Connecting the Transportation Industry

ITS America is committed to devoting its resources to one of the most important challenges currently facing our country: climate change. We believe that transportation technologies provide an immediate tool to help reduce the transportation sector’s contribution to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the near term, while simultaneously helping to improve the mobility, safety, and efficiency of the transportation infrastructure. To ensure that transportation planners consider environmental and climate change consequences of their decisions, the ITS America Environmental Task Force will help transportation decision-makers assess how transportation planning decisions may affect climate change and our ability to adapt to it.

MEMBERSHIP

The ITS America Environmental Task Force is comprised of executives from corporate and public sector members, ITS America staff, representatives from government agencies, and representatives from partner associations.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL TASK FORCE

1) Identify and, as is possible, quantify the environmental benefits of developing and deploying broadly a suite of transportation technologies that help reduce GHG emissions through efficiency gains in system operations, reduction of vehicle miles traveled, and/or use of alternative, cleaner fuels.

2) Encourage voluntary emissions reductions by developing a verification procedure to certify transportation projects as offsets that can be traded on carbon markets.

3) Support investment in technical innovation to help our members create and deploy the next generation of transportation technology that will help reduce GHG emissions and adapt our transportation system to the changing climate.

4) Educate members about eco-friendly measures for their own operations that minimize their carbon footprint.

LEADERSHIP

Chair

Larry Yermack, Telvent

Environmental Task Force Members

Keith Cole, General Motors Corporation

Ann Flemer, Metropolitan Transportation Commission

Emil Frankel

John Inglish, Utah Transit Authority

Randell H. Iwasaki, California Department of Transportation

Robert S. Jaffe, Ph.D, ConSysTec

Dick Landis, HELP, INC.

Greg McKhann, Iteris

Gary McVoy, NY Department of Transportation

Richard Mudge, Delcan Corporation

Durga Panda, Image Sensing Systems

Peter Sweatman, U. Michigan Transportation Research Institute

Mike Walton, University of Texas at Austin

Parker Williams, ACS, Inc.

Robert Yakushi, Nissan

ITS America Staff

Leslie Bellas, General Counsel/Director of Environmental Affairs

For more information, contact Leslie Bellas, General Counsel and Director of Environmental Affairs at lbellas@itsa.org or at (202) 721-4239.

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Strategic Plan for Sustainabile Transportation - PDF

DINGELL-BOUCHER BILL DOCUMENTS

Draft Bill - PDF
Executive Summary of Discussion Draft - PDF
Discussion Draft Tables - PDF
Draft Legislation Memo - PDF

FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION'S CONGESTION MITIGATION AND AIR QUALITY (CMAQ) IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM GUIDE

On October 20, 2008, the Federal Highway Administration issued the final guidance on implementing the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program (the Interim Guidance was issued on December 19, 2006). Jointly administered by FHWA and the Federal Transit Administration, $8.6 billion has been authorized for 2005 through 2009 for distribution to state departments of transportation and local transit agencies to invest in projects that reduce air pollutants from transportation-related sources. The CMAQ program funds surface transportation and related projects that improve air quality and/or reduce congestion. Areas that do not meet the Clean Air Act’s national ambient air quality standards (nonattainment areas) for ozone, carbon monoxide and particulate matter and former nonattainment areas that are now meeting air quality standards (attainment areas) are eligible for funding. In addition, CMAQ funds may be used for projects in proximity to nonattainment and maintenance areas of the benefits will be realized in nonattainment or maintenance areas.

The final guidance updates and replaces previous program guidance issued in 1999. The Final CMAQ guidance identifies the types of projects eligible for CMAQ support, provides information on how CMAQ funds are distributed, identifies which geographic areas are eligible to use CMAQ funds, discusses the project selection process and requirements for analyzing emissions benefits from potential projects as part of the selection process, and examines Federal, State and Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) program administration responsibilities. This final guidance also provides relative cost-effectiveness data on various eligible project types to help inform the CMAQ project selection process.

The Final Guidance provides information on:

• How CMAQ program funding apportionments are calculated and the geographic areas where funds can be used;

• The project selection process and requirements for analyzing emissions benefits from potential projects as part of the selection process; and

• Responsibilities of federal and state agencies and metropolitan planning organizations for program administration.

Key points in the Final Guidance include:

• In distributing CMAQ funds to transportation projects, States and metropolitan planning organizations are required to give priority to diesel engine retrofits as well as other cost-effective emission-reduction and congestion-mitigation activities. However, the Guidance confirms that States and MPOs retain authority to select projects and program activities that best reflect air quality and congestion challenges in their local areas.

• Project selection should be based on cost-effectiveness as outlined in Environmental Protection Agency’s guidance document, http://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel/publications.htm.

• Each state is guaranteed a minimum apportionment of one-half percent of the year’s total CMAQ funding. The remaining funds are apportioned annually to each state according to the severity of air quality (areas with higher levels of ozone or carbon monoxide). The population of each county in nonattainment or maintenance area for ozone or carbon monoxide is weighted and multiplied by a factor based on the air quality.

• The Federal share for most CMAQ projects has been 80%. Under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, Pub. L. 110-14- (Dec. 20, 2007), CMAQ projects carried out with funds obligated in 2008 or 2009 may be carried out with up to 100% Federal funds.

• To be eligible for CMAQ funds, the project must be included in the MPO’s current transportation plan or the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for areas without an MPO and comply with the Clean Air Act and conformity regulations.

• The following is a list of some projects and programs that are eligible for CMAQ funds:

· Transportation Control Measures (e.g., improved public transit, HOV/HOT lanes, traffic flow improvement programs, and reduced idling programs)

· Extreme low temperature cold start programs

· Alternative fuels and vehicles

· Congestion reduction and traffic flow improvements (including Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) projects, such as traffic signal synchronization projects, traffic management projects, and traveler information systems such as regional multi-modal traveler information systems, traffic signal control systems, freeway management systems, electronic toll-collection systems, transit management systems, and incident management programs.

· Value/Congestion pricing

· Transit Improvements

· Travel demand management

· Public education and outreach activities

· Transportation management associations

· Freight/Intermodal projects

· Diesel engine retrofits

· Idle reduction

· Inspection/maintenance

• All proposals for CMAQ funding must provide a quantitative analysis of the emissions benefits and disbenefits for all pollutants for which the area is in nonattainment or maintenance status. If the emissions benefits cannot be accurately quantified, a reasoned and logical qualitative analysis will be acceptable

• The following projects are NOT eligible for CMAQ Funding:

· Light-duty vehicle scrappage programs

· Projects adding capacity for single occupancy vehicles, unless the construction is for HOV/HOT lanes and low-emission vehicles;

· Routine maintenance and rehabilitation projects

· Administrative costs of the CMAQ project cannot be defrayed with CMAQ funds\

DOCUMENTS

Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program Interim Program Guidance - PDF
Notice of Publication of Final Guidance - DOC

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