Final 2011/14 MTIP - sacog

Transportation Plan. When the project scope, schedule, and budget are fully developed, the project may then
be proposed for funding.
Project sponsors (the agencies designated to implement the projects) are responsible for initiating requests for
MTIP programming, applying for the programmed funds, and carrying their projects to completion. In the
Sacramento Region, the implementing agencies include public transit operators, Caltrans, SACOG, the five
local air districts, the six Sacramento Region counties, several joint power authorities, and the individual cities
within each county.
Project Selection Criteria Processes
The process, by which a project is selected for programming utilizing federal, state, and regional funds,
depends on the type of project, and the specific fund source being sought. Once selected, the project is then
eligible for inclusion in the MTIP.
Metropolitan Transportation Plan Consistency
Only projects consistent with the MTP 2035 were included in the 2011/14 MTIP as required by federal law.
In accordance with the law, projects are reviewed for consistency with the MTP, as they are submitted for
funding in the various programs, and as they are amended into the MTIP. Consistency also includes the
requirement that project costs in the MTIP do not exceed those in the MTP’s funding constrained investment
plan.
Air Quality Conformity
Under federal law and regulations, the MTIP must be analyzed by SACOG to determine if it conforms to the
Sacramento Region’s approved federal Air Quality Plan (also referred to as the State Implementation Plan, or
SIP). Motor vehicle emissions are modeled, considering all projects in the MTIP, and must not exceed the
Motor Vehicle Emissions Budget (MVEB) identified in the SIP and approved by EPA. In addition, the MTIP
must provide for the timely implementation of strategies to reduce emissions that are in the SIP, called
Transportation Control Measures (TCMs).
Air quality conformity ("conformity") is a way to ensure that Federal funding and approval goes to those
transportation activities that are consistent with air quality goals. Conformity applies to transportation plans,
TIPs, and projects funded or approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) or the Federal
Transit Administration (FTA) in areas that do not meet or previously have not met air quality standards for
ozone, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, or nitrogen oxides. These areas are known as "nonattainment
areas" or "maintenance areas," respectively. A conformity determination demonstrates that the total emissions
projected for a plan or program are within the emissions limits ("budgets") established by the air quality plan
or State Implementation Plan (SIP), and that transportation control measures (TCMs) are implemented in a
timely fashion.
SACOG analyzes the projects in the MTIP, using a prescribed computer model and process, and makes a
finding that those projects, if completed, would not contribute to air pollution that exceeds an amount
specified in the region’s clean air plan.
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