HARTFORD, CT. - On May 21, in Connecticut, a broad-based meeting of lawmakers, business leaders, transportation experts, and others will provide the best opportunity so far for experts and community members in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region to trade ideas on a recent commitment by seven states and Washington, D.C., to develop a regional initiative for clean transportation.

The Hartford meeting will be the second in a series of regional Public Listening Sessions for Clean Transportation and Climate Issues. Stakeholders from Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and D.C. will be seeking input on solutions to improve and modernize the transportation system in both the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 21 at the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP).

In November, the seven states and Washington, D.C., pledged to explore regional policies to reduce carbon pollution from the transportation sector. The Connecticut Listening Session for Clean Transportation will provide a launching pad for discussion of current challenges in the Northeast, as well as an opportunity to propose policies that will reduce air pollution generated by cars and trucks while building an equitable transportation network that better serves all of Connecticut’s residents.

At the listening sessions, policymakers, business leaders and others will discuss solutions to the challenges that lie ahead, including: new infrastructure for electric vehicles; better public transportation, including zero-emission bus service; and programs to ensure low-income and underserved communities have access to transportation options that are affordable, convenient, and non-polluting.

A similar regional listening session was held in Albany, New York, in April. Massachusetts and Rhode Island also held state-specific listening sessions to explore clean transportation strategies last fall in Boston and in Providence in April. A third regional listening session is scheduled for Wilmington, Delaware in June, and additional state and regional sessions will follow.