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.