Air Quality Contacts
For more information, please contact Victoria Martinez (787-771-2524).
Also available in PDF, 591KB
On May 22, 2018, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) signed a final rule repealing the performance management measure in 23 CFR 490.507(b) that assessed the percent change in tailpipe carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, from the reference year 2017, on the National Highway System (NHS) (also referred to as the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) measure). By repealing the GHG measure, FHWA will no longer require State DOTs and MPOs to undertake administrative activities to establish targets, calculate their progress toward their selected targets, report to FHWA, and determine a plan of action to make progress toward their selected targets if they failed to make significant progress during a performance period. The official record of the final rule is published in the Federal Register (Docket No. FHWA-2017-0025).
To ensure consistency in the determination of significant progress for the National Highway Performance Program and the National Highway Freight Program (see 23 CFR 490.109), FHWA developed the FHWA Computation Procedure for Travel Time Based and Percent Non-Single Occupancy Vehicle (non-SOV) Travel Performance Measures (May 2018). FHWA is publishing this document to provide transparency in its calculations and to give State DOTs a frame of reference when establishing their targets.
While the targets for the CMAQ Traffic Congestion measures (Annual Hours of Peak Hour Excessive Delay Per Capita measure (PHED measure) and Non-SOV Travel measure) are not subject to the FHWA significant progress determination, FHWA plans to compute the PHED measure and Non-SOV Travel measure (using the method described in this document) for each applicable urbanized area and plans to make the results available to State DOTs and MPOs to ensure consistency in measure computation.
The fiscal year 2017 CMAQ Annual Reporting is complete and project information was posted to the CMAQ Public Access System These data are available to State DOTs and MPOs alike for use in meeting CMAQ Performance Management baseline development and target setting requirements. For further information please feel free to contact Mark Glaze, (202) 366-4053.
FHWA released INVEST Version 1.3 on Earth Day-April 22, 2018. FHWA's INVEST (Infrastructure Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability Tool) is a practical, web-based collection of voluntary best practices and criteria designed to help transportation agencies integrate sustainable practices into their projects, plans, and programs. The updates in Version 1.3 reflect some of the feedback received from agencies throughout the US who implemented INVEST Versions 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 on their programs and projects. All changes to criteria are reflected in the website and the downloadable materials. To see what changed, view the Version 1.3 Summary of Revisions page here.
The storm surge and waves generated by Hurricane Katrina caused a number of coastal bridge and roadway failures, including the Henderson Point connector that carries US HWY 90 over railroad tracks and a small tidal creek. This particular site was chosen for a pilot project in order to address a key knowledge gap regarding the vulnerability of coastal bridges: the approach embankment and approach spans that pass through critical elevations where damage during extreme storms is likely. This green infrastructure pilot project seeks to develop a solution that addresses this vulnerability while increasing the resilience of the built and natural systems.
A number of conventional gray adaptation solutions and green infrastructure adaptation options were considered in this study, and a pair of vegetated berms were selected for evaluation as a green infrastructure solution. The recent FHWA report summarizing the pilot study finds that, for low-elevation bridge spans over land, extending the embankment to higher elevations or using vegetated berms (or similar techniques) could potentially reduce vulnerability to extreme events now and in the future.
FHWA has released two new summaries of FHWA Peer Exchanges discussing issues related to accommodating renewable energy technologies in highway rights-of-way (ROWs) and other State DOT property. Held in February and March 2018, these were the second and third peer exchanges to bring together practitioners to discuss emerging practices related to highway renewable energy. Summaries are available for the following peer exchanges:
For more information, see the Renewable Energy in Highway Right-of-Way website, the summary report, briefing book, and the quick guide on renewable energy in ROWs.
FHWA has now posted an easily downloadable pdf version of the Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Framework, 3rd Edition. The Framework is a manual to help transportation agencies assess and address vulnerability of transportation infrastructure and systems to extreme weather and climate effects. The Framework provides and in-depth and structured process for conducting a vulnerability assessment. For each step, the Framework features examples from assessments conducted by State DOTs, Metropolitan Planning Organizations and others, and it includes links to related resources for additional information.
In June, the EPA published updated frequently-asked-questions (FAQs) on hotspot analyses for particulate matter (PM). This update provides additional examples of projects that would not need a hot-spot analysis based on decisions that have been made in the field.
A new AASHTO report, Resiliency Case Studies: State DOT Lessons Learned, presents the results of an examination of recent extreme weather events that have impacted state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and describes how the state DOTs responded to the challenges associated with the events. The project study team, consisting of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and WSP staff, interviewed representatives from eight State DOTs to obtain the lessons learned from each event.
The individual state case study findings are compared with each other and cross-cutting (overlapping or similar), lessons learned are identified. The goal of this report is to disseminate the State DOT lessons learned from the most impactful extreme weather events of the last six years and identify how State DOTs can become more resilient in anticipating and responding to future events, especially given the realities of a changing climate and the potential for changing storm patterns. The full report is available here (pdf).
The Multicenter Ozone Study in older Subjects (MOSES) was designed to test whether ozone has short-term cardiovascular effects at and near present-day ambient levels. It evaluated cardiovascular and respiratory outcomes in 87 healthy participants (60 years old on average) who were exposed to 0, 70, or 120 ppb ozone for 3 hours while exercising moderately. For details and a review panel commentary on the study, please visit the study website. All relevant documents and links, including forms to request specimens, can be found at this link. The research database is publicly accessible.
TxDOT and the TTI conducted a Texas Transportation Resiliency Forum on June 26th in College Station, Texas. The focus of the Forum was on the research efforts of the University of Texas and Texas A&M University on extreme weather effects on ecology, pavements, structures, and communities within the State of Texas. Small group discussions followed the presentations by university researchers on how best to implement resiliency planning and measures to prepare for extreme weather impacts from 500-year flooding, drought, wildfires, and hurricane events. Participants included staff from MPOs, universities, TxDOT, and the FHWA TX Division Office. For additional information, please contact Kirk D. Fauver, Planning and Research Engineer, FHWA Texas Division at 512-536-5952 or kirk.fauver@dot.gov
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee on Air Quality (ADC20) Summer Meeting will take place July 31-August 1 at the National Academies Keck Center in Washington, DC. Dr. Chris Frey of North Carolina State University will present a keynote talk on his recent landmark assessment of issues facing the transportation air quality field, Trends in Onroad Transportation Energy and Emissions. Additional talks on key topics, such as freight, exposure assessment, and innovations in data analysis as well as a fun social outing will complement the committee meeting, with an eye toward strategic opportunities and direction for the committee's future research. The summer meeting is open to all TRB Air Quality Committee members and friends, students, and others in the field. Registration is free, though all participants must RSVP via this link.
The Northern Transportation Air Quality Summit will take place in Newark, NJ from August 7-9, 2018. The summit will bring together stakeholders from the transportation and air quality communities to discuss the current and upcoming regulatory environment, new technologies, and current practices. The content is geared toward practitioners in the northern and Mid-Atlantic States involved with public agencies at all levels. Speakers from national and regional agencies and organizations will present on key topics, best practices, and the recent developments in the transportation, planning, and air quality professions. Registration will be available through the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority via the agency's website.
The National Transit Institute (NTI) is offering in-person training opportunities covering its "Introduction to Transportation Conformity" course. This 2.5 day course will present basic information about conformity requirements and the relationship of the transportation and air quality planning processes in order to prepare agency staff (federal, state and local) to participate in interagency consultation and work effectively in resolving conformity issues. One upcoming training is scheduled for July 25-27, 2018 in Newington, CT. For more information and to register, please visit the course website.
The 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 the FHWA's YouTube channel here. For more information about the CMAQ program, please contact Mark Glaze at mark.glaze@dot.gov or (202) 366-4053.
The FHWA Resource Center Planning and Air Quality team will be conducting a series of training sessions on 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 SIP emissions inventories or regional (plan and TIP) conformity analyses. If you are interested in this training, please contact Michael Claggett at michael.claggett@dot.gov.
Two training opportunities are available for MOVES model users. A three-hour webinar provides an introduction to MySQL Query Browser and MOVES interface. A six-hour training over two days will enable users to do MySQL programming and to write their own MySQL scripts and to manipulate MySQL databases including MOVES input and outputs. For more information or to schedule 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), State Implementation Plan (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.
FHWA's Resource Center Air Quality Technical Services Team is available to offer MOVES and other trainings. More information is available at the Resource Center website.
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.
