Environmental Technical Assistance Program Newsletter

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is helping create habitats for the Monarch Butterfly and other pollinators through the U.S. postal service; mailing packs of milkweed seeds to any state resident who wants to plant the flower that serves as the iconic orange and black insect’s exclusive egg-laying crib. [Above photo ...
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A recent Illinois Department of Transportation blog post provided an inside look at how the agency manages roadside vegetation along state roads and rest areas – work that is the specialty of Andy Star (above), who joined the agency in 2020 after nearly two decades in the private sector. [Above ...
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FEDERAL ACTION

The Stream by AASHTO: Digging Down into NEPA -AASHTO Journal

New Round of Marine Highway Grants Available -AASHTO Journal

Buttigieg tours Mississippi civil rights site and says transportation is key to equity in the US –AP

Green cars, environmental justice goals collide in EPA toxics rule -E&E News

For US Cities in Infrastructure Need, Grant Writers Wanted –CityLab

FHWA Announces Over $108 Million in Transportation Investments to Improve Infrastructure and Road Safety on Federal and Tribal Lands -FHWA (media release)

PHMSA Announces Availability of Nearly $200 Million in Grants to Fix Aging Natural Gas Pipes, Reduce Energy Costs -USDOT (media release)

 

COVID-19

Hearing Examines Post-Pandemic Public Transit Trends -AASHTO Journal

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Minnesota highway projects will need to consider climate impacts in planning -Energy News Network

WYDOT geologist explains forces at play in ‘Big Fill’ landslide -Jackson Hole Community Radio

NYC Takes on Weighty Task: Fixing the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway –CityLab

Restoring Great Salt Lake could have ecological and environmental justice benefits -The Hill

Communities step up their resilience and climate planning -Route Fifty (commentary)

Corps signs agreement with Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and the Red River Waterway Commission to study the deepening of the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway –US Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District (media release)

 

AIR QUALITY

Air District to Offer $1,500 to Scrap Old Cars -Contra Costa News

California’s Move to Ban Non-Electric Trains Sparks Backlash: ‘Unworkable’ –Newsweek

 

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE/EQUITY

Hawaiʻi agrees to landmark settlement in youth climate lawsuit -Hawai’i Public Radio

Transportation challenges for aging rural populations -University of Minnesota

Public Transportation Subsidies and Racial Equity -Center for New York City Affairs

Judge orders railway to pay Washington tribe nearly $400 million for trespassing with oil trains –AP

What Agencies Should Know About the New Accessibility Rule -Government Technology

NATURAL RESOURCES

State DOTs Helping Expand Critical Pollinator Habitats -AASHTO Journal

Iowa DOT Details Environmental Value of Mussels -AASHTO Journal

TDOT launches Project Milkweed again for National Pollinator Week 2024 -WATE-TV

VDOT makes roadsides a refuge for pollinators -Virginia DOT (media release)

FHWA Announces $22 Million for Transportation Improvements at Yellowstone National Park -FHWA (media release)

CULTURAL RESOURCES

TxDOT Turns Two Trucks into Key Messaging Tools -AASHTO Journal

NJ Transit & Global Transportation Leaders Share Best Practices In Advance Of World Cup -New Jersey Business Magazine

‘Mobility Mural’ Highlights the Way Visually Impaired People Move -Seven Days

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Somerville, Massachusetts to construct nearly 30 miles of bike lanes by 2030; efforts divide other cities -Boston Herald

‘It’s out of control’: E-bike crashes and noise concerns spur heated townhall in Ewa -Hawaii News Now (link to video)

Adaptive bikes provide ‘mobility justice’ for Pittsburgh cyclists -Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Alaska ‘Data Bike’ Proposal Aims To Reform How DOT Assesses Its Sidewalks, Trails -Alaska Public Media

New York Governor Announces $97.7 Million to Support Enhancement of Alternative Transportation Options in Local Communities -New York State (media release)

TRB RESOURCES/RESEARCH/ANNOUNCEMENTS

Geospatial Equity Solutions –TRB (webinar)

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks for Model Years 2027 and Beyond and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Heavy-Duty Pickup Trucks and Vans for Model Years 2030 and Beyond -NHTSA (Final rule)

Hazardous Materials: FAST Act Requirements for Real-Time Train Consist Information -Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (Final rule)

Notice of Request for Information Related to the Department of Energy’s Environmental Justice Strategic Plan -DOE Office of Energy Justice and Equity (RFI)

U.S. Maritime Transportation System National Advisory Committee; Notice of Public Meeting -Maritime Administration (Notice)

Request for Nominations to the Great Lakes Advisory Board -EPA (Notice)

Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names Request for Nominations -National Park Service (Request for nominations notice)