sunflowerEnvironmental News Brief
 
Presented by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council for the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board
August 2009
Quick Links
Web Sites of Interest
(EPA Local Climate and Energy Program) 

The following news "briefs" highlight recent news regarding transportation-related environmental issues, primarily air quality, affecting the Baltimore region. Please note that this brief is not all inclusive of the variety and magnitude of activities in the region. It is intended for informational purposes only; refer to the source, guidance, or program for additional information.

 

school busRecovery Act Funds Awarded for Diesel Projects in Maryland

National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program funds in the amount of $16.1 million are being awarded to seven projects in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, four of which are in Maryland or have components in the state. These four projects are listed below.
  • A $1 million grant to the Maryland Department of the Environment to fund school bus retrofits.
  • A $3.5 million grant to the Maryland Port Administration and the Maryland Environmental Service for the Port of Baltimore Clean Diesel Project. This project will involve retrofitting 83 cargo handling equipment pieces and 50 drayage trucks, installing idle reduction systems on seven locomotives, and repowering two harborcraft.
  • A $1.3 million grant to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for the Chesapeake Bay Marine Engine Repower Project. This project will involve retrofitting two education vessels, seven watermen work boats, and one tug boat operating out of Maryland and Virginia in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. 
  • A $4.3 million grant to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association for the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Diesel Reduction Campaign. This will involve retrofitting 14 and replacing 6 transit buses, repowering 22 harborcraft, retrofitting 25 dump trucks, replacing 6 cement trucks, repowering 1 locomotive, and replacing 1 truck.
EPA Proposes New Standard for Nitrogen Dioxide 
 
EPA is proposing to revise the primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). The purpose of the primary NAAQS is to protect public health.
 
According to the EPA, "Current scientific evidence links short-term NO2 exposures, ranging from 30 minutes to 24 hours, with increased respiratory effects, especially in people with asthma. These effects can lead to increased visits to emergency departments and hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses, particularly in at-risk populations such as children, the elderly, and asthmatics."

There is currently an annual standard (53 parts per billion) that will remain; however, a new short-term standard of between 80 and 100 parts per billion is being proposed. New monitoring requirements are also being proposed, which will include monitors located within 50 meters of major roadways.
 
EPA will hold public hearings on August 3, 2009 in Arlington,
Virginia, and on August 6, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. EPA will be taking comments on standards as low as 65 ppb and as high as 150 ppb.
 
Free Online Training on Transportation Conformity 
 
An on-demand version of online training on transportation conformity is now available from FHWA. The training "What is Transportation Conformity?" was developed by the FHWA Resource Center Air Quality Technical Services Team in coordination with the Office of Human and Natural Environment.
 
Transportation conformity is the process that is used to review the current transportation plans and programs in a region to ensure they conform to the state's air quality plan. Each state's air quality plan, also known as the State Implementation Plan, determines how the states will meet federal air quality standards.

The training is 27 minutes long, and it provides a general overview of the transportation conformity process.
 
Howard, Baltimore City, & MDOT Amendments to 08-12 TIP 
 
Open for Public Review: Amendments to 2008-2012 TIP
Howard County and the City of Baltimore are proposing to amend the 2008-2012 Baltimore Region Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) by making additional modifications to the Central Maryland Transit Operations & Maintenance Facility (CMTOMF) project, and adding a Water Taxi Boat Purchase and Pier Improvements (WTBPPI) project, a Midtown Cultural District Streetscape (MCDS), and a Baltimore City Areawide Congestion Management (BCACM) project.

The Maryland Department of Transportation is also requesting to modify the TIP for several updated American Recovery and Reinvestment - Phase 2 transit projects.
 
The public review period is being held from Wednesday, July 22 through Friday, August 21, 2009.

Find out more information.

Green Projects of Note
 
SHA Tries Windpower
The Maryland State Highway Administration is experimenting with wind power in a new pilot project in Carroll County. In mid-June, a wind turbine was installed in the back parking lot of the Westminster Maintenance Facility on Wyndtryst Drive. This pilot project cost $25,000 and will produce renewable energy for this facility. According to the press release, the wind turbine "can generate as much as 2,400 watts of green energy and an average of 700 kilowatt hours of clean and renewable energy each month, reducing monthly more than 1,400 pounds of carbon dioxide that would otherwise be produced by coal-burning power plants."
 
 
sustain annapolisSustainable Annapolis: Community Action Plan
This document covers the City's greenhouse gas reduction targets, as well as strategies to meet a number of different targets and goals. It combines the idea of a Sustainability Plan with a Climate Action Plan. According to the Plan, "The city has set a short-term emissions reduction target of 25% of 2006 levels for the community and 50% for the city government by 2012."

Download the Plan.
 
 
Moving Cooler: An Analysis of Transportation Strategies for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
This study, conducted by Cambridge Systematics, analyzes the effectiveness and costs of nearly 50 scalable transportation strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Effects of "bundling" these strategies were also examined. It was sponsored by a number of different stakeholders including transportation experts, industry, environmental organizations, federal agencies, trade associations and foundations. 
 
Events
 
Southern Transportation and Air Quality Summit (STAQS) 2009
Date: August 25 -27, 2009
Location: Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront
              Jacksonville, Florida
This summit is sponsored by FHWA and EPA Regions 3, 4, and 6. The purpose is to bring together stakeholders from the transportation and air quality communities to discuss the current and upcoming regulatory environment, technologies and current practices vital to the field of air quality and transportation. 
 
For more information.
  
Diesel Retrofit Boot Camp
Date: September 16-17, 2009
Location: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
               Richmond, Virginia 

Sign up here.
 
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