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The Nation’s transportation infrastructure is vital to our economy and the character of our society. Transportation can be considered a means to a broad array of ends. It supports economic development through access to jobs, services and other activities, and through the movement of goods. But as we approach the twenty-first century it is becoming equally apparent that we must also consider the ramifications of transportation for sustainability.

The most frequently cited definition of sustainability was adopted by the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission): "A sustainable condition for this planet is one in which there is stability for both social and physical systems, achieved through meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." The Brundtland Commission definition was selected for this Initiative because it acknowledges that sustainability has social and community as well as physical dimensions, and is the most broadly accepted definition of "sustainability." This Agenda shares this comprehensive approach to sustainability, which is consistent with recent major research and the broad concerns and responsibilities of the participating agencies.

Transportation systems interact with other built, social, and natural systems to produce broad effects on sustainability. Goals for transportation include safety, mobility, economic growth and trade, enhancement of communities and the natural environment, and national security. Transportation systems produce environmental, economic, and social equity effects, characterized as the "Three E’s." Transportation systems can be considered "sustainable" to the extent that they contribute, in the short and long term, to national goals such as: reduced greenhouse gas emissions; healthy ecosystems; enhanced biodiversity; reduced air and water pollution; reduced dependence on finite fossil fuel supplies; and affordable access to economic and social opportunity.

Transportation decisions can be considered "more or less" sustainable in terms of how they produce and balance these effects. Advancement of sustainability can be considered as a matter of degree, or as movement along a continuum using indicators. National and local goals can be expressed in terms of these indicators. The challenge for decision makers is to achieve a balance among sustainability goals. Because this Agenda represents a "work in progress," the choice of outcomes and measures will be refined by participating agencies and stakeholders.

Clean Air Partnership Fund: The President's FY 2000 budget proposes a new Clean Air Partnership Fund to support state, local, and private efforts to reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and ground-level air pollutants. Through grants to state and local governments the Fund will help finance projects that go beyond legal requirements and enable communities to achieve clean air goals sooner. It will also stimulate cost-effective pollution control strategies, spur technological innovation, and leverage substantial non-Federal investment in improved air quality. The Fund will be administered by EPA under existing authority.