State DOTs Outline Climate Strategies at USDOT Symposium

Representatives of state departments of transportation discussed their environmental stewardship efforts during a special panel discussion at the Transportation and Climate Symposium hosted by the U.S. Department of Transportation at its Washington, D.C., headquarters July 11-12.

[Above photo by AASHTO]

That panel included Mike Carroll, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation; Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; Herman Stockinger, deputy executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation; and Jerry Valdez, executive director of the Executive Projects Office within the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

“States in every part of the country are engaged in programs and projects to address the impact of climate change,” Tymon noted. That includes everything from the electrification of ferry boats and vehicle fleets to the development and deployment of “green” construction materials and flood warning systems for transportation infrastructure.

“The key is to provide states with flexibility,” Tymon explained. “Those efforts demonstrate that no single solution works in every place.”

He added that highlighting the successes states are achieving across a multitude of different environmental initiatives is what will convince more to adopt them as well. “Telling those success stories – sharing that information – is what will help bring others along and get them to the table.”

PennDOT’s Carroll echoed that sentiment in his remarks. “We are seldom at front of the line of change – but the reality is we must be,” he stressed. “The reality is that we are the most flood-prone state in the nation – and that demands our attention.”

So when it comes to engaging in infrastructure efforts to curb the impact of flooding, Carroll said his agency is taking the time to educate its partners at the local and county level along the way. “Many are not eager to deal with climate change,” he noted. “That is why we make sure to work with them to bring them along from where they are to where they need to be. It is incumbent upon us to work with them.”

Colorado DOT’s Stockinger added that such efforts are not just about complying with environmental regulations – they are focused on the adoption of more forward-looking mitigation measures where transportation infrastructure is concerned.

“It is about integrating land use, housing, reducing VMT [vehicles miles traveled], and cutting GHGs [greenhouse gases] – it’s a multifaceted approach,” he said. “It is about delivering projects the right way, with a multimodal focus.”

It’s also about focusing more on the people affected by transportation projects than the projects themselves, added NMDOT’s Valdez.

“Every one of us is in the people business; we need to think about generations to come,” he said. “We must listen to the voice of our constituents – they have the right to ask tough questions and we must educate them about the issues. There is a lot of anxiety with climate change happening right before our eyes. Dealing with that requires robust public engagement – as well as us working with our other state agencies in partnership as well. It is about listening to individuals in their communities to ensure their voices are heard.”

PennDOT’s Carroll emphasized Valdez’s point, noting that the “real focus” on transportation infrastructure going forward is on community engagement. “This is not overly complicated, but nuances are significant when it comes to infrastructure’s impact on them. We also really need to recognize equity needs when we engage with community as well.”

Colorado DOT’s Stockinger explained that the “equity needs” of community engagement includes providing bilingual staff and day care at public meeting. “It’s a reminder we must not just ‘check the box’ when it comes to public engagement – efforts like those are part of really addressing their concerns.”

That shows how state DOTs are shifting their approach public engagement nationwide, noted AASHTO’s Tymon – all part of the climate mitigation strategies state DOTs are using.

“It shows how state DOTs are being flexible and creative in how they reach out to the public – communicating to those affected at all levels by a project,” he said. “For example, providing day care at public meetings was not the baseline for state DOTs 10 years ago. Many are also giving the public opportunities to provide their input virtually versus in-person meetings. That helps them buy into the process more. It’s all part of how land use and housing plays a part in what we do from a transportation network perspective. It is about making sure there are more modal options for all members of the communities served by state DOTs; active transportation and transit options; taking a multimodal approach to help us achieve national transportation decarbonization goals.”

FHWA Issues $729M to Support Natural Disaster Recovery

Via its Emergency Relief Program, the Federal Highway Administration is providing $729.4 million to 34 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico to support repairs to roads and bridges due to natural disasters such as hurricanes, flooding and mudslides.

[Above photo by Caltrans]

The FHWA noted that, since January 2022, it has distributed over $1.3 billion in Emergency Relief Program funds to help states repair infrastructure damaged due to a range of extreme weather events.

“These funds will help restore critical transportation connections across the country as communities continue to repair and rebuild infrastructure damaged by extreme weather,” noted Pete Buttigieg, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, in a statement.

The FHWA said this round of emergency funding includes support for ongoing repairs to surface transportation infrastructure from flooding in and around Yellowstone Park in 2022; the impact from Hurricanes Ian, Fiona, and Nicole in 2022; the flooding and mudslides that struck Vermont in 2023; and other natural disasters that occurred across the country over the last two years.

[Editor’s note: At the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials 2022 Annual Meeting in Orlando, a panel of state department of transportation and FHWA leaders discussed some of the lessons learned from hurricane recovery efforts undertaken by Florida and Puerto Rico.] The agency noted that this emergency funding aims to support the reconstructing highways and bridges as well as protect the travelling public from further damages and allow for resiliency improvements as infrastructure damage is repaired.

NRDC Ranks State Transport Equity, Climate Efforts

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has identified the states doing the most to fight climate change, promote equity, increase active mobility, and improve sustainability through their transportation policies and practices.

[Above photo by NRDC]

The report, “Getting Transportation Right: Ranking the States in Light of New Federal Funding,” calls on states to “take transportation spending off autopilot” to ensure that unprecedented federal funding will have a positive environmental impact. It evaluates each state “to gauge the general policy and spending context that will influence and direct” how the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds will be spent.

The report also ranks which states are doing the most “to improve equity and climate outcomes from the transportation sector,” based largely on data from each state’s department of transportation.

The report measured states’ commitments to equity, active transportation, electric vehicle usage, greenhouse gas reductions, and a host of other environmental metrics through a scoring system based on publicly available data. Some of the metrics focus on whether states have adopted certain policies while other metrics are based on “actual state performance, spending, and outcomes.”

The NRDC’s report also noted that state transportation policies will guide funding decisions that “will shape the nature of the transportation system in the United States for decades to come, with enormous implications for equity, climate change, and public health.”

The states doing the most to improve equity and climate outcomes from the transportation sector, according to the report, are California; Massachusetts; Vermont; Oregon; Washington; New York; Colorado; New Jersey; Connecticut; Minnesota.

The NRDC report ranked states on 20 measurements that fall in five major categories: state planning for climate and equity; vehicle electrification; reducing vehicle miles travelled through expanded transportation choices; system maintenance; and procurement. Measurements included such items as transit investment, flex spending on active transportation, number of EV charging ports per 1,000 people, and whether states compensate citizens for participating in the project planning process.

The report also cited examples of how states are advancing environmental and equity causes:

  • The Minnesota Department of Transportation set transportation-related greenhouse gas reduction targets of 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 and 50 percent below 2005 by 2030.
  • Vermont offers “point-of-sale rebates for the purchase of new EVs,” including greater incentives for buyers with an adjusted gross income of $50,000 or less.
  • North Carolina DOT “identified strategies to reduce VMT” or vehicle miles traveled and modeled those strategies in key metro areas.
  • California, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, and Oregon require or encourage environmental product declarations “for commonly used construction materials in transportation projects.”

Although many states already have policies and programs in place to meet equity and climate goals, “other states must rapidly realign their priorities in order to achieve these outcomes,” the report states. “Even the states currently leading the pack, while they are to be commended for their actions thus far, have areas in need of improvement.”

Nebraska DOT Seeking Feedback on Carbon Reduction Plan

The Nebraska DOT is gathering public opinion on its proposed strategies for reducing transportation-related carbon dioxide emissions via an online survey.

[Above photo by Nebraska DOT]

That is the final part of the agency’s efforts to form a statewide Carbon Reduction Strategy or CRS by November 15; a deadline fixed by the Carbon Reduction Program or CRP as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA enacted in 2021.

The CRP – a new federal program intended to fund surface transportation carbon emission reduction efforts – requires states to develop a CRS in consultation with metropolitan planning organizations by November 15.

The Nebraska DOT noted in a statement that the transportation sector is the second largest source of carbon emissions in the state, preceded by the electric generation sector.

Activities that contribute to those emissions include the burning of petroleum-based fuels in vehicles as well as from “infrastructure-related” emissions, such as from road construction activities and street lighting, it noted.

The agency said its CRS-development process will pinpoint strategies to reduce carbon that are “proven, effective, and context-sensitive” for Nebraska. 

Thus far, Nebraska DOT said it has completed “extensive internal research and interviews” regarding existing policies and activities contributing to carbon reduction, held individual consultations with each of Nebraska’s four MPOs, and distributed a survey to institutional partners.

FHWA Issues ‘Climate Challenge’ Funds to 25 State DOTs

On October 20, the Federal Highway Administration provided $7.1 million in total funds to 25 state departments of transportation involved in the agency’s ‘Climate Challenge’ program. This is the program’s first funding cycle, FHWA said.

[Above photo by the Oklahoma DOT]

The agency launched its Climate Challenge initiative to quantify the impacts of sustainable pavements and to demonstrate ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in highway projects using sustainable construction materials. That effort is part of a broad array of climate-focused programs FHWA kicked off in April.

“As the sector of the U.S. economy that produces the most carbon emissions, transportation must be a central arena for solutions in our fight against climate change,” said Pete Buttigieg, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, in a statement.

“Sustainable pavement may not sound glamorous, but it’s an example of the kind of creative and important work needed at this moment, and we’re proud to support innovative efforts in this field across the country,” he noted.

State DOTs that received awards include:

  • The Rhode Island Department of Transportation received a $312,000 grant to support a $1 million project to coat a 2,000-foot section of North Road where it crosses Great Creek with permeable pavement. This project seeks to demonstrate the viability of using permeable pavement as a way to mitigate the impacts of coastal flooding on low-lying roads.
  • The Hawaii Department of Transportation received a $312,000 grant to help build a $6 million plastic recycling research facility. Expected to be up and running within two years, the facility seeks to convert waste plastic into new products for use in transportation infrastructure projects.
  • The Maryland Department of Transportation received a pair of grants to investigate the service life and environmental performance of products and materials used in highway projects, such as asphalt and concrete, as well as how dredged material from port construction could create vegetated earth berms to help control erosion at highway project sites.

The Climate Challenge Initiative is part of an FHWA-wide effort announced during Earth Week 2022 to identify innovative ways to reduce greenhouse gas or GHG emissions from the transportation sector. It also supports the new Carbon Reduction Program FHWA rolled out in April that provides $6.4 billion in formula funding over five years for states and localities to develop carbon reduction strategies and other climate change issues.

FHWA’s Climate Challenge program provides funding, training, and technical assistance to help state DOTs and other public sector stakeholders explore the use of Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Together, LCAs and EPDs illustrate the environmental impacts of pavement materials and products, including quantifying GHG emissions. These standard practices can inform decisions for highway construction projects, pavement material, and design.

During this cycle of Climate Challenge funding, FHWA plans to host peer exchanges and webinars and develop case study reports to share lessons learned, outcomes, and next steps for further implementation. Over the next two years, participants will receive training and work with various stakeholders including industry and academia to implement projects that quantify the environmental impacts of pavements using LCAs and EPDs.

Four Federal Agencies Planning Broad GHG Reduction Effort

The U.S. Departments of Energy, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Environmental Protection Agency recently signed a memorandum of understanding or MOU to reduce greenhouse gas or GHG emissions associated with the transportation sector while concurrently ensuring “resilient and accessible mobility options” for all Americans.

[Above photo by USDOT]

The MOU commits the agencies to release within 90 days of its signing a comprehensive blueprint for decarbonizing the transportation sector that will help guide future policy decisions, as well as research, development, demonstration, and deployment in the public and private sectors.

That blueprint will also ensure a coordinated “whole-of-government” approach to address challenges to achieving widespread and equitable de-carbonization of the domestic transportation sector. This includes increasing access to safe, active transportation options, providing clean and affordable transit options, modernizing the grid to meet increased demands from the electric vehicle sector, and reducing emissions from the entire lifecycle of transportation, including emissions from construction.

Domestic transportation – including both passenger and freight modes – produces more GHG emissions than any other sector, those four agencies noted in a joint statement. Thus by working together with states, local communities, tribal communities, labor unions, nonprofits, and the private sector, they hope to promote low- and zero-emission transportation solutions to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, create clean transportation jobs, and support the Biden administration’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050. 

Those four agencies said that the billions of dollars in “clean transportation” funding allocated through the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enacted in November 2021 as well as the $739 billion Inflation Reduction Act enacted in August makes the United States “well-positioned” to take reduced GHGs while creating “millions of jobs” for American workers.

The agencies said they plan to accomplish both goals by increasing access to more efficient modes of transportation such as walking, biking, transit and rail, while lowering the costs of electric vehicles and other zero emission vehicles and fuels. That would allow American families and businesses to benefit from and enjoy the benefits of this “affordable clean energy revolution,” those agencies said.

FTA Issues over $1.6B in Clean Bus Grant Awards

The Federal Transit Administration recently issued more than $1.6 billion in grants to transit agencies, territories, and states across the country to invest in 150 bus fleets and facilities.

[Above photo by the MTA]

Funded by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA enacted in November 2021, that funding should nearly double the number of no-emission transit buses on America’s roadways, according to an FTA statement.

The agency added that, for the first time, 5 percent of that low- and no-emission bus funding would go towards training transit workers on how to maintain and operate clean bus technology.

FTA is providing those bus grant awards through two programs. The first is its Low or No Emission (Low-No) Grant Program, which makes funding available to help transit agencies buy or lease U.S.-built low- or no-emission vehicles, including related equipment or facilities.

The IIJA provides $5.5 billion over five years for the Low-No Program – more than six times greater than the previous five years of funding, FTA said. For fiscal year 2022, approximately $1.17 billion is available for grants under this program.

The second is FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program, which supports transit agencies in buying and rehabilitating buses and vans and building bus maintenance facilities. The IIJA provides nearly $2 billion over five years for the program, the agency said. For fiscal year 2022, approximately $550 million for grants was available under this program.

Several state departments of transportation received grants via this round of awards (for a full list of the projects receiving grants, click here). Those include:

  • The Alaska Department of Transportation, on behalf of the City and Borough of Juneau and Capital Transit, received $2.3 million to rehabilitate and modernize its vehicle storage and maintenance facility.
  • The Connecticut Department of Transportation received just over $20 million on behalf of the Connecticut Southeast Area Transit District to rehabilitate its Preston transit facility, buy battery electric buses, and launch a training program to help staff operate and maintain zero-emission buses.
  • The Colorado Department of Transportation received $51 million to support a variety of projects, including $34.7 million on behalf of Summit Stage, a rural transit agency that provides bus service in Summit, Park and Lake Counties in northeast Colorado, to build a bus depot for electrical charging and storage. It will replace Summit Stage’s aging facility and prepare for a 100-percent electric fleet in the future.
  • The District of Columbia Department of Transportation is getting $9.6 million to help buy battery-electric buses to replace diesel vehicles and increase the size of the Washington, D.C., Circulator fleet.
  • The Hawaii Department of Transportation gets $23.2 million on behalf of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui counties to buy a mix of zero-emission buses, battery electric buses, and fuel cell electric buses. The agency is also getting a further $12 million to undertake bus stop and facility improvements.
  • The Iowa Department of Transportation gets $15.8 million for one urban and four rural transit agencies to buy battery electric buses and charging equipment. The agency gets a further $12 million to buy new buses, cutaway chassis, and vans to replace older vehicles for 26 of Iowa’s transit systems.
  • The Massachusetts Department of Transportation gets $4.1 million on behalf of Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority and Nantucket Regional Transit Authority will receive funding to buy battery electric and propane buses to replace older diesel vehicles.
  • The Minnesota Department of Transportation gets $3.4 million to buy battery electric buses and charging equipment to replace buses that are part of four rural transit fleets.
  • The New Mexico Department of Transportation gets $3 million on behalf of the South Central Regional Transit District to buy battery electric buses and charging equipment, provide training and buy property it currently leases. It also gets another $2.5 million on behalf of the South Central Regional Transit District to buy battery electric buses and charging equipment as well as fund staff training.
  • The Oregon Department of Transportation gets $4.6 million to buy battery electric buses and install three new electric chargers. It gets an additional $2 million for the Sandy Area Metro to buy battery electric buses and install charging equipment, replacing diesel buses that have exceeded their useful life.
  • The South Dakota Department of Transportation gets over $1 million on behalf of River Cities Public Transit, Community Transit of Watertown/Sisseton, Prairie Hills Transit, and Rural Office of Community Services to buy low-emission propane buses, two propane conversion kits, and install a propane fueling station.
  • The Tennessee Department of Transportation gets $12 million on behalf of two urban and five rural transit agencies to buy buses and demand-response vehicles to replace older vehicles that reached their useful life.
  • The Utah Department of Transportation gets over $6 million on behalf of Park City Transit to buy battery-electric buses and charging equipment to expand its express route service in the Quinn’s Junction area.
  • The Vermont Agency of Transportation gets $9.1 million to buy electric buses and install charging equipment for Marble Valley Regional Transit District in Rutland and Green Mountain Transit in Burlington. VTrans gets a further $3.2 million to build a bus depot for the Marble Valley Regional Transit District.
  • The Washington State Department of Transportation gets $5.4 million to purchase vehicles for three rural transportation providers, replacing buses that have exceeded their useful life, improving quality of life, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Colorado Moving Forward with Clean Truck Strategy

The administration of Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) recently finalized its Clean Truck Strategy – initially unveiled in March – after what the governor described as “extensive public input.”

[Above photo by the Colorado DOT]

Developed by the Colorado Energy Office, the Colorado Department of Transportation, and the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, the 27-page Clean Truck Strategy seeks to encourage the adoption of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks statewide, potentially reducing greenhouse gas or GHG emissions from those vehicles by at least 45 percent in Colorado by 2050.

Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles covered by Colorado’s Clean Truck Strategy include tractor-trailers, school buses, snowplows, delivery vans, large pick-up trucks, and many different vehicle types in between.

A separate 147-page study compiled by the Colorado Energy Office found that medium- and heavy-duty vehicles are the second-largest source of GHG emissions in the transportation sector, producing 22 percent of on-road GHG emissions despite making up less than 10 percent of the total Colorado vehicle population.

That study found if Colorado pursues an “accelerated transition” to zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle models, it could cut GHG emissions by 45 percent to 59 percent, reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 54 percent to 93 percent, and reduce particulate matter emissions by 53 percent to 68 percent below 2005 levels by 2050.

Those three state agencies said they would continue collaborating with stakeholders and initiating implementation on “near-term” actions over the next few months, including:

Those agencies also expect to update the Clean Truck Strategy every two years to respond to “evolving market and lessons” learned from implementing the plan’s near-term requirements. “Colorado has enormous opportunities to reduce pollution and improve quality of life by transitioning from diesel to zero-emission trucks and buses,” explained Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, in a statement. “This strategic plan creates a framework for achieving big things through investment, collaboration, and regulation.”

FHWA Unlocks $6.4B for Carbon Reduction Program

The Federal Highway Administration officially unlocked $6.4 billion in formula funding for states and localities over the next five years via the new Carbon Reduction Program or CRP, created by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enacted in November 2021.

[Above photo by the MBTA]

Passage of a fiscal year 2022 omnibus appropriations package in March finally honored full first-year transportation funding levels established by the IIJA and allowed new programs to start, which allowed FHWA to apportion funding for CRP.

The CRP seeks to fund a wide range of projects designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from on-road highway sources — from installing infrastructure to support the electrification of freight vehicles or personal cars, to constructing Bus Rapid Transit or BRT corridors, to facilitating micro-mobility and biking.

FHWA emphasized that, under the CRP, states must also develop carbon reduction strategies in consultation with Metropolitan Planning Organizations or MPOs to identify projects and strategies tailored to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in their states – though states and localities may begin using the CRP funds even before such plans are developed and reviewed.

“This new program provides states and local agencies in both urban and rural areas the flexibility and funding needed to reduce emissions and build a more sustainable transportation network that will benefit all travelers,” said Stephanie Pollack, FHWA’s deputy administrator, in a statement. FHWA noted that projects eligible for CRP funds include on- and off-road trail facilities for pedestrians, bicyclists and other non-motorized forms of transportation and projects that support the deployment of alternative fuel vehicles.

Other projects – determined by state and local governments but potentially supported with federal funding – include zero emission vehicles and facilities, projects that support congestion pricing and travel demand strategies, plus truck stop and port electrification systems. Public transportation projects such as the aforementioned BRT corridors, dedicated bus lanes, micro-mobility, and electric bike projects – which encompasses charging infrastructure as well – may also be eligible, FHWA said.

Caltrans Approves Use of Low-Carbon Cement

The California Department of Transportation recently approved the use of low-carbon cement to help reduce the carbon footprint of the state’s transportation system.

[Above photo by Caltrans]

Known formally as Portland Limestone Cement or PLC, low-carbon cement is a blended product containing higher limestone content. Using more limestone creates less “clinker,” the basic component in nearly all types of cement, in the manufacturing process; generating less carbon dioxide as a result.

Caltrans said its road construction and maintenance projects could generate less carbon dioxide with the same high-performance standards at a slightly lower cost by using more PLC. For example, in 2017 alone, Caltrans used 325,000 tons of cement to upgrade the state highway system. Switching to low-carbon cement could potentially reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 28,000 tons a year — the equivalent of removing more than 6,000 cars off the road.

“Using low-carbon cement can cut Caltrans’ concrete-related carbon dioxide emissions annually by up to 10 percent,” noted Toks Omishakin, director of Caltrans, in a statement. “This is a big step in supporting California’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.”

The agency based its new low-carbon cement standards on Caltrans-funded research conducted at Oregon State University, which concluded that PLC is equally suitable for Caltrans’ construction projects as ordinary cement with a reduced carbon footprint.

Throughout the review process, Caltrans worked closely with the California Air Resources Board plus industry experts and stakeholders, such as the California Construction and Industrial Materials Association and the California Nevada Cement Association, to draft the new standard specifications.