The Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure 2.0 represents the state’s sequel to its initial successful efforts to prioritize greenhouse gas reductions in the transportation sector.
By Arianna Smith
Managing Editor
Transit California
In March 2025, the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) announced the release of the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI) 2.0. The plan, which acknowledges the successes of and provides updates to a 2021 guiding document (CAPTI 1.0), furthers the state’s effort to meet climate goals via changes to the transportation sector.
Californians have long demanded that policymakers take action to help protect communities from the negative effects climate change, especially extreme heat, drought, wildfires, and sea level rise. Meanwhile, scientists have acknowledged the role that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions play in worsening the existing climate crisis in California and around the world. Throughout the 2000s, California policymakers have prioritized the need to invest in efforts to reduce GHG emissions specifically in the transportation sector -- which contributes to nearly half of all statewide GHG emissions.
CAPTI 2.0 is the latest component of a network of state commitments connected by the goal of climate crisis mitigation through transportation policy and funding changes. Here’s a closer look at why the update matters to public transit agencies.
Where It Began: CAPTI 1.0
In 2021, California adopted the first CAPTI document (CAPTI 1.0) as part of the state’s work to support the reduction of transportation-sector greenhouse gas emissions. The document was built on a pair of Executive Orders issued by Governor Newsom that leveraged discretionary state transportation funds and required the identification of near-term actions and strategies to reduce GHG emissions in the transportation sector.
“The original CAPTI document transformed the state’s commitment to public transit in a few fundamental ways,” said Darwin Moosavi, Deputy Secretary for Environmental Policy & Housing Coordination at CalSTA and a lead contributor to CAPTI. “It not only called on the state to prioritize its state transportation dollars in a way that tackle our climate change goals, but it centered transit as a key climate strategy that will help us get there. Under CAPTI, we saw a significant shift towards more transit projects being funded in state programs such as the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program (SCCP).”
The original plan proposed ten “guiding principles” designed to help prioritize flexible funding. These were:
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A statewide rail and transit network
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Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure
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Investments in zero-emission (ZE) vehicle infrastructure
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Increasing social and racial equity
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Reducing fatalities and severe injuries
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Assessing climate risk for infrastructure projects
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Projects that do not markedly increase passenger vehicle travel
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Compact infill development with protections from local displacement
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A ZE freight transportation system
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Protecting natural and working lands
The Association’s Engagement
The Association engaged in the yearlong drafting and commenting process prior to the release of CAPTI, and alongside 2021 state budget negotiations; Association leadership particularly noted important points on eight of the 34 proposed action items.
In response to the strategy to “Prioritize SCCP Projects to Enable Travelers to Opt Out of Congestion,” which was a sub-strategy for cultivating sustainable transportation, the Association made headway in the effort to make express lanes and bus-on-shoulder programs eligible for SCCP funding.
The Association also responded to several components of CAPTI’s second key strategy, “Support a Robust Economic Recovery by Revitalizing Transit, Supporting ZEV Deployment, and Expanding Active Transportation Investments.” The Association expressed its support for the continued elective implementation of the California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP) to facilitate the adoption of contactless fare payment systems; advocated for proposed rail funding to benefit intercity passenger rail and commuter rail systems; and urged the Administration to revamp and increase funding for several programs, including the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital program (TRCIP) for ZEV purchases and infrastructure buildout for bus and rail and the Active Transportation Program for biking and walking infrastructure.
Additionally, the Association pointed out the need for the Administration to expand its approach to accounting for climate risk in the stated goal to “Update Transportation Infrastructure Competitive Program Guidelines to Incentivize Climate Adaptation and Climate Risk Assessments/Strategies.”
The Association also stood up for a variety of locally-controlled solutions to reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), including the creation of project-specific mitigation banks that would be controlled by local- or regional-entities and used for investment in projects in their jurisdictions, as well as the increased deployment of roadway pricing with the retention of local programmatic control.
Finally, the Association emphasized the need for new infill housing production without predicating transportation investments on local housing policy choices.
The final version of CAPTI 1.0 ultimately included 34 action items that largely aligned with the Association’s comments. These items were carried out by state agencies, transit stakeholders, local governments, and the State Legislature. The action items aligned California’s discretionary investments in transportation infrastructure with the state’s longstanding goals to rapidly cut GHGs and help address the climate crisis.
“We completed all thirty-four actions that were in that document, and we completed them more than a year ahead of schedule [in July 2024],” said CalSTA Secretary, Toks Omashakin during his comments at the Association’s Spring Legislative Conference. The Secretary’s entire presentation can be found on our website here.
CAPTI 2.0: Building on the Successes of CAPTI 1.0
CAPTI 2.0 celebrated the implementation of these action items while reaffirming the state’s ongoing commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
“We have a responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the worst-case scenarios of climate change – and we must act quickly and purposefully,” said Governor Gavin Newsom of this next phase. “California will persist in its investment of mobility options that are sustainable, convenient, seamless and affordable while also connecting our communities throughout the state.”
Secretary Omishakin added, “for three straight years, implementation of CAPTI actions have shown that with intentional action through our infrastructure investments, we can make huge strides in tackling transportation emissions.”
The updated document includes a focused group of 14 new or updated action items for reducing GHGs in the transportation sector.
Moosavi explained how the second iteration expanded on the accomplishments of CAPTI 1.0 as it pertains to public transit: “CAPTI 2.0 builds on that success by introducing new actions to further implement the vision established in the original CAPTI. For example, CAPTI 2.0 includes a commitment towards the goal of VMT neutrality in the SCCP program and supports the implementation of a Caltrans Transit Policy to prioritize the movement of transit on the state highway system. These as well as many other improvements will lead to the state supporting the creation of a more robust transit network throughout the state.”
Most of the updated action items focus on policy areas of the transportation sector that are not part of public transit activities or already took into account the Association’s initial comments. As a result, the Association took a less active role in CAPTI 2.0’s development than it did in CAPTI 1.0, and it did not issue public comments during the drafting process. Of the 14 new action items, the one most closely aligned to Association member activities is the Administration reiterating and updating its commitment to working towards VMT/GHG neutrality, particularly through the use of mitigation banks.
What’s next?
As with CAPTI 1.0, the Administration will issue an Implementation Progress Report in 2026 to provide the public with updates on the status of the 14 new action items. It will also launch a series of evaluation studies on changes resulting from transportation investments on VMT and GHG emissions, equity, and economic outcomes.
The Association will keep members updated on the progress of CAPTI 2.0, as well as on ways that these new action items can benefit members.