   • Develop energy-efficient transportation systems for livable, low-carbon communities.
   • Provide alternative fuels for transportation.
   • Make freight transportation more energy efficient.
   The joint Transportation and Energy Ministerial Conference will be followed today by the 7th Transportation Ministerial Meeting, during which APEC transportation ministers will further discuss promoting innovative, environmentally sustainable transportation. They also will discuss the need to enhance regulatory cooperation among the APEC economies and with relevant international organizations, and for strengthening regional integration by removing barriers to trade and investment.