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General Information
Transportation
Conformity
- Main Transportation Conformity Page
- General Information
- Policy Guidance
- Training Materials
- Regulations
- Adequacy Review of SIP Submissions
- Regional Contacts
NOTE: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.
Transportation conformity is required by the Clean Air Act section 176(c) (42 U.S.C. 7506(c)) to ensure that federal funding and approval are given to highway and transit projects that are consistent with ("conform to") the air quality goals established by a state air quality implementation plan (SIP). Conformity, to the purpose of the SIP, means that transportation activities will not cause new air quality violations, worsen existing violations, or delay timely attainment of the national ambient air quality standards.
To learn more about the transportation conformity program and how it is implemented, you can download a copy of the documents listed below.
- The Bridge to Cleaner Air: Transportation Conformity (PDF) (6 pp, 3.8MB, EPA420-06-001, January 2006)
This brochure provides general background on the transportation conformity process, as well as a description of benefits of the conformity program.Contact: Astrid Larsen, phone: (734) 214-4812, e-mail: larsen.astrid@epa.gov
- U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Transportation Conformity Reference Guide (Revised: March, 2006)
This document was prepared by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to facilitate state and local agencies' compliance with the transportation conformity regulation. The Reference Guide contains transportation conformity rule and relevant preamble language, questions and answers, and lists of resource materials to assist conformity implementers.Contact: Astrid Larsen, phone: (734) 214-4812, e-mail: larsen.astrid@epa.gov
- Transportation Conformity: A Basic Guide for State and Local Officials (Revised by U.S. Department of Transportation, April, 2005)
This guide was originally published by U.S. DOT in 1997 and discusses the basic provisions that govern the transportation conformity process.Contact: Meg Patulski, phone: (734) 214-4842, e-mail: patulski.meg@epa.gov
- Linking Transportation and Air Quality Planning: Implementation of the Transportation Conformity Regulations in 15 Nonattainment Areas, March 1999
This report, by researcher Arnold Howitt of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, takes an in-depth look at transportation conformity implementation in 15 study areas from 1991 through January 1998. Using a case-study approach, the report explores the conformity rule's impact on transportation planning, air quality planning, and the relationships of the involved agencies and constituencies. The report was jointly funded by the U.S. EPA and the U.S. DOT and would be of value to conformity implementers and others who have an interest in transportation planning decisions.The areas in the study included: Altanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Charolotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Houston, TX; Milwaukee, WI; Northern New Jersey; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Portland, OR; Salt Lake City, UT; and San Francisco, CA.
Contact: Meg Patulski, phone: (734) 214-4842, e-mail: patulski.meg@epa.gov
- Executive Summary (PDF) (PDF, 315K, EPA420-S-99-002)
- Full Report (PDF) (795K, EPA420-R-99-011)
- Tables (PDF) (228K)
- Title Page, Acknowledgments, Table of Contents (PDF) (45K)
- Chapter 1: The Conformity Assessment Project (PDF) (97K)
- Chapter 2: The Purposes and Requirements of Transportation Conformity (PDF) (89K)
- Chapter 3: Implementing the Transportation Conformity Requirements (PDF) (82K)
- Chapter 4: Institutional Roles in the Transportation Conformity Process (PDF) (150K)
- Chapter 5: Conformity Effects on Transportation and Air Quality Planning (PDF) (121K)
- Chapter 6: Toward a New Planning "Arena" (PDF) (43K)
- Appendices: Glossary of Abbreviations, Profiles, Sources of Data, etc. (PDF) (201K)
- EPA-DOT Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by the U.S. EPA and the U.S. DOT on April 19, 2000. The purpose of the MOU is to improve coordination between the federal agencies in the transportation conformity and SIP processes. Also available, below, is a May 2, 2000, memorandum sent to the EPA Regional Offices about the MOU and a fact sheet on conformity and federal interagency coordination.Contact: Meg Patulski, phone: (734) 214-4842, e-mail: patulski.meg@epa.gov
- EPA-DOT Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (PDF) (264K)
- EPA memorandum sent to EPA Regions about the MOU (PDF) (36K, sent on May 2, 2000)
- Fact Sheet on Transportation Conformity: Federal Interagency Coordination (PDF) (9 K, EPA420-F-00-021, May 2000)
For further information or assistance regarding this Web page, contact Rudy Kapichak, phone: 734-214-4574, e-mail: kapichak.rudolph@epa.gov