Air Quality Contacts
For more information, please contact Victoria Martinez.
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The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is continuing to develop a series of tools to provide technical support for the implementation of the CMAQ Program. This CMAQ Emission Reductions Calculator is offered as an additional resource to assist departments of transportation (DOTs), metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and project sponsors in the project justification process. All modules are available on the FHWA CMAQ Emissions Calculator Toolkit webpage. For more information, please contact Mark Glaze (Mark.Glaze@dot.gov or 202–366–4053).
Most recently, the Managed Lane Facilities and Conversions tool was updated, and FHWA hosted a webinar to demonstrate the Alternative Fuels and Vehicles and the Dust Mitigation tools. Recordings of these and other training webinars are available via the toolkit website. The toolkit is accessible here.
FHWA announced an opportunity for State DOTs) to partner with FHWA for testing air pollution dispersion modeling. This partnership opportunity will test new source types, RLINE and RLINEXT, in the AERMOD 19191 model, using real or hypothetical project examples to create case studies. FHWA has set aside a total of $250,000 for this testing research effort. It is anticipated that up to 5 proposals could be selected, with selected agencies producing a case study report and presentation documenting the analysis and presenting the results at a peer exchange.
For details on how to submit a proposal or any other questions, please Victoria Martinez (Victoria.Martinez@dot.gov) or Cecilia Ho (Cecilia.Ho@dot.gov) with FHWA's Office of Natural Environment. Proposals must be received by July 13, 2020.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently published its final Policy Assessment for the Review of the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (pdf), recommending the retention of the 70 parts–per–billion (ppb) standard for the ozone (O3) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). The policy assessment reviews the legislative requirements for the ozone NAAQS, provides an overview of ozone formation in the atmosphere and air quality monitoring requirements, and identifies and summarizes key considerations for review of the health–based (primary) and welfare–based (secondary) standards for ozone. With the review completed, an EPA advisory committee has voted to recommend the standard to the EPA Administrator for development of a proposed rule retaining the existing standard for five years.
The Transportation Research Board's (TRB) National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) recently released a study evaluating fleet changes and emissions benefits of measures supporting the adoption of zero–emission vehicles (ZEVs). NCHRP Web–Only Document 274 was developed to analyze a range of policies currently being considered by State and local governments and transportation agencies, including additional charging infrastructure, access to managed lanes, and vehicle sales incentives. The study also considered the role of future ZEV manufacturing costs and gasoline and diesel costs of consumers' vehicle purchase decisions. Vehicle sales forecasts were developed for 49 scenarios using the Market Acceptance of Advanced Automotive Technologies (MA3T) model, a vehicle market simulation model developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratories. The study evaluated emissions across these scenarios using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Motor Vehicles Emission Simulator (MOVES). The report and model files can be accessed via TRB, and a webinar is scheduled for June 30.
The AASHTO CMAQ Task Force is holding monthly teleconferences, open to all AASHTO members. The task force is a forum for communications, guidance, and resources focused on the CMAQ program, providing recommendations and support to State DOTs. The CMAQ task force meetings are a venue to engage fellow AASHTO members, and FHWA provides regular updates at each monthly meeting. For further information, please contact the AASHTO Committee on Planning (committeeonplanning@aashto.org) or visit the task force website.
The Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations has announced their Annual Conference to be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 26 – 30, 2020. Presentation proposals were accepted through April 13, 2020, but more details about the conference will be announced in the summer. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Hicks at shicks@ampo.org or 202–624–3682.
Please note: in–person events listed are all currently scheduled, as of the publication of this newsletter. Please check with the event organizers to confirm the latest information
FHWA's Resource Center Environment, Air Quality & Realty Team is available to offer MOVES and other trainings. Please contact Mike Claggett, at Michael.Claggett@dot.gov, for additional information or to discuss scheduling a training.
Several web–based transportation conformity training opportunities are available on–demand from FHWA's conformity training website (under "Web–based Training"). These training opportunities range in level of detail from a short 27–minute video providing a high–level basic overview of transportation conformity to a detailed set of 32 self–directed training modules. Recordings of two webinars are available: basic transportation conformity overview (June 12, 2018, 70 minutes) and basic MOVES emissions model training (June 18, 2018, 42 minutes).
The target audience for these training materials are FHWA staff and State and local transportation partners (MPOs and State DOTs) who are either new to or would like a refresher training on the conformity process. For questions, please contact David Kall, at david.kall@dot.gov, or 202–366–6276.
FHWA posted a 27–minute YouTube video on the CMAQ program. The video provides a basic introduction to the program, how CMAQ funds are distributed to States, and the types of projects eligible for the CMAQ program. The training is available via FHWA's YouTube channel. For more information about the CMAQ program, please contact Mark Glaze at mark.glaze@dot.gov or (202) 366–4053.
The FHWA Resource Center Environment, Air Quality & Realty Team will be conducting a series of training sessions on National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Air Quality Analysis for Highway Projects. The training includes sessions on project–level applications appropriate for managers and practitioners, as well as hands–on sessions intended for modelers. Please note this is not a general MOVES training course, but is focused on project–level applications. It is not intended to address regional applications, such as State Implementation Plan (SIP) emissions inventories or regional (plan and transportation improvement plan) conformity analyses. If you are interested in this training, please contact Michael Claggett at michael.claggett@dot.gov.
The National Highway Institute (NHI) Air Quality Planning web–based training series is designed for transportation practitioners. It includes four modules: Clean Air Act Overview (FHWA–NHI–142068), SIP and Transportation Control Measure (TCM) Requirements and Policies (FHWA–NHI–142069), SIP Development Process (FHWA–NHI–142070), and Transportation Conformity (FHWA–NHI–142071). All courses are free. For more information, visit the NHI website and search "Air Quality Planning," or look for the specific course number. Please contact Karen Perritt at (202) 366–9066, or Karen.Perritt@dot.gov with any questions or comments.
Past issues of the Air Quality and Sustainability Highlights are available on FHWA's website: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/air_quality/conformity/highlights/ or https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/sustainability/newsletter/.
Please e–mail Victoria.Martinez@dot.gov with any suggestions for future issues.
