National Academies Press: OpenBook
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2010. Representing Freight in Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Models. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14407.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2010. Representing Freight in Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Models. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14407.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2010. Representing Freight in Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Models. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14407.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2010. Representing Freight in Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Models. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14407.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2010. Representing Freight in Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Models. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14407.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2010. Representing Freight in Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Models. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14407.
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TRANSPORTAT ION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2010 www.TRB.org N A T I O N A L C O O P E R A T I V E F R E I G H T R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M NCFRP REPORT 4 Subscriber Categories Aviation • Energy • Environment • Freight Transportation • Highways Marine Transportation • Motor Carriers • Railroads • Vehicles and Equipment Representing Freight in Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Models Louis Browning Cristiano Façanha Andrew Papson Jeff Ang-Olson Seth Hartley Ed Carr ICF INTERNATIONAL Fairfax, VA Research sponsored by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE FREIGHT RESEARCH PROGRAM America’s freight transportation system makes critical contributions to the nation’s economy, security, and quality of life. The freight transportation system in the United States is a complex, decentralized, and dynamic network of private and public entities, involving all modes of transportation—trucking, rail, waterways, air, and pipelines. In recent years, the demand for freight transportation service has been increasing fueled by growth in international trade; however, bottlenecks or congestion points in the system are exposing the inadequacies of current infrastructure and operations to meet the growing demand for freight. Strategic operational and investment decisions by governments at all levels will be necessary to maintain freight system performance, and will in turn require sound technical guidance based on research. The National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) is a cooperative research program sponsored by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) under Grant No. DTOS59-06-G-00039 and administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB). The program was authorized in 2005 with the passage of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). On September 6, 2006, a contract to begin work was executed between RITA and The National Academies. The NCFRP will carry out applied research on problems facing the freight industry that are not being adequately addressed by existing research programs. Program guidance is provided by an Oversight Committee comprised of a representative cross section of freight stakeholders appointed by the National Research Council of The National Academies. The NCFRP Oversight Committee meets annually to formulate the research program by identifying the highest priority projects and defining funding levels and expected products. Research problem statements recommending research needs for consideration by the Oversight Committee are solicited annually, but may be submitted to TRB at any time. Each selected project is assigned to a panel, appointed by TRB, which provides technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. Heavy emphasis is placed on including members representing the intended users of the research products. The NCFRP will produce a series of research reports and other products such as guidebooks for practitioners. Primary emphasis will be placed on disseminating NCFRP results to the intended end-users of the research: freight shippers and carriers, service providers, suppliers, and public officials. Published reports of the NATIONAL COOPERATIVE FREIGHT RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet at: http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore Printed in the United States of America NCFRP REPORT 4 Project NCFRP-16 ISSN 1947-5659 ISBN 978-0-309-15481-9 Library of Congress Control Number 2010929939 © 2010 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FTA, RITA, or PHMSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not- for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the National Cooperative Freight Research Program, conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The members of the technical panel selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance. The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the program sponsors. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research Council, and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Freight Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.

CRP STAFF FOR NCFRP REPORT 4 Christopher W. Jenks, Director, Cooperative Research Programs Crawford F. Jencks, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs William C. Rogers, Senior Program Officer Charlotte Thomas, Senior Program Assistant Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications Hilary Freer, Senior Editor NCFRP PROJECT 16 PANEL Christina S. Casgar, San Diego Association of Governments, San Diego, CA (Chair) Eric Garshick, US Department of Veterans Affairs, West Roxbury, MA Virginia “Ginny” Hessenauer, Moraga, CA Robert G. Ireson, Air Quality Management Consulting, Greenbrae, CA Lynn Jonell Soporowski, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Frankfort, KY Mark Stehly, BNSF Railway Company, Ft. Worth, TX Thomas H. Wakeman, III, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ Gary L. Whicker, J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc., Lowell, AR William Chernicoff, RITA Liaison Michael M. Johnsen, FMCSA Liaison Diana J. Bauer, US Department of Energy Liaison Christine Gerencher, TRB Liaison C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S

NCFRP Report 4: Representing Freight in Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Models pre- sents an evaluation of the current methods used to generate air emissions information from all freight transportation activities and discusses their suitability for purposes such as health and climate risk assessments, prioritization of emission reduction activities (e.g., through State Implementation Plans), and public education. The report is especially valuable for (1) its identification of the state of the practice, gaps, and strengths and limitations of current emissions data estimates and methods and (2) its conceptual model that offers a compre- hensive representation of freight activity by all transportation modes and relationships between modes. This report will better inform the near-term needs of public and private stakeholders regarding the quality of emissions data and guide future research that links freight activities with air emissions. An efficient and robust freight transportation system is essential to the continued eco- nomic well-being of the United States. Demand for freight transportation has been grow- ing rapidly, but that growth has conflicted with concerns about the health effects of air pol- lution and greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. For instance, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, transportation-related activities account for 28% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Further, as freight movement con- tinues to grow, its emissions will account for a greater share of the transportation sector’s carbon footprint. Although there are known data limitations, including the lack of actual emissions measurements to validate model estimates, given concern over public health, decisionmakers at all levels of government are proceeding with efforts to regulate emissions, often through freight operations controls. Under NCFRP Project 16, ICF International was asked to 1. Describe the current state of practice for estimating freight air emissions; 2. Catalog existing data and data sources used to define categories of freight transportation- related air emissions; 3. Describe the strengths and limitations of current methods, models, and data; 4. Identify and assess alternative measurement techniques, data sources, and approaches that can enhance the utility and quality of emissions calculations for freight transporta- tion; 5. Develop a conceptual model for freight transportation activities that reflects current understanding and anticipated improvements in data and analytical methods relating freight transportation activity to emissions; and 6. Identify future opportunities for improving accuracy and reducing uncertainty in freight activity and emission data across all modes. F O R E W O R D By William C. Rogers Staff Officer Transportation Research Board

C O N T E N T S 1 Summary 3 Chapter 1 Introduction and Research Summary 3 1.1 Objective 3 1.2 Report Organization 3 1.3 Study Framework 4 1.4 Pollutants of Concern 5 1.5 Application of Freight Emissions 5 1.6 Evaluation of Current Methods 14 1.7 Conceptual Model 15 1.8 Recommended Research Areas 16 Chapter 2 Application of Freight Emissions 16 2.1 National- and State-Scale Applications 18 2.2 Regional-Scale Applications 22 2.3 Project-Scale Applications 30 Chapter 3 Evaluation of Current Methods 30 3.1 General Methods 33 3.2 National Methods 45 3.3 Heavy-Duty Trucks 62 3.4 Rail 72 3.5 Waterborne/Ocean-Going Vessels 80 3.6 Waterborne/Harbor Craft 89 3.7 Cargo Handling Equipment 103 3.8 Air Transportation 109 3.9 Air Quality 116 Chapter 4 Conceptual Model 116 4.1 Model Overview and Uses 117 4.2 Freight Modeling 120 4.3 Model Scope and Structure 137 4.4 Case Study 141 Chapter 5 Recommended Research Areas 141 5.1 Improving the Allocation of National Transportation Emissions 143 5.2 Refining Road Project-Level Emission Estimates Methodologies 145 5.3 Improving Rail Activity Data for Emission Calculations 146 5.4 Improving Parameters and Methodologies for Estimating Marine Goods Movement Emissions 148 5.5 Improving Air Freight Emission Calculations 151 Appendix A Pedigree Matrix 152 References 158 Acronyms

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TRB’s National Freight Cooperative Research Program (NFCRP) Report 4: Representing Freight in Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Models explores the current methods used to generate air emissions information from all freight transportation activities and their suitability for purposes such as health and climate risk assessments, prioritization of emission reduction activities, and public education.

The report highlights the state of the practice, and potential gaps, strengths, and limitations of current emissions data estimates and methods. The report also examines a conceptual model that offers a comprehensive representation of freight activity by all transportation modes and relationships between modes.

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