Goal

To plan, implement, and monitor multimodal strategies to reduce emissions and to establish a process to document emissions reductions.

Sustainability Linkage

Reducing emissions and improving air quality supports the environmental and social principles by reducing emissions and improving quality of life.

Background & Scoring Requirements

Background

This criterion is related to SPS-07: Multi-Modal Transportation and Public Health, SPS-09: Travel Demand Management, SPS-11: Energy and Fuels, and SPS-14: Transportation Systems Management and Operations. While the strategies in this criterion help serve multiple goals, this criterion is focused primarily on the reduction of criteria air pollutants.¹

This criterion is specific to the planning process. Strategies for the State’s own fleet/internal operations are covered in the Operations and Maintenance criteria of INVEST.

Air quality issues are expected to be addressed based on the implementation of emissions reducing transportation strategies. To obtain credit for this criterion, the agency should perform the following process steps:

• Through interagency consultation, discuss what emissions reduction strategies or programs are to be included in transportation planning documents and implemented.
• Establish or participate in the selected strategies or programs.
• Develop measures for the prioritization of transportation projects or strategies in the Statewide Transportation Plan and STIP, based on their emission reduction potential.
• Communicate findings and emissions reduction results to stakeholders 

Scoring Requirements

Requirement SPS-10.1

2 points. Develop and Adopt Goals and Objectives

The agency has developed goals and objectives consistent with partner agencies (MPOs and other) for the reduction of air emissions in transportation planning documents, such as the Statewide Transportation Plan, STIP and others. Examples of goals and objectives include: coordinate with MPOs, regional councils of government, state environmental agencies and others to help implement measures designed to enhance air quality; provide for a variety of projects or transportation control measures that positively impact air emissions (e.g. TSMO, TDM, transit, bicycle, pedestrian); educate the public about air quality issues and transportation choices or preferences

Requirement SPS-10.2

4 points. Coordinate with Partner Agencies

The agency regularly coordinates with partner agencies throughout the transportation planning process, to reduce barriers and further the prospects for implementation of strategies to improve air quality. This coordination utilizes institutional mechanisms such as ad hoc or standing committees.

Requirement SPS-10.3

1-5 points. Implement Strategies to Reduce Emissions

Partner with the MPO, other regional planning organizations or state environmental agencies and local jurisdictions through planning documents or processes to coordinate and implement strategies consistent with their strategies as part of a transportation plan to reduce emissions. NCHRP Report 25-25: Evaluate the Interactions between Transportation-Related Particulate Matter, Ozone, Air Toxics, Climate Change, and Other Air Pollutant Control Strategies¹ provides good background information on these strategies. Strategies for the State’s own fleet are covered in the Operations and Maintenance criteria.

Scoring for this requirement is based on the following, cumulative requirements:

• Requirement SPS-10.3a

1 point. Implement Transportation Demand Management Strategies

Partner with the state environmental agency, MPO or other regional planning organization and/or local jurisdictions to coordinate and implement transportation demand management strategies.

• Requirement SPS-10.3b

1 point. Implement Transportation System Management Strategies

Partner with the state environmental agency, MPO or other regional planning organization and/or local jurisdictions to coordinate and implement transportation system management strategies to reduce emissions, including congestion relief and traffic management strategies such as signal systemization.

• Requirement SPS-10.3c

1 point. Implement Vehicle Technologies

Partner with the state environmental agency, MPO or other regional planning organization(s) to coordinate and implement vehicle technologies including diesel emissions reduction strategies, such as funding school bus retrofits, retrofits of state or local maintenance and construction equipment, and clean vehicle strategies such as retrofitting or replacing diesel buses or engines with CNG or hybrid or other clean technology buses. Support of policies and investments that support the development of infrastructure for vehicle technologies.

• Requirement SPR-10.3d

2 points. Implementing Fuel Technologies

Fuel technologies including alternative fuels (such as biodiesel, bioalcohol, batteries and fuel cells, vegetable oil, solar, other biomass sources) for vehicles or infrastructure. Support of policies and investments that support the development of infrastructure for fuel technologies.

Requirement SPS-10.4

2 points. Develop Performance Measures

The agency has quantifiable air emissions performance measures incorporated into its transportation planning documents. Examples of performance measures can be found in NCHRP Report 708: A Guidebook for Sustainability Performance Measurement for Transportation Agencies².

Requirement SPS-10.5

2 points. Demonstrate Sustainable Outcomes

Monitor progress towards goals for at least one year after goal establishment using the performance measures established in SPS-10.4 and show measurable advancement towards stated goals.

Resources

The following resources are referenced in this criterion and consolidated here:

1. NCHRP, Report 25-25 (Task 59): Evaluate the Interactions between Transportation-Related Particulate Matter, Ozone, Air Toxics, Climate Change, and Other Air Pollutant Control Strategies, http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/docs/NCHRP25-25(59)_FR.pdf
2. NCHRP, Report 708: A Guidebook for Sustainability Performance Measurement for Transportation Agencie⁴s at http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_708.pdf

Scoring Sources

The program is considered to have met this criterion if the requirements above can be reasonably substantiated through the existence of one or more of the following documentation sources (or equal where not available):

1. Plan and policy review that demonstrates emissions reduction transportation strategies or programs are included in transportation planning documents.
2. Documentation of the transportation strategies or programs implemented.
3. Methodology documentation for estimating emissions.
4. Calculations and/or documentation showing that the transportation strategies reduced the emissions of at least one criteria pollutant.