Posts – Page 34 – Environmental Technical Assistance Program Newsletter

Environmental News Highlights – July 20, 2022

FTA Makes $300M in Ferry Grants Available

The Federal Transit Administration is making nearly $300 million available through three competitive grant programs to boost access to rural ferry services, bolster existing and new urban services, and lower emissions across all services by speeding the adoption of zero-emission ferry propulsion technologies.

[Above photo by NCDOT]

The agency noted in a statement that grants are available for those three programs via a single, combined notice of funding opportunity, with the overall funding level coming by way of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA, enacted in November 2021.

Those programs include:

Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program is a new grant program that seeks to ensure states provide basic essential ferry services to rural areas. For fiscal year 2022, $209 million is available.
Electric or Low-Emitting Ferry Pilot Program is a new program that provides grants for electric or low-emitting ferries and associated infrastructure that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using alternative fuels or onboard energy storage systems. For FY 2022, $49 million is available.
Passenger Ferry Grant Program is an established program for funding capital projects that support existing passenger ferry services, establish new ferry services, and repair and modernize ferries, terminals, and related facilities and equipment in urbanized areas. For FY 2022, $36.5 million is available; of that, $3.25 million is set aside to support low or zero-emission ferries.

Many state departments of transportation that operate ferry services are witnessing a strong rebound in passenger demand.

For example, the North Carolina Department of Transportation recently noted that its four-year-old Ocracoke Express passenger ferry nearly matched pre-pandemic ridership levels over the first two months of its 2022 season despite using a smaller vessel.

The new Ocracoke Express ferry vessel carries 129 people versus the 149-person capacity previous model used from 2019 through 2021, noted NCDOT in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities and the Southeast Conference announced plans to collaborate on a low-emission ferry project in May.

Alternative fuel-powered, low-emission and electric ferries could be a game-changer for Alaska’s Marine Highway System, the agency said, as it starts replacing aging ferry vessels in upcoming years.

Utah DOT Poised to Tap into University’s Trail Study

A team of Utah State University researchers recently explored how to use the state’s network of historic canal trails as an active transportation solution. That study is poised to help the Utah Department of Transportation and community leaders make decisions about building canal paths and trails, USU detailed in a blog post.

[Above photo by USU]

The Utah DOT funded the university’s research project – entitled “Active Transportation Facilities in Canal Corridors” – that the American Society of Civil Engineers subsequently published in June.

By reviewing case studies of existing canal trails – such as the Murdock Canal Trail in Utah County and the Highline Trail in Cache County – and interviewing stakeholders like canal operators and local planners, the USU team found there are many potential benefits for communities who want to build canal paths and trails.

“One potential benefit of creating a canal trail formally is to formalize that use,” said Patrick Singleton, an assistant professor of transportation at USU and one of the project’s researchers.

“A lot of people are using canals informally as trails in some cases,” he said. “And by formalizing that use, there can be some protections for the canal or the property owners along the canal.”

Building bicycle/pedestrian trails alongside open canals or atop closed canals can also create a “mutual interest” between community leaders and canal operators to keep the corridor clean. In the case of covered canals, a trail can help preserve the canal easement and make it easier to repair the canal if needed.

The research found that the primary challenges to building canal trails are land ownership, maintenance, safety, liability, funding and privacy. These challenges can be overcome using long-term planning, stakeholder collaboration, iterative design and active public involvement.

The school’s researchers said they hope this study will make community leaders more aware of both the opportunity and the steps required to help trail networks succeed.

Environmental News Highlights – July 13, 2022

FEDERAL ACTION

FHWA Plans Rulemaking for Reducing GHG Emissions – AASHTO Journal

The silver lining for EPA in Supreme Court climate ruling – E&E News

USDOT Announces All 50 States, DC and Puerto Rico Now Have Alternative Fuel Corridor Designations, Which Will Help Build Out National Electric Vehicle Charging Network – FHWA (Media release)

COVID-19

Study: COVID-19 Pandemic Sparked Speeding Epidemic – AASHTO Journal

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Best Practices: How to build resilience into electric bus plans – Mass Transit

The seas are rising. Are real estate developers Boston’s best hope for fending them off? – Boston Globe

California to provide $300 million for relocation of rail line off Del Mar Bluffs – Trains

As floods intensify, governments consider managed retreat – DW Akademie

Quitting Oil Income Is Hard, Even for States That Want Climate Action – New York Times

Exit This Way: Research informing upgrades in hurricane evacuation planning. – Talking Transportation (Podcast)

Groundbreaking held for Rail to Rail path for walkers, cyclists and rollers in Inglewood and South Los Angeles – Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Blog)

Iowa DOT Awards Funding For Volkswagen Settlement Environmental Mitigation Trust Program – Iowa DOT (Media release)

Interdisciplinary Team of Researchers Explores How Canal Corridors Can Support Active Transportation – Utah State University (Media release)

AIR QUALITY

How Fast-Growing Colorado Is Tackling Its Transportation Emissions – RMI

Vermont pushes forward with California car emissions rule, but that won’t close the 2030 emissions gap – VTDigger

Bloomberg Green’s Electric Car Ratings – Bloomberg

Tailwind growing behind tackling aviation industry emissions – Reuters

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

In Debate Over Chicago’s Speed Cameras, Concerns Over Safety, Racial Disparities Collide – ProPublica

Black communities in the US will be hardest hit by floods caused by climate change, say scientists – World Economic Forum

NATURAL RESOURCES

FHWA Provides $5.7 Million in Emergency Relief Funding to Repair Flood Damage in Montana – FHWA (Media release)

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

TRIP Report Analyzes Recent Spike in Traffic Fatalities – AASHTO Journal

MassDOT approves Northampton’s street plan for bikers, pedestrians – The Reminder

Downtown Miami store owners say new bike lanes decrease walk-in business – WSVN-TV

Cities Require More Data to Improve Micromobility Projects – Governing

New Deloitte study puts e-bikes ahead of e-cars as most popular and ‘most attractive’ electric transportation – Electrek

N.J.’s ‘safe passing’ law to protect bikers, pedestrians faces education challenge – NJ.com

Improved Illinois Bike Maps Blaze New Trail – Illinois DOT (Media release)

University of Arkansas Receives Grant To Develop Roadmap For Smart Mobility Initiatives – University of Arkansas (Media release)

TRB RESOURCES/ANNOUNCEMENTS

Design Practices for Rock Slopes and Rockfall Management – NCHRP

Guide to Implementation of the Toward Zero Deaths National Strategy on Highway Safety – NCHRP

TRB’s Automated Road Transportation Symposium – TRB

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

FY 2022 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Passenger Ferry Grant Program, Electric or Low-Emitting Ferry Pilot Program, and Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program – FTA (Notice)

Federal Support for Local Decision-Making Public Listening Session – Bureau of Transportation Statistics (Notice of open meeting)

Air Plan Approval; Michigan; Emissions Statement Program and Base Year Emissions Inventory – EPA (Final rule)

Air Plan Approval; Washington; Yakima Regional Clean Air Agency, General Air Quality Regulations – EPA (Final rule)

Air Plan Approval; Georgia; Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program – EPA (Proposed rule)

White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council; Notification of Virtual Public Meeting – EPA (Notice)

Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Railroad Crossing Elimination Program – FRA (Notice)

Notice of Acceptance of a Noise Exposure Map and Review of a Noise Compatibility Program – FAA (Notice)

ETAP Podcast: Native Language Road Signs

This episode of the Environmental Technical Assistance Program or ETAP Podcast touches on the topic of creating more road signs featuring more of the indigenous languages spoken in the United States with representatives of the Iowa Department of Transportation and Minnesota Department of Transportation.

[Above photo by Jimmy Emerson]

The United States is a country with over 150 indigenous languages still spoken today within its borders. With 5.2 million Indigenous people residing in the country today, speaking those 150-plus languages, why aren’t more of our road signs printed in these native languages? That is what teams from Iowa DOT and Minnesota DOT – along with a variety of indigenous partners – set out to change.

This ETAP podcast discussion involves Brennan Dolan, cultural resources team lead and tribal liaison for the Iowa DOT; Ed Fairbanks, retired tribal liaison for the Minnesota DOT; and Mary Otto, tribal state relations training manager with the Minnesota DOT.

To listen to this podcast, click here.

Video: AASHTO Highlights Resilience in Knowledge Session

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently released a video providing an overview of its knowledge session on infrastructure resilience during its 2022 Spring Meeting in New Orleans.

[Above photo by AASHTO]

The “Special Report” compiled by AASHTO’s Transportation TV details how “resilience analysis” has become a cornerstone of the infrastructure decision-making process for state departments of transportation and federal transportation agencies alike.

Moderated by David Sweeney, president and CEO of engineering and architectural firm RS&H, the panel explored how “resilience” is becoming a critical factor in extending the overall lifecycle of infrastructure assets while also hardening them against potential damage from both natural and man-made disasters.

The knowledge session included Marc Williams, executive director of the Texas DOT; Ed Sniffen, deputy director for highways at the Hawaii DOT; Will Watts, assistant secretary for engineering and operations at Florida DOT; and Aimee Flannery, a surface transportation analyst from the Office of the USDOT Secretary.