Environmental News Highlights – March 2, 2022

FEDERAL ACTION

AASHTO Reps Share Infrastructure Insights at Hearing – AASHTO Journal

Governors Propose Big Transportation Investments – AASHTO Journal

Driving on the Right: America’s Polarized Transportation Policy – Governing

Will the Supreme Court Frustrate Efforts to Slow Climate Change? – New York Times (Opinion)

FTA Announces More Than $45 Million in Passenger Ferry Grant Awards to 11 States and Territories to Improve Public Transportation – FTA (Media release)

Application Process Opens for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funds to Build Safe, Sustainable and Accessible Airport Terminals – FAA (Media release)

COVID-19

Why traffic deaths spiked more in the U.S. during COVID – Axios

NEPA

Feds predict NEPA delays after court nixes climate metric – E&E News

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

MOU Seeks to Expand National EV Charging Network – AASHTO Journal

White House Infrastructure Webinars – National Governors Association

Maui Is Getting Ready To Move Part Of A Major Highway Due To Climate Change – Honolulu Civil Beat

How can states build resilience to sea level rise? Look to Louisiana – The Hill

How damaged concrete pipes are helping artificial reefs off NC coast – WNCN-TV

A highway paved with recycled diapers may change the cloth vs. disposables debate – Washington Post

Biden team seeks port revival plans as it spends infrastructure cash – Reuters

AIR QUALITY

Maine ferry service to replace vessel with low emission tech – WCSH-TV

Why California’s Power to Regulate Auto Pollution Matters Nationwide – Route Fifty

The Other Crisis at the U.S.-Mexico Border: Rising Air Pollution – Time

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Peduto administration pushed modern private transportation, development that hurt public transit, study says – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Program Brings Previously Unheard Voices To Portland, Maine-Area Transportation Boards – Portland Press Herald

NATURAL RESOURCES

Caltrans Awards $312M for Beautification Projects – AASHTO Journal

U.S. Chamber Letter on 2022 Water Policy Priorities – US Chamber of Commerce

Goat grazing pilot project wraps on Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line – Santa Cruz Sentinel

Major hurdle cleared in plan to demolish 4 California dams – Bradenton Herald

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

New D.C. Council Bill Would Adopt ‘Idaho Stop,’ Allowing Cyclists To Treat Stop Signs As Yield Signs – DCist

Bike lanes, better lighting and new sidewalks coming to parts of Northern Virginia – WTOP Radio

House keeps alive $10M ‘active transport’ funds for paths, sidewalks – WyoFile

Philadelphia confronts mounting pedestrian deaths as rise in reckless driving hits national tipping point – PhillyVoice

Some Say City’s Actions Don’t Match Rhetoric on Pedestrian Safety – Columbus Underground

NDOT’s WalknBike update to create safer streets for Nashville pedestrians and bikers – WZTV-TV

Metro transportation trend report shows biking bright spots, but also red flags for key goals – Bike Portland

Governor Justice announces over $8.3 million in Transportation Alternatives and Recreational Trails grants, benefitting dozens of communities across state – West Virginia Governor’s Office (Media release)

TRB RESOURCES/ANNOUNCEMENTS

Nominations Sought for America’s Transportation Awards – AASHTO Journal

Enhancing Pedestrian Volume Estimation and Developing HCM Pedestrian Methodologies for Safe and Sustainable Communities – NCHRP

TRB Webinar: Implementing and Evaluating Wildlife Crossings – TRB

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool Beta Version – Council on Environmental Quality (Request for information)

Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit – EPA (Notice; request for public comment)

Reconciliation of Derogatory Geographic Names Tribal Consultation – Geological Survey (Notice of tribal consultations)

Reconciliation of Derogatory Geographic Names – Geological Survey (Notice with public comments)

Alaska Budget Contains Ice Road Maintenance Funds

The fiscal year 2023 state budget proposed by Governor Michael Dunleavy (R) contains maintenance funding for the Dick Nash Memorial ice road that will help tribal transportation departments maintain the frozen Kuskokwim for travel in the 2022/2023 winter season.

[Above photo by the Alaska DOT&PF]

By contrast, in 2021, contributions from community stakeholders covered half of the ice road’s maintenance costs. However, as heating oil delivery and diesel costs are now over $6 per gallon in the region – and the state is experiencing a funding surplus based in part on high oil prices – Governor Dunleavy said in a statement that he believes it is “only right” to provide community relief where possible.

That is why, in addition to the proposed funding in his FY 2023 budget, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities plans to recover any remaining maintenance costs via federal surface transportation funding during the 2022/2023 winter season, Gov. Dunleavy said.

The Kuskokwim ice road – which can stretch up to 300 miles long – serves 17 villages and helps Alaskan rural communities move goods and services during winter months. They are a safe alternative when poor weather prevents airplanes from flying, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, and proved an efficient way to distribute COVID-19 vaccines.

Alaska DOT&PF

Maintaining ice roads goes beyond plowing snow and placing reflectors. For example, the ice road crew serving the Village of Napaimute has developed a cell phone application to measure ice thickness. That application integrates ice-penetrating radar with traditional Native knowledge and local observations into an easy-to-access cell phone data format.

“I had the opportunity to travel the Kuskokwim Ice Road for the first time on a recent visit to the Villages of Napakiak and Napaskiak,” the governor said. “All those hundreds of miles of drivable ice are truly an Alaskan feat … and I heard from many residents about the importance of the road during the winter months for health, safety, commerce, and recreation. I’m glad we have identified funding to cover this expense from existing authorities.”

North Carolina Testing Light Pole EV Charging Technology

Governor Roy Cooper (D) recently toured PoleVolt – a new electric vehicle charging station in Charlotte created by a partnership between the City of Charlotte, Duke Energy, Centralina Regional Council and UNC Charlotte – that uses existing streetlights to provide free universal curbside charging for electric vehicles.

[Above photo via the North Carolina Governor’s Office]

PoleVolt – created through a partnership with the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center at UNC Charlotte, the City of Charlotte, the Centralina Regional Council, and Duke Energy – received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. Lessons learned from this project about intentional planning and streamlined local government development review processes should help foster similar projects and help expand curbside EV charging infrastructure more broadly statewide.

The project is also in line with Executive Order No. 246 signed by the governor in January that directs the North Carolina Department of Transportation to work with public and private sectors to create a Clean Transportation Plan to guide the establishment of “a cleaner and more resilient” state transportation system.

The order also “underscores” the importance of emphasizing environmental justice and equity in the state’s transition to a clean economy, the governor said.

“The transition by vehicle manufacturers to electric vehicles is upon us and this station is just one example of how North Carolina is getting ready,” Gov. Cooper explained in a statement. “The quicker we move the more affordable electric vehicles will become for everyday people. Our state is moving toward an equitable clean energy economy and public-private partnerships like this one will help make that happen.”

To help foster the development and deployment of similar projects, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the National Association of State Energy Officials, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Energy signed a memorandum of understanding on February 23.

Jim Tymon, AASHTO’s executive director, explained in a statement at the time that this MOU provides a “framework for collaboration” in response to the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program established by USDOT and DOE on February 10 to build and operate a nationwide network of EV charging stations.

ETAP Podcast: School Bus Electrification

In this episode of the Environmental Technical Assistance Program or ETAP Podcast, Sue Gander (seen above)  – director of the electric school bus initiative for the World Resources Institute – talks about how funds from the $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA signed into law in November 2021 can help expand school bus electrification initiatives.

The ETAP podcast – a technical service program for state departments of transportation provided by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials – explores a wide array of environmental topics that affect transportation and infrastructure programs.

WRI’s Gander explains in this episode of the ETAP podcast that 20 million children, or about half of all American public school students, ride on a school bus every day. Children from coast to coast board one of the country’s nearly 500,000 school buses each morning and ride to class while those vehicles consume diesel, gasoline, natural gas, or propane at an average rate of seven miles to the gallon.

She notes on the podcast that electrification presents a major opportunity to reduce if not eliminate such fuel consumption by school buses – and the $5 billion contained within the IIJA offers an opportunity to state departments of transportation and other state agencies to replace existing buses with electric models and build EV recharging infrastructure to support their operation.

To listen to this podcast, click here.

AASHTO’s CEE Hosting Virtual Peer Exchange

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Center for Environmental Excellence will host a virtual peer exchange discussing alternative project delivery and the National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA process on March 8 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm eastern.

That exchange will feature representatives from Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Utah sharing their experiences using alternative project delivery methods, such as public-private partnerships or P3s and design-build contracts.

The discussion will highlight best practices when using alternative delivery methods as well as discuss the experiences of those states navigating the NEPA process when using an alternative delivery method.

The exchange also includes a question and answer session once the state presentations conclude.

To register for this virtual peer exchange, click here.

Workshop: Grid Integration of EV Charging Infrastructure

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently released its National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula program guidance, which tasks states to develop plans for electric charging infrastructure deployment along major highway corridors.

[Above photo by the Ohio DOT]

To help states develop such plans, the GridWise Alliance, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the National Association of State Energy Officials, and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners are hosting a workshop to explore electric grid considerations related to EV infrastructure investment under NEVI.

Held March 14 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm eastern, the workshop will feature:

  • Highlights from the GridWise Alliance paper ‘Near-Term Grid Investments for Integrating Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure.’
  • Industry insights on innovative technology solutions.  
  • Utility perspectives on EV charging infrastructure deployment.
  • State perspectives on grid-EV challenges.
  • A group discussion period regarding which utility and technology firms provide the best support to states as they develop EV charging network investment plans.

To register for this workshop, click here.

Environmental News Highlights – February 23, 2022

FEDERAL ACTION

State, Local Officials Play Vital Role in Infrastructure – Transport Topics

Bipartisan bill would enable states’ ability to clean abandoned mine discharge – Missoula Current
New headlight technology that improves safety, cuts down glare OK’d by NHTSA: How it works – Detroit Free Press

Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Advances Cleaner Industrial Sector to Reduce Emissions and Reinvigorate American Manufacturing – The White House (Media release)

COVID-19

Texas sues Biden administration over transportation mask mandate – The Hill

NEPA

NEPA reviews moving faster under Biden – E&E News

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Utah lawmakers want electric vehicle drivers to pay their fair share – KSTU-TV

Permanent exemption for environmental review sought for California transit projects – SFBay.ca

Alabama officials to feds: Amtrak restoration along Gulf Coast will harm Port of Mobile – AL.com

Elon Musk’s Boring Company Plots Texas Tunnels – Businessweek

AIR QUALITY

Fighting pollution at the Port of San Diego – KPBS Radio (Link to broadcast)

Massachusetts bond bill will target transportation emissions – State House News Service

Climate activists question whether RI highway projects fit emission reduction targets – Providence Journal

Atlanta Airport Tackles Emissions by Increasing Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Operations – Environment+Energy Leader

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Taking Aim at Environmental Racism, Without Mentioning Race – New York Times

How Montgomery County, Maryland can increase equitable access to transit by improving walkability – Brookings (Blog)

NATURAL RESOURCES

Our roads are killing wildlife. The new infrastructure law aims to help – NPR

From dirty diapers to fake money, Nevada DOT’s road crews have seen it all – Reno Gazette Journal

Ridgefield hires attorneys to represent town in environmental lawsuit filed by Save the Sound – News-Times

The Futility of Picking Up the Trash – CityLab

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Arkansas governor to create mobility council focused on future transit – Axios NW Arkansas

Nashville Metro Parks recommends another study amid concerns over eBikes and greenway infrastructure – WZTV-TV

Oregon DOT’s Urban Mobility Strategy navigates tough roads – KOIN-TV

City of Memphis working to make streets safer for pedestrians – WHBQ-TV

King County repeals mandatory bicycle helmet law – Seattle Times

TRB RESOURCES/ANNOUNCEMENTS

TRB Webinar: Mobility and Transit Keys to Successful Collaboration – TRB

Multi-stage Planning for Electrifying Transit Bus Systems with Multi-format Charging Facilities – TRB
Traffic Signal Control Strategies for Pedestrians and Bicyclists – NCHRP

Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns – TCRP
Recent Decline in Public Transportation Ridership: Analysis, Causes, and Responses – TCRP
Recent Decline in Public Transportation Ridership: Hypotheses, Methodologies, and Detailed City-by-City Results – TCRP

Upsides and Downsides: Transportation and public health share a complicated union. – Thinking Transportation Podcast

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration Guidance – Council on Environmental Quality (Notice of availability; request for comments)

White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council; Notification of Virtual Public Meeting – EPA (Notice)
Control of Air Pollution From Aircraft Engines: Emission Standards and Test Procedures – EPA (Proposed rule)

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment, Adaptive Driving Beam Headlamps – NHTSA (Final rule)

FY 2022 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Public Transportation on Indian Reservations Program; Tribal Transit Program – FTA (Notice)

Comprehensive River Management Plan for Nine Wild and Scenic Rivers on Mt. Hood National Forest, Forest Service, and Northwest Oregon District, Bureau of Land Management, Clackamas, Multnomah, Wasco and Hood River Counties, Oregon – Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (Notice of availability)
St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, Bicycling – National Park Service (Final rule)

Hazardous Materials: Request for Comments on Issues Concerning International Atomic Energy Agency Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials – Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (Notice)

Public Meeting Notice of Scientific Earthquake Studies Advisory Committee – U.S. Geological Survey (Notice)

Caltrans Awards $312M for Beautification Projects

As part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s landmark $1.1 billion Clean California initiative, the California Department of Transportation recently awarded $312 million for 126 beautification projects along the state’s highway system.

[Above photo by Caltrans]

Developed in close collaboration with tribal and local governments, non-profits, and businesses, those 126 beautification projects – due to begin in April – include art installations, green space (such as parks or community gardens), and proposals that “improve safety and promote community connections.”

Designed to foster cultural connections and civic pride, Caltrans noted in a statement that those projects should generate 3,600 jobs as part of the governor’s multi-year cleanup initiative to remove trash and beautify community gateways and public areas along highways, streets, and roads. The agency added that roughly 98 percent of those beautification projects would benefit historically underserved or excluded communities.

“With Clean California projects transforming more and more sites across the state, we’re taking the next step to create enriching public spaces that serve the needs of our diverse communities and that all of us can take pride in – starting in the neighborhoods that need it most,” said Governor Gavin Newsom (D) in a separate statement. “Working together, the state and local governments are advancing unique beautification projects that will make a positive impact for years to come.”

In addition to these awards for Clean California projects along the state right-of-way, the governor announced in December 2021 the availability of almost $300 million in grants to cities and counties for local projects that “clean and beautify” neighborhood streets, parks, and transit centers throughout California.

Caltrans will review the project proposals from cities, counties, transit agencies, tribal governments, and other governmental entities, then announce grant recipients on March 1.

Over the next three years, Caltrans estimates that the “Clean California” program will remove an additional 1.2 million cubic yards, or 21,000 tons, of trash from the state highway system alone. The initiative has already resulted in 6,300 tons of litter being removed from the State Highway System and, to date, Caltrans has hired 528 new team members, including 428 maintenance workers who collect litter and perform maintenance duties like graffiti removal.

NCDOT Providing Material for Artificial Reefs

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is providing more than 1,000 tons of damaged concrete pipe to help the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries shore up two artificial reefs.

[Above photo by NCDOT]

NCDOT sent those discarded culverts – which accumulated over the past several years as the result of an aggressive pipe replacement program in part due to damage caused by recent hurricanes – to the Port of Wilmington for eventual deployment off of the Brunswick County coast.

N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries – part of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality – maintains several artificial reefs that create habitat for fish and ideal fishing sites.

It said artificial reefs create habitat for fish by creating three-dimensional structures that replicate the ecological functions of food and refuge fish and other marine life need to survive and create “crucial” spawning and foraging habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fish species.   

The fisheries division has been working with NCDOT to find “new and cost-effective uses” for scrapped concrete pipe. Using that piping to build artificial reefs for marine life along the state’s coastline in a money saver, the agency noted – eliminating $65,000 in tipping fees to dispose of it in a construction and demolition landfill.

Ken Clark, an NCDOT district engineer, said the idea for donating the pipe arose during a conference for coastal resiliency. That is when he discovered the state’s marine fisheries division could repurpose his stockpile of precast concrete, barreled-shaped pipe to augment existing artificial reefs. 

“We had considered many options on how to properly dispose of this unusable material when we formed this unique collaboration with the Division of Marine Fisheries last year,” he explained in a statement. “This program mutually benefits both state agencies.”

Other state departments of transportation are involved in similar artificial reef construction projects.

For example, in 2020, the New York State Department of Transportation began helping expand a series of artificial reefs off the shores of Long Island as part of a three-year-long multiagency effort – dumping a retired tugboat, 16 rail cars, and a streel turbine on Hempstead Reef.

“[We are] proud to work with our sister agencies on this important program, repurposing transportation materials to expand artificial reefs and support biodiversity, fishing, and tourism,” explained Marie Therese Dominguez, NYSDOT’s commissioner, in a statement at the time.

“It is another example of how [our state] is taking bold steps to protect our ecosystems and foster sustainable economic growth that will benefit current and future generations of New Yorkers,” she said.

Colorado DOT Issues Transportation Demand Grants

The Colorado Department of Transportation recently awarded $492,000 in grants to communities and organizations statewide in support of “transportation demand management” strategies that help relieve traffic congestion and lower greenhouse gas or GHG emissions.

[Above photo by the Colorado DOT]

“We’ve known for a long time that we can’t simply build our way out of congestion, and we’re proud to help these pioneering communities and organizations give people more options for traveling,” explained Shoshana Lew, Colorado DOT’s executive director, in a statement.

“Transportation demand management strategies can help manage congestion, restore air quality and reduce emissions,” she said. “They can also make communities more thriving and sustainable.”

Colorado DOT explained that transportation demand management seeks to provide travelers with more travel choices instead of relying on single-vehicle occupancy vehicles. Such choices can include mode, route, time of travel, and work location, the agency added.

Common transportation demand management strategies focus on transit, “micro-mobility” such as bikes and scooters, improvements to pedestrian infrastructure, smart growth policies, intelligent transportation systems, managed lanes, and the encouragement of “e-work” or remote work options. While such approaches are more common in large urban areas, Colorado DOT said many smaller communities could benefit from them as well – with its grant program designed to help them do so.

“There are organizations in the metro area that have been doing great work on these strategies for many years,” noted Kay Kelly, chief of innovative mobility for Colorado DOT. “We’re excited to see these grants help existing groups scale up successful projects and to be encouraging innovation and expansion of transportation demand management efforts to new audiences statewide.”

Other state departments of transportation are engaged in similar efforts.

For example, the Vermont Agency of Transportation awarded roughly $500,000 in grants via the Mobility and Transportation Innovation or MTI program in December 2021 to support “innovative strategies” that improve both mobility and access for transit-dependent Vermonters, reduce the use of single-occupancy vehicles for work trips, and reduce GHGs.

The agency noted that Vermont’s legislature specifically created that program with the passage of the state’s 2020 Transportation Bill in June 2020.