Posts – Page 57 – Environmental Technical Assistance Program Newsletter

Proposed Bill Seeks to Help States Build More Resilient Infrastructure

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., and Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., introduced the “Rebuilding Stronger Infrastructure Act” on April 20 to ensure that resilience improvements are eligible for federal funding, while requiring the Federal Highway Administration to provide states with the guidance and tools needed to rebuild infrastructure with more resiliency.

[Above photo by the Wisconsin DOT]

“Too often, highway infrastructure is rebuilt to pre-disaster specifications, leaving roads and bridges vulnerable to another disaster and costly damage repairs,” noted Sen. Baldwin in a statement.

“As extreme weather becomes more and more frequent, we need to empower states and local communities to build stronger and more resilient roads and bridges that can withstand the next storm or natural disaster,” she said. “This reform will not only ensure we are better protecting our infrastructure, but it will also save taxpayer dollars by making sure we are building it back better.”

“The Rebuilding Stronger Infrastructure Act ensures that we are investing in making our roads and bridges resilient to severe weather events and natural disasters while saving taxpayer dollars,” added Sen. Braun – covering the cost of damage from extreme weather and natural disasters such as severe storms, floods, or hurricanes.

The proposed legislation would:

Require the FHWA to update its Emergency Relief Manual to include the definition of resilience and identify procedures state departments of transportation may use to incorporate resilience into emergency relief projects. The manual would also encourage the use of Complete Streets design principals and consideration of access for moderate and low income families impacted by a declared disaster;
Require the FHWA to develop best practices for improving resilience of projects funded by the Emergency Relief program. Best practices will be shared with division offices of the Federal Highway Administration and state departments of transportation;
Require the FHWA to develop and implement a process to track consideration of resilience projects as part of the Emergency Relief Program and the cost of Emergency Relief projects; and
Clarifies that cost-justified resilience improvements are eligible for Emergency Relief funding.

Both the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and Wisconsin Department of Transportation are supporting this bill.

“Sen. Baldwin’s Rebuilding Stronger Infrastructure Act is common-sense legislation that will save taxpayers’ dollars and prevent unnecessary disruptions to our transportation system,” noted Craig Thompson, secretary-designee for the Wisconsin DOT. “When we identify roads and bridges that are prone to be damaged by natural disasters like flooding, it just makes sense to improve them to avoid that damage, rather than risk the disruption and expense of repairing them after they’ve been washed out,” he explained. “Sen. Baldwin’s bill will help states like Wisconsin keep our roads and bridges in good condition.”

Video: Every Day is Earth Day for State DOTs

Founded 51 years ago, Earth Day is now a global celebration that is raising public awareness and support for the protection of the environment. One of the objectives of this annual worldwide campaign is to get everyone to play a role – no matter what they do or where they live and work.

A recent video produced by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials highlights the many ways that the Minnesota Department of Transportation and other state DOTs are leading in the areas of sustainability and environmental stewardship.

The video – entitled “Every Day is Earth Day at Minnesota DOT” – features an interview with the agency’s commissioner, Margaret Anderson Kelliher, who details the Minnesota DOT’s successful efforts to shrink its carbon footprint, advance renewable energy consumption, plus safeguard and beautify the environment around the construction sites managed by the agency.

Tennessee DOT Helps Fund Two Trash Exhibits at Aquarium

A pair of new exhibits at the Tennessee Aquarium funded by the grants from the Tennessee Department of Transportation illustrate how microplastics and other roadside trash can negatively affect the health of the ocean as well as rivers, lakes, and streams.

[Above photo by the Tennessee Aquarium]

The new exhibits – housed in the Aquarium’s “River Journey” and supporting the Tennessee DOT’s “Nobody Trashes Tennessee” litter reduction campaign – includes actual debris taken from the banks of the Tennessee River

The exhibits demonstrate the connection between land-based pollution and aquatic ecosystems through “touchless” interactive elements, informative videos, and an exhibition of invasive aquatic wildlife such as a Northern Snakehead and Grass Carp. Those non-native fish are housed in one of the exhibits, swimming alongside examples — some of them 3D-printed — of common roadside debris such as tires and car batteries, which can wreak havoc on aquatic systems.

“The connections between roadside litter, water quality and aquatic systems cannot be understated,” said Shawn Bible, Tennessee DOT’s beautification office manager, in a statement.

“The ‘Nobody Trashes Tennessee’ campaign aims to educate citizens on the impact of what may be perceived as a minor issue for the state,” Bible added. “In reality, the state spends more than $19 million each year to clean up the more than 100 million pieces of litter on our roadways. We are pleased to partner with the Tennessee Aquarium on these interactive exhibits.”

The exhibits help visitors visualize how trash can imperil aquatic ecosystems and impact waterways that millions rely on for recreation and drinking water, while also demonstrating how changes in behavior on land can benefit the health of nearby waterways, explained Dr. Anna George, the Aquarium’s vice president of conservation science and education.

“Anything that is on land moves into our waterways,” Dr. George said. “If a piece of litter is thrown onto a street, wind might carry it to a stream or river. It might get washed or blown into storm drains and deposited in the nearest body of water. It is a safe assumption that any debris on land has a good chance of winding up in our water.”

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 80 percent of garbage found in the ocean comes from inland sources, such as leaked automotive fluids and littering. “So even though the [Tennessee] Department of Transportation might seem like an odd partner for an aquarium, there’s a fundamental connection between activity on land and the health of waterways,” Dr. George noted.

Environmental News Highlights – April 21, 2021

NYSDOT Spearheads Project to Harden Infrastructure Against Flooding

The New York State Department of Transportation is heading up a $5.4 million project to “harden” a local roadway against damage from flooding and other weather events through the state’s Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative or REDI.

[Above photo by NYSDOT.]

The project focuses on a 1,800 linear foot section of County Road 57 – a critical connection that provides the only land access to Point Peninsula, an island community within the Town of Lyme near Lake Ontario.

Resiliency measures for this project include raising the vulnerable section of roadway three feet to mitigate potential flooding and halt further road deterioration. Additionally, the agency is installing “rip rap” – a term for human-placed rock formations – to provide further protection against the impact of wind, waves, and ice formation.

“Vital infrastructure along Lake Ontario has been adversely affected from severe flooding,” explained Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) in a statement. “Through REDI, and through the State’s partnership with local governments, these critical assets are being reimagined and rebuilt to mitigate future damage and disruption, ensuring public safety and safeguarding local economies.”

“By working together with our local partners and making smart, targeted investments like this one, New York is moving forward in the battle against climate change,” added Marie Therese Dominguez, NYSDOT commissioner. “These REDI projects will harden infrastructure, mitigate flooding and assist local communities in combating the rising waters of Lake Ontario for years to come.”

Gov. Cuomo created the REDI program in the spring of 2019 in response to an “extended pattern of flooding” along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Five REDI Regional Planning Committees comprised of representatives from eight counties – Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga, Oswego, Jefferson, and St. Lawrence – work to identify “at-risk” infrastructure and public safety concerns.

The REDI Commission has to date allocated $20 million for homeowner assistance, $30 million to improve the resiliency of businesses, and $15 million toward a regional dredging effort that will benefit each of the eight counties in the REDI regions. It allocated the remaining $235 million towards local and regional projects that “advance and exemplify” the REDI mission.

Over the last two years, some 133 local and regional projects are now underway, including 107 projects in the design phase, 13 projects in the construction phase, and 13 projects completed.

NCDOT Seeks 2021 Bicycle/Pedestrian Grant Applications

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is now accepting applications from municipalities across the state for its 2021 Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grant Initiative, which seeks to support the development of comprehensive bicycle or pedestrian plans. The deadline for applications is June 30.

[Above photo by the NCDOT.]

In terms of specifics, NCDOT said in a statement that while all North Carolina municipalities are eligible to apply for that funding, counties with populations of less than 50,000 could apply for a bicycle or pedestrian plan while smaller municipalities with populations of less than 10,000 can apply to develop combined bicycle and pedestrian plans.

Additionally, municipalities with populations of less than 5,000 may apply for a Project Acceleration Plan – an abbreviated plan primarily focusing on priority project identification and implementation – while municipalities and counties with populations of less than 50,000 with a bicycle or pedestrian plan already in place can apply to update their plan if it is at least five years old.

NCDOT’s bicycle and pedestrian planning grant program – sponsored by the department’s Integrated Mobility Division and the Transportation Planning Division since 2004 – usually awards a total of $7 million on a yearly basis.

The agency added that it is hosting a short webinar on May 12 to provide further details about its bicycle/pedestrian grant program and answer questions from potential applicants.

States across the country are broadly working on ways to improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.

For example, a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association showed that while pedestrian fatalities trended up in the first half of 2020, it noted how several state-directed efforts are successfully improving pedestrian safety.

GHSA’s report noted that most pedestrians are killed on local roads, in the dark, and away from intersections – suggesting the need for safer road crossings and increased efforts to make pedestrians more visible through improved lighting and other countermeasures.

The National Transportation Safety Board reported similar findings during a hearing in November 2019. As a result, that agency called for more “concerted action” from federal and state agencies to improve bicyclist safety – and, by extension, that of pedestrians – via improvements to roadway infrastructure, enhanced bicyclist conspicuity, and the “mitigation of head injuries” to bicyclists through mandatory helmet laws.

Environmental News Highlights – April 14, 2021

FEDERAL ACTION

Rep. DeFazio: “We have to do a reauthorization by October 1.” – AASHTO Journal

House GOP Planning Climate Package to Counter Democrats – Bloomberg Green

Biden Plan Spurs Fight Over What ‘Infrastructure’ Really Means – New York Times

US Senators Introduce Carbon Capture, Sequestration Bill – Transport Topics

Retreat from coastlines? Politicians don’t want to talk about it. – Grist

COVID-19

Planners grapple with pandemic’s mystery impacts on population boom and traffic – Reporter Newspapers

More Cars on the Road as COVID Restrictions Lift Leads to Worsening Air Quality – KNBC-TV Video

What We Learned After Analyzing 5 Months of Active Mobility Responses to COVID-19 – TheCityFix (Commentary)

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Managing the Transition to Electric Vehicles – AASHTO Journal

W.Va. congressional delegation, environmentalists at odds over Biden jobs and infrastructure plan – Herald-Dispatch

Ohio plans $2B in infrastructure investments; officials to discuss local projects today – Cincinnati Enquirer

Nevada bridges ranked among the country’s best by national survey – KVVU-TV

State’s new drone fleet to help with investigations, inspections – Jackson Hole News & Guide

How to move from a wish list to a national plan in adapting America’s infrastructure – Thomson Reuters Foundation (Opinion)

AIR QUALITY

McKee under pressure over RI climate bill requiring net-zero emissions by 2050 – WPRI-TV

Decreasing Your Carbon Footprint Through Abandoned Farmland Restoration – Forbes

New Army of LG Robots Eye Air Pollution – CDOTrends

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says ‘there is racism physically built’ into America’s infrastructure – The Hill

EPA reverses Trump stance in push to tackle environmental racism – The Guardian

NATURAL RESOURCES

ITD Shares Award for Eco-Friendly Bridge Work – AASHTO Journal

USDA and Partners Work to Identify Best Management Practices for Wildlife Repellents at Airports – State Aviation Journal

Bill to improve water quality for tribes passes committee – Curry Coastal Pilot

Investors worth $105 billion join the call for lasting protection for Bristol Bay from Pebble Mine – Earthworks (Blog)

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

TRB RESOURCES/ANNOUNCEMENTS

TRB Webinar: Navigating Environmental Compliance for Public-Private Partnerships – TRB

Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities for Sustainability Science: Proceedings of a Workshop – in Brief (2021) – National Academies

Clearing the Skies with Research on Electric Vehicles – TRB

What can be done now to move us toward a more sustainable and prosperous future for all? – Nobel Prize Summit (Announcement)

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

National Environmental Education Advisory Council – EPA (Request for nominations)

Pipeline Safety: Pipeline Leak Detection, Leak Repair, and Methane Emission Reductions Public Meeting – Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (Notice)

Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Dry Dock 1 Modification and Expansion – NOAA (Notice; proposed incidental harassment authorization; request for comments on proposed authorization and possible renewal)

Meeting of the Regional Resource Stewardship Council – Tennessee Valley Authority (Notice)

Port Access Route Study: Northern New York Bight – Coast Guard (Supplemental notice of study, request for comments)

Louisiana DOTD Studying How to Tackle GHG Emissions

The Louisiana state government, which collects about $1.3 billion a year in taxes from the oil and gas industry, is studying whether alternative fuels and other environmental measures can help reduce greenhouse gas or GHG emissions.

[Photo by the Louisiana DOTD.]

Gov. John Bel Edwards has created a 23-member Climate Initiatives Task Force charged with creating a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050 – with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development poised to do the heavy lifting on transportation strategies within that plan to move towards the state’s GHG reduction goals.

“I think it’s a worthy effort to at least start a discussion about what needs to happen in Louisiana,” explained Louisiana DOTD Deputy Secretary Eric Kalivoda, co-chair of the task force’s transportation committee.

Devastating hurricanes, coastal subsidence, and rising sea levels – blamed on global warming – are eating away at Louisiana’s coastline. According to the governor’s office, if no significant action is taken, Louisiana could lose another 4,000 square miles of coast by 2050.

Kalivoda sees the transportation committee addressing four issues: demand management, conservation, alternative fuels, and “natural sequestration through reforestation.” The alternative fuel issue is the one that gets the most attention, and it usually focuses almost exclusively on electric vehicles, he said.

“A lot of people are going down the path of all-battery-powered electric, but I think a variety of fuel sources is the way to go,” including natural gas, hydrogen, biofuels, and traditional gasoline, he noted. “Gas and diesel engines are going to be part of the mix, certainly for the foreseeable future.”

Ann Vail, executive director of Louisiana Clean Fuels and a member of the task force, agreed.

“Oil and gas aren’t going to go away,” Vail said. “We’re looking at more of a buffet of fueling options. We have to look at biofuels, electric, and we already have a half-decent natural gas vehicle infrastructure here.”

Louisiana DOTD’s Kalivoda added that many of the 88,000 registered government vehicles in Louisiana could be converted to run on a variety of alternative fuels “as a demonstration project to the private sector. We can enter into contracts for fuel at facilities also open to the public and show the maintenance records and the problems we run into.”

Demand management simply means promoting telecommuting, compressed workweeks, remote learning, and virtual business meetings and conferences, actions that a majority of people now are familiar with, thanks to the pandemic. “The genie is out of the bottle, and I don’t think it’s going back in,” he noted.

Kalivoda said Louisiana DOTD can work on faster traffic incident management and better traffic signal coordination to lessen congestion-related emissions, but more carpooling could make an immediate impact if people would do it. “There will be a list of excuses from Miami to Anchorage as to why we can’t do that, but we can.”

He pointed out that, if people really don’t want to carpool, “maybe we can get them to plant a tree. You can absorb a lot of carbon dioxide through natural sequestration. Public properties can be re-forested. Government agencies and schools can add trees to parking lots. This could be mitigation for transportation.”

Because Louisiana has so many chemical plants and refineries, transportation emissions make up only 26 percent of GHG emissions – much less than other states, Kalivoda said. Industry is responsible for 49 percent, power production makes up 23 percent, and homes and other businesses account for the rest. The panel is expected to produce interim recommendations by the end of April, and a final report and recommendations by February 2022.

KYTC Treating for ‘Noxious Weeds’ Along State Roadways

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet crews began treating for noxious and nuisance weeds along state roadways in March, with those treatments designed to help control the spread of “undesirable plants” along state highway rights of way to improve driver safety and ensure efficient maintenance operations.

[Photo by the KYTC.]

In particular, KYTC crews are targeting Johnson grass, giant foxtail, Canada thistle, nodding thistle, common teasel, multiflora rose, Amur honeysuckle, poison hemlock, marestail, Japanese knotweed and kudzu.

The agency added that those noxious weeds often invade and destroy the roadside turf grass, leaving these areas vulnerable to erosion. They can also smother native plants through rapid reproduction and long-term persistence.

“Left uncontrolled, noxious weeds can grow so large that they interfere with a driver’s line of vision on highways,” Jim Gray, explained Jim Gray, KYTC secretary, in a statement.

“Weed maintenance is important in preventing potential damage to pavement and embankments, as well as clogged ditches and drainage problems,” he said.

State departments of transportation are also experimenting with other forms of weed control as well.

For example, the California Department of Transportation – known as Caltrans – began using goats in early 2020 as part of a pilot project to control weeds within a 20-acre site adjacent to Highway 1 just north of the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse.

Instead of relying on herbicides, Caltrans is taking what it calls a “more sustainable approach” to revitalizing the native coastal prairie adjacent to a highway realignment project originally completed in 2017.

According to an agency statement, the project brought in 300 goats for nearly a month to help remove invasive non-native weeds such as bur clover, mustard, and thistle.

Environmental News Highlights – April 7, 2021

FEDERAL ACTION

Biden Harris Infrastructure Plan Allocates $621B for Transportation – AASHTO Journal

How Biden plans to tackle the climate crisis in his $2 trillion infrastructure plan – Vox

Oil Giants Win Climate Suit as Judges Push For Political Fix – Bloomberg Green

An Essential Ingredient for Getting Infrastructure Done: Pork – Governing (Commentary)

White House Announces Environmental Justice Advisory Council Members – The White House (Press release)

COVID-19

The Environmental Implications of the Return to the Office – CityLab

NEPA

FHWA Lays Out Next Step for NYC Congestion Pricing – AASHTO Journal

DOT halts Texas highway project in test of Biden’s promises on race – Politico

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Transportation And Climate Initiative Passes Legislative Hurdle In Connecticut – WSHU Radio

N.C. Ports Works On Next Steps For Wilmington Harbor Navigational Project – WilmingtonBiz

California to Test Whether Big Batteries Can Stop Summer Blackouts – Bloomberg Green

The Northwest Seaport Alliance recognizes 2020 North Star Award winners – American Journal of Transportation

AIR QUALITY

Cruise ship emissions have short-term effect on downtown Juneau air quality, Alaska DEC says – KTOO Radio

EPA Reinforces Position that Certain Types of ECM Changes in Road-Certified Vehicles Constitute “Tampering” Under the Clean Air Act – National Law Review

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Oregon Bill Proposes New Statewide Land Use Planning Goal for Climate Justice – JDSupra

Environmental justice symposium to activate green community “hubs” around the state – The Burg

EPA to start environmental justice training program in Dayton – WDTN-TV

NATURAL RESOURCES

Planning continues to curtail invasive plants along state roads and highways – Newton County Times

Cost of litter cleanup delays other NCDOT projects – WRAL-TV

State environmental regulators fine Department of Transportation for Preston permit violations – Charleston Gazette-Mail

Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards v. Red River Coal Company, Inc., No. 19-2194 (4th Cir. 2021) – Justia (Summary and link to decision)

New Mexico tribes sue US over federal clean water rule – AP

CULTURAL RESOURCE

Four environmental projects receive extra funds from PitCo commissioners – Aspen Times

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Community Spotlight: Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition – WHSV-TV

An idea for bringing life back to the Loop? Close State Street to vehicle traffic – REJournals

Transport Troy unveils trails map – The Record

E-Bikes Force Reconsideration of Old Bike Trail Rules – Bakersfield Californian

TRB RESOURCES/ANNOUNCEMENTS

Transportation Recovery from COVID-19 Changes Takes Research and Planning – TRB

Transportation Research Record Special Issue on COVID-19: Deadline Extended to April 30 – TRB

Seeking Panel Nominations for Supplemental National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis Projects: Nominations due April 28 – NCHRP

Webinar: Geochemistry and Mineralogy in Chemical Soil Stabilization – TRB

Project Called International Model for Environmental Justice and Revitalization – ReGenesis Economic Development Corporation and MDB, Inc. (Press release)

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

Administrative Rulemaking, Guidance, and Enforcement Procedures – Office of the Secretary of Transportation (Final rule)

Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Expansion Project in Norfolk, Virginia – National Marine Fisheries Service (Final rule; notification of issuance of Letters of Authorization)

Hazardous Materials: Notice of Public Meetings in 2021 for International Standards on the Transport of Dangerous Goods – Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (Notice of 2021 public meetings)

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Ocean Wind, LLC’s Proposed Wind Energy Facility Offshore New Jersey – Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (Notice)

Request for Nominations of Candidates to the EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) – EPA (Notice)

Request for Nominations of Candidates to the EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) – EPA (Notice)

United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Mitigation of Contaminated Transboundary Flows Project – EPA (Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement; notice of virtual public scoping meetings; request for comments)

Community Forest Program – Forest Service (Final rule)