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Air Quality

Recent Developments Archive

• TRB Research Report Addresses Clean Truck Freight Strategies

  The Transportation Research Board has released Research Report 862 to assist in potential deployment of fuel-efficient and low-emission truck freight strategies. The report addresses diversity in the trucking industry and several clean truck strategies. The report also provides an overview of alternative fuels and technologies that target fuel efficiency such as technologies for tractor trailers, tires, and idle-reduction. In addition, operational strategies to reduce travel, idling, and inefficient engine operations are provided and clean truck corridor infrastructure is highlighted. Finally, federal and state agency efforts are illustrated to show best practices. For more information, link to the report. (11-29-17)

   

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• TRB Issues Guide on Airport Ground Access Vehicle Emissions Modeling

  The Transportation Research Board has issued a guide for determining air emissions from airport-related ground access vehicles. The Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Research Report 180, Guidebook for Quantifying Airport Ground Access Vehicle Activity for Emissions Modeling, provides a set of identified best practices for obtaining emission values for various computer models such as the EPA’s MOVES. The guidebook presents a three-tiered approach for making decisions about the data needed for the analysis and for collaborating on data collection. For more information, link to the guide. (11-28-17)

   

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• FHWA Issues Applicability Determination for CMAQ Performance Measures

  The Federal Highway Administration has published a list of state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) that are required to establish targets and report progress for the performance measures related to the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ). Forty-two DOTs and 119 MPOs must establish targets for the On-road Source Emissions measure. Thirty-two DOTs and 44 MPOs must establish targets for the Traffic Congestion Measures. The FHWA is phasing in the requirements to implement CMAQ traffic congestion measures starting with areas with more than 1 million people, then expanding in 2022 to areas with over 200,000 residents. For more information, link to the applicability determination. (11-14-17)

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• Seminar to Discuss Health Effects of Traffic-Related Pollution

  The Texas A&M Transportation Institute, Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health, will host a seminar on methodologies identified in environmental epidemiologic studies and the health effects of traffic-related pollution. Methodologies to be discussed include geographic information systems, modeling, and personal and remote sensing. The seminar also will review policy impacts and solutions to mitigate traffic-related pollution at the urban scale. The seminar is scheduled for Dec. 5, 2017 in College Station and via webinar. For more information, link to the announcement. 

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• NCHRP Reports Highlight Travel Forecasting Tool Design and Use

  The National Cooperative Highway Research Program has issued two reports regarding the development of the software tool TFGuide, for travel forecasting. TFGuide aids in the selection of methods and techniques based on application needs, resource constraints, available data, and existing model structure. NCHRP Report 852 provides an overview of how to use the tool and a case study to demonstrate how a metropolitan planning organization used the software to perform a transit corridor study. The report also addresses the role of the travel forecaster, transportation planner, and decision maker. The NCHRP also issued a companion document that addresses the current state of practice in travel demand models, the software design and functionality of TFGuide, pilot tests conducted using the tool, and a history of travel forecasting legislation. For more information, link to the web-only document and the research report. (10-20-17)

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• Report Assesses Electric Vehicles for Commercial, Nonroad Uses

  The Energy Department’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has issued a report on the potential for using electric vehicles for government, commercial, and industrial purposes. The report focuses on highway vehicles that are not personal transport; non-highway modes such as rail, watercraft, and airport support; and non-road equipment used directly or in support of other uses. The report finds that electric vehicles are poorly suited for long-haul trucking but have potential for other vehicles where savings on fuel costs could be significant, such as transit buses, school buses, regional and local delivery trucks, utility service vehicles, and refuse trucks. The report also finds that low supply and low demand is hampering the development of options for commercial fleets, and that successful development will be a long process involving research and development, manufacturing, purchasing, and new regulations. For more information, link to the report. (10-20-17)

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• FDOT Will Use Award for Advanced Congestion Management Technologies in Orlando

  The Florida Department of Transportation, along with partners MetroPlan Orlando and the University of Central Florida, will be implementing projects funded by the Federal Highway Administration’s Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment program. FDOT and Orlando will use the nearly $12 million grant to implement and evaluate four intelligent transportation technologies to help reduce congestion and improve safety. GreenWay will use sensors and new traffic signal technology to help the transportation system quickly adapt to real-time traffic conditions. PedSafe will digitally connect vehicles, people, and traffic lights to develop pedestrian and bicycle collision avoidance. SmartCommunity will combine information from many different transportation options into a one-stop shop for trip planning. SunStore will be the FDOT’s integrated central data storage for system management and operations. For more information, link to the announcement. (10-16-17)

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• FHWA Awards Grants for Transportation and Congestion Technologies

  The Federal Highway Administration has awarded $53.6 million to 10 states under the Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment program. The projects will address advanced real-time traveler information for drivers; public transit riders and freight shippers; vehicle-to-infrastructure communications to increase safety and support autonomous vehicles; and congestion-relieving traffic management systems. Recipients such as the County of Greenville, S.C. will set up a system of automated taxi-shuttles to improve transportation access for underserved populations. In addition, the Florida DOT plans to advance intelligent transportation technologies and the Texas DOT will deploy connected vehicle technologies in over 1,000 trucks and agency fleet vehicles. For more information, link to the announcement. (10-4-17)

   

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• FHWA Seeks Nominations for Alternative Fuel Corridors Designations

  The Federal Highway Administration has announced the 2017 request for nominations for designation of alternative fuel corridors. Alternative fuel corridors provide infrastructure for electric vehicle charging, hydrogen, propane, and natural gas fueling. States and local officials wishing to provide nominations must submit information concerning the name of the entity presiding over the proposed corridor; the type of fuel to be used; the type, number, and distance between existing alternative fuel facilities; and the estimated/projected cost of the planned facilities. The FHWA also has issued a frequently asked questions document to address the designation process. A webinar on the nomination process is scheduled for Oct. 16, 2017. For more information, link to the announcement. 

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• Traffic Signal Systems Subject of Transportation Research Record

  Nine research papers concerning the optimization of traffic signals are addressed in the Transportation Research Board’s Transportation Research Record journal, Volume 2619. The journal addresses adaptive coordination based on connected vehicles, evaluations of transit priority signaling, trends in transit bus dwell times, and an assessment of signal timing plans through seasonal variations. The journal also includes papers on safety and cybersecurity concerns. For more information, link to the journal. (9-14-17)

   

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• Demand Forecasting, Pricing Addressed in Transportation Research Record

  Twenty two research papers concerning demand forecasting and roadway pricing are addressed in the Transportation Research Record journals, Volume Nos. 2669 and 2670. The journals address models of travel mode and departure time choices, pricing and reliability enhancements for activity-based travel mode, and equity effects of congestion charges. The journals also address the use of congestion-priced road user charges to restore mobility and fund highways, evaluation of acceptable toll rates in road concessions, and methods to estimate time-dependent origin-destination demand in congested networks. For more information, link to the demand forecasting and finance and pricing journal issues. (8-21-17) 

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• FHWA Issues 2017 Carbon Monoxide Categorical Hot-Spot Finding

  The Federal Highway Administration has issued a revised carbon monoxide categorical hot-spot finding for 2017. The finding, which updates and supersedes a 2014 version, allows projects that fall within the acceptable ranges to reference the finding in place of doing an independent carbon monoxide hot-spot analysis as part of a project-level conformity determination in carbon monoxide maintenance areas. The FHWA, working with the Environmental Protection Agency, modeled a large intersection operating at capacity using the 2014 Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES2014a) and the CAL3QHC model to develop emission rates and acceptable ranges for modeled parameters. For more information, link to the memorandum and finding. (7-18-17) 

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• Group Recommends Use of Volkswagen Settlement Funds for Clean Transportation

  The use of funds from the Volkswagen emissions cheating settlement is addressed in a new report issued by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund. The settlement resulted in $2.9 billion in environmental mitigation trust (EMT) funds and $2 billion for a Zero Emission Vehicle Fund. U.S. PIRG makes the case for states to use their settlement money to adopt electric vehicles (EVs) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase economic activity. The report provides a review of the existing EV charging infrastructure and potential energy and cost savings. It indicates that if $435 million in EMT funds are used, states could supply between 4,350 and 8,700 additional charging stations. The report also recommends that states invest in electrifying bus fleets, which account for the largest percentage of transportation trips and passenger miles. For more information, link to the report. (7-6-17) 

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• AASHTO Practitioner’s Handbook Outlines Air Quality Issues in the NEPA Process

  A Practitioner’s Handbook on air quality issues for transportation projects during the National Environmental Policy Act review process has been issued by the Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO. The handbook summarizes key requirements under NEPA and the Clean Air Act and provides advice for documenting compliance.  It also offers practical tips on topics including transportation conformity requirements, conducting hot-spot analyses and making project-level conformity determinations, considering mobile-source air toxics emissions, and documenting analyses and determinations in the NEPA process. For more information, including the handbook, related webinar, and webinar presentation, link here. 

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• FHWA Offers Approach for Quantitative Mobile Source Air Toxics Analysis

  An approach for conducting a quantitative mobile source air toxics (MSAT) analysis using the EPA’s MOVES2014a software on a hypothetical road widening project has been released by the Federal Highway Administration. The analysis considers how the project would change roadway volumes and impact congestion. It compares emissions between several alternatives and timeframes and for different volumes of truck traffic. The analysis is an update to a previous analysis done in 2006, incorporating more stringent Tier 2 and Tier 3 vehicle emissions standards, as well as the latest data on vehicle emissions characteristics. For more information, link to the analysis. (5-15-17)

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• FHWA Newsletter Highlights Air Quality and Sustainability News

  The Federal Highway Administration has published the February/March 2017 newsletter highlighting air quality and sustainability news. The newsletter includes information concerning the Executive Order on energy independence and economic growth, Q&A on emergency relief program and resilience and the Atlanta peer exchange on climate resilience. The newsletter also includes information regarding new resilience elements in the transportation planning rule and project development assessment of climate change and lists upcoming meetings, conferences, workshops, and training opportunities. For more information, link to the newsletter. (4-17-17) 

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• EPA to Hold Teleconference on Air Quality Regulatory Actions

  The Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Air and Radiation has scheduled a public teleconference to obtain feedback on air- and radiation-related regulatory actions. The teleconference will be held on April 24, from 11 a.m. to 2  p.m. EDT. The dial-in number is (800) 305-3182, conference ID# 8535873.  Callers may nominate themselves to speak by hitting *1 to be added to a queue. Speakers will be asked to deliver 3 minutes of remarks and will be called on a first come, first served basis. The teleconference will be transcribed and will be added to the docket. Individuals that do not have the opportunity to speak on the call may submit input to the EPA-wide docket (docket number: EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190).  (4-17-17)

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• Smart Growth America Highlights Complete Streets Success Under FAST Act

  Successful implementation of complete streets provisions under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act is addressed in a report from Smart Growth America. Under the provisions, National Highway System road designs are required to incorporate access for all modes of transportation and local governments are permitted to use their own design guide to creating complete streets projects. Examples of success include the development of projects along I-40 in Oklahoma City to expand bikesharing and in Atlanta where the city is devoting $109 million to complete streets improvements over the next five years. An emphasis on project planning, design and implementation is what has made the complete streets approach so fruitful. For more information, link to the announcement. (4-6-17) 

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• Transportation Conformity Guide for States, Local Areas Released

  The Federal Highway Administration has released a guide for state and local officials addressing determinations of whether transportation improvements conform to the air quality objectives in state implementation plans. The guide describes a conformity determination and addresses the responsibility for making those determinations. The guide includes the elements of a conformity determination, such as interagency consultation and regional emissions analysis, and highlights options for metropolitan planning organizations to reduce emissions. The guide also addresses project-level conformity and hot-spot analysis required for federal highway and transit projects. For more information, link to the guide. (February 2017)

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• WRI Report Describes Low Emission Zone/Congestion Charging Scheme

  The World Resources Institute, in coordination with the Beijing Transport Institute, has released a report regarding the low emission zone and congestion charging (LEZ/CC) scheme. The report focuses on surcharges within congested road areas and the designation of emission control areas to reduce vehicle pollutants in London, Singapore and Stockholm to assist similar efforts in China. The report includes city history of transportation policies, stakeholder engagement efforts and congestion pricing system performance and its effects on traffic within each city. The report also identifies best practices and indicates that forms of legal safeguards from national government, strong policy objectives and equity and transparency are key to successful implementation of the LEZ/CC scheme. For more information, link to the report. (3-28-17)

   

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• Economic Potential of Low-Carbon Natural Gas Analyzed in New Report

  The long-term economic potential of low-carbon natural gas (LCNG) within the transportation sector is explored in a report by the Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis. The report addresses the use of LCNG, which includes methane from biomass and fossil gas mixed with hydrogen, in light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles. The report includes data concerning woody and herbaceous feedstocks to produce biogas to determine total resource potential for LCNG production and an analysis of projected transportation fuel demand. The report also analyzes emissions regarding a vehicle’s cumulative emissions on a per-mile-traveled basis and includes calculations for each LCNG pathway’s total cost. For more information, link to the report. (3-18-17)

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• EPA to Revisit Greenhouse Gas Standards for Light-Duty Vehicles

  The U.S. Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency have announced that the EPA will reconsider a final determination regarding the midterm evaluation of greenhouse gas standards for light duty vehicles from model years 2022-2025. The previous determination found that automakers were well positioned to meet the standards at lower costs than previously estimated. The reconsideration will be coordinated with the parallel process to be undertaken by the DOT’s National Highway Transportation Administration regarding corporate average fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks for the same model years. EPA intends to make a new final determination regarding the appropriateness of the greenhouse gas standards by April 1, 2018. For more information, link to the EPA midterm evaluation website and to the notice. (3-15-17)

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• Travel Demand Forecasting Covered in Transportation Research Record

  Fifteen research papers on travel demand forecasting are included in the Transportation Research Board’s Transportation Research Record. Papers include transportation planning though peer-to-peer modeling, microsimulation of demand and supply of autonomous mobility on demand, and the use of predicted bicycle and pedestrian route choice to enhance mode choice models. It also includes papers on assumptions inherent in assessing traffic forecast accuracy, evaluation of transport user benefits and measurement of self-selection effects to understand travel behavior impacts. For more information, link to the report. (3-5-17) 

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• Guidance on Alternative Fuel Corridor Signs Issued by FHWA

  The Federal Highway Administration has issued guidance concerning use of signs for designated alternative fuel corridors. The guidance, which notes that such signs are not mandatory, specifies that all signs that are developed for such corridors should use simplified message content with reasonable sign size, while minimizing driver distraction through limited use of the signing and proper placement. The guidance also specifies that general service signage is limited to compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, electric vehicles, hydrogen and liquefied petroleum gas usage. The guidance includes instructions for signs installed on freeways, expressways and conventional roads and provides detailed illustrations of how signs should be presented. Use of such signs is not mandatory. For more information, link to the guidance. (12-21-17)  

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• FHWA Newsletter Highlights Air Quality and Climate Change News

  The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has published the December 2016/January 2017 newsletter highlighting air quality and climate change news. The newsletter includes information concerning the Environmental Protection Agency’s final rule on guidelines for air quality models, the proposed 2015 Ozone Standard Implementation Rule and updates to the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator 2014a. The newsletter also provides information on the 6^th Transportation Research Board annual meeting and lists upcoming meetings, conferences, workshops, and training opportunities. For more information, link to the newsletter. (2-2-17)

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• FHWA Updates CMAQ Toolkit for Diesel Technologies

  The Federal Highway Administration has announced an update to the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Emission Calculator Toolkit. The update adds a module for advanced diesel truck/engine technologies, which includes an on-road activity calculator, an on-road diesel repower or replacement calculator and an on-road diesel retrofits calculator. The tool also provides users with Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator documentation with national-scale run parameters to support calculation of on-road diesel retrofit and on-road repower/replacement. For more information, link to the toolkit. (1-6-17)

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