Transportation's Role in Reducing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions ...

Transportation's Role in Reducing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Volume 1
transportation infrastructure with performance-based criteria, including climate
change objectives.
States and regions have varying capacity to address climate change in their
planning process, and the availability of appropriate data and model outputs is
insufficient to support robust analysis. Therefore, Federal action would be
helpful to support for the research, technical support, and capacity development
that transportation and planning agencies need to conduct planning. Federal
programs can be created to develop and provide improved data, tools, and
technical assistance for GHG planning and analysis. Demonstration projects at
megaregion, regional, State, or local levels can build knowledge and capacity of
effective GHG reduction strategies.
Operations Investments to Improve System Efficiency
If properly directed, investments in infrastructure and system operations can
improve the efficiency of the transportation network, thereby improving the
quality of passenger travel and goods movement. This improved efficiency also
would help reduce congestion and travel delay, resulting in some GHG
reduction for those segments of the system. System efficiency investments can
achieve GHG benefits through reducing speeds to optimal energy-efficiency
levels and enhancing efficiency through operational improvements.
Operational Improvements
GHG emissions can be reduced by improving the efficiency of the transportation
system. System efficiency strategies also have substantial cobenefits that support
other DOT goals, particularly in congestion management, air quality, and
streamlining goods movement. These strategies vary significantly in cost and
ease of implementation. Examples identified in this report include:
• Funding of integrated corridor management/advanced traffic management
to keep traffic flowing at optimal speeds; and
• Support for research, evaluation, deployment and infrastructure
development for advanced vehicle and information technology (e.g.,
advanced traveler information systems, vehicle-infrastructure integration
programs).
System efficiency strategies can be evaluated based on their efficacy in
addressing GHG emissions, along with other criteria that are currently applied
(such as mobility, safety, and air quality). Ensuring integration of climate change
considerations in transportation planning and funding would enable increased
support to be directed to climate-friendly system improvements and technology
applications. In order to do so, further research and guidance on GHG analysis
methods would be required, particularly on the issue of induced travel (i.e.,
additional travel taken in response to improved travel conditions).
Two policy approaches under discussion are the expansion of the current CMAQ
program or creation of a new program directed specifically to projects that meet
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