Posts – Page 9 – Environmental Technical Assistance Program Newsletter

Environmental News Highlights – February 28, 2024

Technical Mapping Advisory Council -FEMA (Request for applicants for appointment)

Inland Waterways Users Board Meeting Notice -Army Corps of Engineers (Notice)

Public Meeting of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee -Geological Survey (Notice)

Pipeline Safety: Meeting of the Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee -Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (Notice)

Podcast Interview: AASHTO President Craig Thompson

The latest episode of “The Stream by AASHTO” podcast – formerly the Environmental Technical Assistance Program or ETAP podcast – features Craig Thompson, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and 2023-2024 president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

[Above image by AASHTO]

“The Stream by AASHTO” podcast is part of a technical service program for state departments of transportation provided by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. It explores a wide array of environmental topics that affect transportation and infrastructure programs.

For his term as AASHTO president, Thompson plans to focus on three key emphasis areas: Bolstering safety on America’s roadways, realizing the promise of the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and reinvigorating the transportation workforce.

During his podcast interview, President Thompson shares insights into his presidential emphasis areas. Listen to this episode to gain a deeper understanding of this year’s AASHTO president and explore how his extensive experience has shaped AASHTO’s strategic focus for the 2023-2024 year.

[Editor’s note: AASHTO recently released a “presidential profile” video of Thompson, which can been viewed below.]

In his role as the Wisconsin DOT secretary, Thompson oversees one of the largest state agencies, boasting a workforce of over 3,100 employees and managing a biennial budget exceeding $8 billion. The department includes the Division of Motor Vehicles, serving approximately 50,000 customers weekly, and the Division of State Patrol, responsible for law enforcement and assisting motorists across the state.

Thompson also brings over 30 years’ worth of transportation industry experience to his role as AASHTO president. In 2020, he was president of the Mid America Association of State Transportation Officials and was the executive director at the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin.

Joint Office Issues $46M for EV Infrastructure Grants

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation or JOET – jointly operated by the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Energy – has issued $46.5 million in grants to 30 projects across 16 states and Washington, D.C, to help develop electric vehicle or EV infrastructure in rural, urban, and tribal communities as well as expand what it calls the “clean energy” workforce.

[Above image via the JOET]

The JOET added that this funding will also address barriers to charging in multifamily housing facilities, explore new approaches to curbside charging in urban areas, promote seamless connections across modes through e-mobility hubs, and test new incentive structures to provide affordable public charging access.

“[We are] proud to fund these game-changing clean transportation projects in communities across the country,” said Gabe Klein, the JOET’s executive director, in a statement.

“These investments ensure we can meet unique local needs, create good-paying jobs, innovate new business models, test products thoroughly, and work towards our goal of making it easy for everyone to ride and drive electric,” he added.

The JOET has also helped developed a variety of resources to help support the expansion of EV infrastructure across the country.

For example, in conjunction with the USDOT, the JOET helped issue a technical resource in July 2023 designed to aid larger communities take full advantage of federal funding for electric vehicle charging stations and other forms of electric transportation.

That guide – called “Charging Forward: A Toolkit for Planning and Funding Urban Electric Mobility Infrastructure” – provides a comprehensive resource for communities, metropolitan planning organizations, transportation providers, businesses, and property owners and developers by including information on how to scope, plan, and identify ways to best leverage billions of dollars in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA.

It follows on the heels of the Rural EV toolkit originally issued by the USDOT in 2022 and later updated in 2023.

The toolkit builds on the efforts of the Joint Office to provide states and communities across America with information and assistance to accelerate an electrified transportation system that is convenient, affordable, reliable, and equitable. It also includes guidance to help urban areas implement other forms of electric transportation, such as public transit, electric bikes and scooters, and ride-share services, USDOT said.

Environmental News Highlights – February 21, 2024

FEDERAL ACTION

Knowledge Session: Navigating Federal Policy Changes -AASHTO Journal

Will America ever stop building more highways? -Washington Post

EPA Chief Michael Regan Wants to Advance Environmental Justice – With the Energy Industry’s Help –Time

Reforming the Governance of Metropolitan Planning Organizations -Center for American Progress

The domino effect of transport sector decarbonization -GreenBiz

USDOT Releases 2023 Equity Action Plan Update -USDOT (media release)

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Maryland Governor unveils $90M for environmental initiatives -WJZ-TV

Maine towns confront climate choice: Rebuild a road or save a marsh? -Portland Press Herald

NYC plans 6 new waterfront shipping hubs to replace truck freight with barges –Gothamist

Here are 8 ways building bike lanes benefit more than just bicyclists –Momentum

New EV Hybrid stickers for first responder safety are ready for Wisconsin license plates –Wisconsin Department of Transportation (media release)

AIR QUALITY

California Ports Deploying Air Pollution Capture for Ships -Transport Topics

Maryland transportation officials have ambitious climate goals – can they get there? -Baltimore Banner

Transportation is polluting North Texas air. Officials seek about $200M for solutions -KERA Radio

People are moving out of cities with poor air quality – but many end up facing other climate risks –CNBC

California Continues to Expand Hydrogen-Powered Passenger Rail Fleet -Caltrans (media release)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE/EQUITY

How Does Eco Restoration Improve Environmental Justice? –WGBH

UMass Amherst study shows low income communities in Mass. are twice as likely to have poor roads -New England Public Media

Louisiana v. EPA: A Turning Point for Title VI and Environmental Justice? -Troutman Pepper (opinion)

NATURAL RESOURCES

Federal judge ends Florida’s oversight on wetland development -Tampa Bay Times

Remote weather stations see maintenance and innovation -Illinois Department of Transportation (blog)

‘A race to the bottom’: Indiana wetlands bill could affect Great Lakes, Mississippi River -Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

CULTURAL RESOURCES

These Photos Capture Every First and Last Subway Stop in New York City -Smithsonian

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

City Of Newport Beach, California Launches E-Bike Safety Page -Newport Beach-Corona Del Mar Patch

A closer look at Charlotte’s ‘roads-first’ mobility plan -WFAE Radio

The 5 Principles That Make America’s Best Bike Lanes: A Lot More Than Painted Lines –Velo

Uber, Lyft Differences Boil Down to Transportation vs End-to-End Mobility –PYMNTS

TRB RESOURCES/RESEARCH/ANNOUNCEMENTS

Review of Approaches for Managing Pollutant Loads in Highway Stormwater Runoff Meeting 2 –TRB

Airport Energy Resiliency Roadmap –ACRP

Planning for the Emergence of Urban Air Mobility at Aviation Facilities -ACRP (webinar)

2023 Trend Report for Planners -American Planning Association

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity (ACTE); Notice of Public Meeting -Office of the Secretary, Department of Transportation (Notice)

Draft Approach for Implementation of the EPA Label Program for Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials; Notice of Availability, Webinar and Request for Comment -EPA (Notice)

Shipping Safety Fairways Along the Atlantic Coast; Geographic Information System Files -Coast Guard (Notice of availability)

National Wetland Plant List -Army Corps of Engineers (Notice)

Procedures To Implement the Principles, Requirements, and Guidelines for Federal Investments in Water Resources -Army Corps of Engineers (Proposed rule)

Notice of Call for Nominations for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee -Office of the Secretary, Interior (Notice)

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for Commercial Wind Leasing and Site Assessment Activities on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Oregon -Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (Notice)

Connecticut DOT Seeks to ‘Quiet’ Interstate Pavement

The morning and afternoon commutes along Interstate 95 in southwest Connecticut will still be a little congested, but maybe a little quieter, thanks to “quiet pavement” the Connecticut Department of Transportation plans to install as part of a road resurfacing project.

[Above photo by Connecticut DOT]

The three-lane (each way) 6.7-mile stretch of I-95 from the New York state line to Stamford carries about 135,000 vehicles a day, much of which is commuter traffic to and from New York City. A Connecticut DOT project to repave the interstate will include a specialty asphalt mix designed to absorb more noise than concrete and last longer than traditional asphalt.

The impetus behind using this “quiet pavement” derived from feedback from people who live and work in the area; they asked the agency to do something about the interstate noise. Some residents had even created a group, Neighborhood Citizens Against I-95 Noise, to push Connecticut DOT to undertake some noise abatement measures.

The department got the message, explained Garrett Eucalitto, Connecticut DOT’s commissioner.

“We seek out resident, business, and stakeholder input when any project is undertaken,” explained Eucalitto, who also serves as the 2023-2024 vice president for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. “These groups know the needs of the area, and their insights are valued and appreciated.”

While quiet pavement is not an official Federal Highway Administration noise mitigation method, Eucalitto said the asphalt mix is “expected to reduce highway noise by two to three decibels.”

Andi Karica, resident engineer on this Connecticut DOT paving project, said crews will begin removing existing pavement this spring and replace it with a one-inch Binder Rich Intermediate Course topped with two inches of Stone Matrix Asphalt.

“It’s a completely different mix design that takes different ratios of binder and stone aggregate,” Karica said. “It’s a sticky mix, a little harder to work with, but it should be more durable and translate to less noise.”

The Stone Matrix Asphalt is new to Connecticut DOT, but different forms of it have been around for many years. Most of the states that have used it – Arizona, California, Texas, Georgia, and Florida – have warmer climates, and many results show a two decibel reduction in noise.

“This type of asphalt has never been used before in Connecticut, so the Stamford and Greenwich Project will be a pilot program to ensure the longevity and durability of the materials,” Eucalitto said. “We look forward to seeing the results as we continue to deliver projects that improve safety and reliability for all roadway users.”

As the paving project gets started this spring, Connecticut DOT will continue managing a Planning and Environment Linkages study along I-95 that is looking at a broader range of environmental, economic, mobility, and safety issues along the corridor.

The study, which began in June 2023 and is scheduled to be completed in December 2025, will rely heavily on community input, and is designed to help the department develop specific projects.

Arizona DOT Touts Value of ‘Adopt a Highway’ Volunteers

The Arizona Department of Transportation recently noted that its “Adopt a Highway” volunteers continued to make a big difference in terms of litter cleanup along state highways in 2023.

[Above photo by Arizona DOT]

The agency said roughly 850 volunteer groups – comprised of nearly 9,000 individuals – collected over 15,000 bags of roadside litter weighing some 103 tons from state highways mainly outside of Arizona’s metropolitan areas in 2023. The dollar value of that volunteer work equates to roughly $674,000; money the Arizona DOT said can be committed to other critical needs.

“We are so grateful to the many Arizonans who help keep our state grand,” said Mary Currie, Arizona DOT’s Adopt a Highway program manager, in a statement. “Their dedication beautifies state highways that provide a first impression for many visitors and enhances Arizona’s natural beauty.”

She noted that the state’s “Adopt a Highway” groups agree to pick up litter in an adopted stretch at least once per year, though preferably three or more times a year, coordinating with Arizona DOT to arrange for safety vests, litter bags and training for pickup events and then report the results.

State departments of transportation are using a variety of tactics to combat littering on state highways.

For example, the Tennessee Department of Transportation recently expanded the “Youth Group” patch program that is part of its Nobody Trashes Tennessee litter prevention campaign to include Girl Scouts Heart of the South and Girl Scouts of Southern Appalachians. The patch program initially launched in October 2023 with the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee.

“Girl Scout Troops are highly committed to community service projects and environmental education, and we are thrilled to have participation from all three councils representing the entire state of Tennessee participating in our Nobody Trashes Tennessee patch program,” said Brittany Morris with the Tennessee DOT’s Beautification Office, in a statement.

[Editor’s note: The agency also recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of its “Litter Grant Program.” That program – started in 1983 – provides funding to all 95 counties within the state to pay for a wide variety of litter-related efforts, such enforcement; cleanup and recycling events; and litter prevention education campaigns.]

“Within the first two months of launching the program in Middle Tennessee, we had approximately 1,000 Girl Scouts earn a Nobody Trashes Tennessee patch,” she said. “We are excited to have even more participation from Girl Scouts this year and have numerous ways for them to get involved.”

On another front, to make roadway debris removal operations faster and safer, the South Carolina Department of Transportation started installing “lane blades” on select highway incident response vehicles in 2023.

Meanwhile, the Mississippi Department of Transportation launched a new anti-litter webpage as part of a renewed statewide anti-littering campaign that kicked off in August 2023 – a “one-stop hub” that contains information about the state’s Adopt-a-Highway program, Mississippi litter statistics and resources, stormwater pollution information, anti-litter resources for school teachers, and much more.

And in April 2023, the Illinois Department of Transportation launched a new public outreach effort called “Think Before You Throw!” as part of its ongoing awareness campaign to reduce littering on state highways and roads.

That “Think Before You Throw!” initiative aims to reduce roadside litter along the state’s more than 150,000 miles of roads by raising awareness of the negative environment impact of trash, for both state residents and the nearly 100 million tourists who visit annually, the agency said.

Environmental News Highlights – February 14, 2024

FEDERAL ACTION

Congressional Leaders Share Transportation Priorities -AASHTO Journal

Congressional Budget Office projects Biden green energy plan will cost much more than initial estimate –CNBC

Can 15-Minute Cities Work in America? –CityLab

US drivers logged more miles than ever in 2023 -Spectrum News 1

EPA finalizes stronger standards for harmful soot pollution, significantly increasing health and clean air protections for families, workers, and communities -EPA (media release)

NEPA

New York’s $15 Congestion Pricing Aims for Mid-June Start Date –CityLab

Dear Colleague Letter: FTA highlights importance of adhering to NEPA Schedules –FTA

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Georgia Ports working to block private port nearby citing traffic concerns -WJCL-TV

California recommends changes to leasing properties under freeways after major fire –AP

The Greening of Transportation: We’ll need new inventions and novel adaptations to decarbonize the sector -IEEE Spectrum

New indoor EV charging station in San Francisco offers a glimpse into the future –AP

Shell permanently closes all of its hydrogen refueling stations for cars in California -Hydrogen Insight

Lawsuit sparked by recent Tahoe Regional Planning Agency decisions -Tahoe Daily Journal

AIR QUALITY

To Sell Congestion Pricing Plans, Don’t Mention Climate Change -Government Technology

USPS announces 2030 greenhouse gas emissions targets -Parcel and Postal Technology International

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE/EQUITY

Sustaining Rosa Parks’ Struggle for Transit Equity -The Good Men Project

Want to reform housing? Take a look at parking -Route Fifty

NATURAL RESOURCES

On the Issues: Natural Gas Pause, Clean Energy Equity, and More -Resources.org

The growing inadequacy of an open-ended Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale in a warming world –PNAS

CULTURAL RESOURCES

Los Angeles once had its very own wooden freeway for bikes. Then came the cars – SFGate

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Public health and urban planning go hand in hand. Why aren’t we doing more to promote cycling? -Healthy Debate

New Infrastructure Projects Aim to Enhance Walkability in Houston -Greater Houston Partnership

What Vision Zero Has And Hasn’t Accomplished -NPR’s Consider This (podcast)

TRB RESOURCES/RESEARCH/ANNOUNCEMENTS

TRB’s Transportation Symposium on Environment, Energy, and Livable Economies –TRB

The Drive for Dollars: How Fiscal Politics Shaped Urban Freeways and Transformed American Cities -University of California Institute of Transportation Studies

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

Processing of Department of the Army Permits; Procedures for the Protection of Historic Properties -Army Corps of Engineers (Proposed rule)

Notice of Solicitation of Nominations for Membership for the U.S. Maritime Transportation System National Advisory Committee -Maritime Administration (Notice of solicitation for membership)

State DOTs Fixing EV Chargers with Federal Funds

Fourteen state departments of transportation are plugging into more than $141 million in Federal Highway Administration grants to repair or replace thousands of electric vehicle or EV charging ports via the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator program.

[Above photo by Caltrans]

The California Department of Transportation – known as Caltrans – leads the list in the amount of money received and will get $63.7 million to put 1,302 EV ports back in service; solidifying California’s role in leading the nation in EV infrastructure development.

California has 43,503 public EV charging ports at 15,571 stations, representing more than 25 percent of all EV infrastructure in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center.

The money “will allow California to continue to lead the nation in zero-emission-vehicle adoption, increasing reliability and cutting planet-warming pollution,” explained Toks Omishakin, secretary of the California State Transportation Agency, in a news release.

Across the country, about 8,700 public charging ports at 4,500 stations are unavailable because of maintenance issues. These grants, under the umbrella of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure or NEVI formula program, will repair or replace almost half of those ports.

As of January 30, there were 162,924 operational public EV charging ports in the country, representing a 26 percent increase from January 2023. The Biden administration’s goal with the NEVI program is to get 500,000 EV chargers online by the end of the decade.

In California, the repaired and replaced chargers will be deployed at existing charging stations in urban and rural areas and along Alternative Fuel Corridors, noted Caltrans Information Officer Nicole Mowers.

“Policies and investments across the state have made California the nation’s leader in electric vehicle deployments, sales percentages, and public charging infrastructure,” she explained. “Actions at the federal level, including historic funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and actions in other states are supporting rapid growth in EVs across the country.”

The Indiana Department of Transportation received $778,600 to repair or replace 55 charging ports. INDOT is participating in the program and has partnered with other government and non-profit groups, including Drive Clean Indiana.

“It was a collaborative partnership with INDOT to put in the grant application,” said Ryan Lisek, program director for Drive Clean Indiana. “I think it’s great that, in the heartland of America, we were able to get these funds.”

Although the program was for replacing – not adding – EV charging ports, Indiana will be able to add two ports each at about 20 stations, he noted. The grant guidelines allow for new ports to be added at existing stations if the new ports and parking areas meet accessibility guidelines under the Americans with Disability Act.

Increasing capacity is important for a state like Indiana, which doesn’t have the EV ownership numbers or infrastructure of states like California, Lisek said. Indiana has 6.6 million registered vehicles, but only about 24,000 EVs.

“I think it comes down to, if you want people to come to your home state and you want good paying jobs and have good economic development to attract folks, you need to have this EV infrastructure,” he emphasized. “You want to be able to attract new technology.”

Other state DOTs that received grants for EV charger fixes via this round of grant funding include:

New York State Department of Transportation: $13 million for 335 ports
Washington State? Department of Transportation: $10.1 million for 560 ports
Oregon Department of Transportation: $10 million for 421 ports
Colorado Department of Transportation: $8.3 million for 363 ports
Illinois Department of Transportation: $7.1 million for 110 ports
Hawaii Department of Transportation: $6.9 million for 74 ports
New Jersey Department of Transportation: $6 million for 247 ports
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation: $5 million for 293 ports
Maryland Department of Transportation: $4.4 million for 44 ports
Utah Department of Transportation: $3.4 million for 77 ports
Michigan Department of Transportation: $1.8 million for 170 ports
New Hampshire Department of Transportation: $683,000 for 4 ports

The FHWA’s grant program also awarded $5.3 million to local and regional agencies to repair or replace another 223 ports.

Tennessee DOT Wins 2023 National Pollinator Award

The Tennessee Department of Transportation received the 2023 Pollinator Roadside Management Award from the North American Pollinator Partnership Campaign for its efforts to enact pollinator-friendly roadside practices statewide.

[Above photo by the Tennessee DOT]

The North American Pollinator Partnership Campaign is one of the largest non-profits in the world dedicated to the protection and promotion of pollinators and their ecosystems.

The organization said it recognized Tennessee DOT for its roadside efforts – alongside those of the Partners for Pollinators Working Group – for improving Tennessee’s roadside maintenance practices. Additionally, both the agency and the Working Group were lauded for their public education efforts and pursuit of partnerships to make an ecological impact.

The Tennessee DOT’s Pollinator Habitat Program and the Partners for Pollinators Working Group is a partnership founded in 2019 between four state agencies – Tennessee DOT, along with the Department of Environment & Conservation, Agriculture, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency – that also includes state universities and nonprofit partners.

“Pollinators are vitally important to Tennessee’s agriculture and economy,” explained Tennessee DOT Commissioner Butch Eley in a statement. “[We are] proud of the work we’ve done, and the work of our partners, in bringing about better management of roadsides and informing the public about the critical threat to pollinators.”

The Tennessee DOT also noted it recently fulfilled all of its initial milkweed seed orders for the inaugural year of Project Milkweed. That project – launched in June 2023 – is a mail-order resource aimed at restoring landscapes and preserving habitats for monarch butterflies and other pollinator species statewide.

The agency said it distributed a total of 779,601 Red Milkweed and Common Milkweed seed packets statewide as of December 27, 2023; fulfilling orders placed by 130,903 state residents.

Tennessee DOT said Project Milkweed will return in June 2024 with another 250,000 milkweed seed packets available free for state residents upon request.