The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced three transportation modal action plans to build a cleaner, more resilient, and more globally competitive transportation system. The action plans—covering key elements of the freight sector and convenient and efficient modes of transportation—were developed in partnership with the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and industry stakeholders.

Along with the previously released aviation plan and forthcoming offroad plan, each action plan identifies strategies to accelerate innovation, expand affordable options for consumers, unlock private sector action, and ultimately deliver a better transportation system.

The US transportation system’s trucks, ships, trains, and planes move 55 million tons of goods, worth more than $49 billion, and transport people across three trillion vehicle miles annually. Transportation is critical to the national economy ecosystem and key to global competition. However, it also produces air pollution, increasing risk for asthma, heart disease, and other health issue, especially in communities near highways, ports, railyards, and warehouses.

In 2023, DOE, DOT, EPA, and HUD partnered with transportation industry stakeholders to release the US National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization (Blueprint). The Blueprint provides the roadmap for innovative transportation fueling and vehicle technologies across every mode of transportation to expand affordable and accessible transportation options. It takes a systems approach to address overall efficiency and convenience across the sector and focuses on realistic, cost-effective approaches, taking into account viewpoints from industry and stakeholders.