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Climate Change Mitigation Peer Exchanges: Comprehensive Report

1. Introduction and Background

Between June 2011 and April 2012, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) convened three peer exchanges for transportation agencies to share information related to climate change mitigation activities. The first of the peer exchanges brought together staff from State departments of transportation (DOTs) and the following two brought together staff from metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). The peer exchanges were held at the following dates and locations:

• The Role of State DOTs in Climate Change Mitigation: Baltimore, MD, June 14 - 15, 2011. Hosted by tThe FHWA Resource Center.
• The Role of MPOs in Climate Change Mitigation: St. Louis, MO, November 4 - 5, 2011. Hosted by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments.
• The Role of MPOs in Climate Change Mitigation: Chicago, IL, April 12 - 13, 2012. Hosted by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

The purpose of the exchanges was to provide a venue for staff to learn about successful strategies from their peers and discuss challenges they face and ways to overcome these challenges. Each exchange brought together 12 - 15 representatives of State DOTs or MPOs with a range of levels of experience in activities related to climate change mitigation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions analysis.

The peer exchanges were facilitated to allow participants to provide an overview of their experiences and activities related to climate change mitigation and to encourage discussion and interaction among participants in an informal atmosphere.

This report summarizes the key themes and lessons from the peer exchanges, and highlights examples of effective practices presented by participants. It includes the following sections:

• Section 2 - Cross-cutting Issues Facing Transportation Agenciessummarizes some of the overarching issues that face many participants and that provide context for their approaches to climate change mitigation.
• Section 3 - GHG Analysis and Incorporating GHGs into the Planning Processprovides an overview of the approaches and tools being used for GHG analysis, challenges associated with these methods, and effective practices for integrating GHG considerations in planning.
• Section 4 - Implementing GHG Mitigation Strategiesdescribes approaches to GHG mitigation being used, findings about their effectiveness, and motivations for using these strategies.
• Section 5 - Participant Recommendations and Future Needs presents resource and policy needs that participants identified during the exchanges.

Reports covering each exchange individually are available on the FHWA website.