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 SPR-07: Multi-Modal Transportation and Public Health, SPR-09: Travel Demand Management, SPR-11: Energy and Fuels, and SPR-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 region’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.
• Establish a process to design, implement, test, and evaluate the selected emissions reduction strategies or programs.
• Develop mechanisms for the prioritization of transportation projects or strategies in the LRTP and TIP, based on their emission reduction potential.
• Use EPA, or another approved emissions model, to estimate and quantify emissions reductions.
• Communicate findings and emissions reduction results to stakeholders 

Scoring Requirements

Requirement SPR-10.1

1 point. Develop and Adopt Goals and Objectives

The agency has developed goals and objectives for the reduction of air emissions in transportation planning documents, such as the LRTP. Examples of goals and objectives include: reduce/minimize air pollutants (ozone, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxides, particulates); provide for a variety of projects or measures that positively impact air emissions (e.g. TSMO, TDM, transit, bicycle, pedestrian); or educate the public about air quality issues and transportation choices or preferences.

Requirement SPR-10.2

2 points. Engage Partner Agencies

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

Requirement SPR-10.3

1-8 points. Implement Strategies to Reduce Emissions

The agency is advancing multimodal 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 region’s own fleet are covered in the Operations and Maintenance criteria.

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

• Requirement SPR-10.3a

2 points. Implement Transportation Demand Management Strategies

Transportation demand management strategies to reduce emissions, including land use strategies and strategies that reduce vehicle miles travelled, improved transit services, and promote non-motorized modes of transportation such as bicycle and pedestrian projects.

• Requirement SPR-10.3b

2 points. Implement Transportation System Management Strategies

Transportation system management strategies to reduce emissions, including congestion relief and traffic management strategies such as signal systemization.

• Requirement SPR-10.3c

2 points. Implement Vehicle Technologies

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 and Supporting Infrastructure

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 SPR-10.4

2 or 4 points. Conduct Emissions Analysis

Conduct emissions analyses to document emissions reductions from the transportation strategies implemented. One of the following scores applies:

• 0 points. No emissions analysis is performed.
• 2 points. The agency conducts a qualitative assessment of the emissions reduction potential of all the strategies implemented.
• 4 points. The agency conducts a quantitative emissions analysis to document emissions reduction for all the strategies implemented. 

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

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.