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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Incorporating Greenhouse Gas Emissions into the Collaborative Decision-Making Process. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22805.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Incorporating Greenhouse Gas Emissions into the Collaborative Decision-Making Process. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22805.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Incorporating Greenhouse Gas Emissions into the Collaborative Decision-Making Process. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22805.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Incorporating Greenhouse Gas Emissions into the Collaborative Decision-Making Process. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22805.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Incorporating Greenhouse Gas Emissions into the Collaborative Decision-Making Process. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22805.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Incorporating Greenhouse Gas Emissions into the Collaborative Decision-Making Process. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22805.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Incorporating Greenhouse Gas Emissions into the Collaborative Decision-Making Process. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22805.
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Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2013 www.TRB.org The Second S T R A T E G I C H I G H W A Y R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M REPORT S2-C09-RR-1 Incorporating Greenhouse Gas Emissions into the Collaborative Decision-Making Process PB AmericAs, inc. cAmBridge systemAtics, inc. e. H. PecHAn & AssociAtes, inc. euQuAnt, inc.

Subscriber Categories Energy Environment Highways Planning and Forecasting

SHRP 2 Reports Available by subscription and through the TRB online bookstore: www.TRB.org/bookstore Contact the TRB Business Office: 202-334-3213 More information about SHRP 2: www.TRB.org/SHRP2 SHRP 2 Report S2-C09-RR-1 ISBN: 978-0-309-12930-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2012955847 © 2013 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. The second Strategic Highway Research Program 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, or FHWA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing material in this document for educational and not-for-profit purposes will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from SHRP 2. Note: SHRP 2 report numbers convey the program, focus area, project number, and publication format. Report numbers ending in “w” are published as web documents only. Notice The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the second Strategic Highway 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 committee 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 committee 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 second Strategic Highway 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. The Second Strategic Highway Research Program America’s highway system is critical to meeting the mobility and economic needs of local communities, regions, and the nation. Developments in research and technology—such as advanced materials, communications technology, new data collection tech- nologies, and human factors science—offer a new opportunity to improve the safety and reliability of this important national resource. Breakthrough resolution of significant transportation problems, however, requires concentrated resources over a short time frame. Reflecting this need, the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) has an intense, large-scale focus, integrates multiple fields of research and technology, and is fundamentally different from the broad, mission-oriented, discipline-based research programs that have been the mainstay of the highway research industry for half a century. The need for SHRP 2 was identified in TRB Special Report 260: Strategic Highway Research: Saving Lives, Reducing Congestion, Improving Quality of Life, published in 2001 and based on a study sponsored by Congress through the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). SHRP 2, modeled after the first Strategic Highway Research Program, is a focused, time- constrained, management-driven program designed to com- plement existing highway research programs. SHRP 2 focuses on applied research in four areas: Safety, to prevent or reduce the severity of highway crashes by understanding driver behavior; Renewal, to address the aging infrastructure through rapid design and construction methods that cause minimal disruptions and produce lasting facilities; Reliability, to reduce congestion through incident reduction, management, response, and mitigation; and Capacity, to integrate mobility, economic, environmental, and community needs in the planning and designing of new trans- portation capacity. SHRP 2 was authorized in August 2005 as part of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The program is managed by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) on behalf of the National Research Council (NRC). SHRP 2 is conducted under a memo- randum of understanding among the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the National Academy of Sciences, parent organization of TRB and NRC. The program provides for competitive, merit-based selection of research contractors; independent research project oversight; and dissemination of research results.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achieve- ments of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisci- plinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transporta- tion, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration in cooperation with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. It was conducted in the second Strategic Highway Research Program, which is administered by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies. The project was managed by Stephen J. Andrle, Deputy Director for SHRP 2. The research described in this report was performed by PB Americas, Inc., supported by Cambridge Systematics, Inc.; E. H. Pechan & Associates, Inc.; and EuQuant, Inc. Michael Meyer was the Principal Investigator. Other contributors to this report were Cindy Burbank and Lisa Zeimer of PB Americas; Chris Porter and Joanne Potter of Cambridge Systematics, Inc.; and Jim Wilson of E. H. Pechan & Associates. The research team acknowledges the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and the Washington State Department of Transportation, which sponsored one-day workshops that assessed the information provided in the Guide that accompanies this final report. SHRP 2 STAff Ann M. Brach, Director Stephen J. Andrle, Deputy Director Neil J. Pedersen, Deputy Director, Implementation and Communications James Bryant, Senior Program Officer, Renewal Kenneth Campbell, Chief Program Officer, Safety JoAnn Coleman, Senior Program Assistant, Capacity and Reliability Eduardo Cusicanqui, Financial Officer Walter Diewald, Senior Program Officer, Safety Jerry DiMaggio, Implementation Coordinator Shantia Douglas, Senior Financial Assistant Charles Fay, Senior Program Officer, Safety Carol Ford, Senior Program Assistant, Renewal and Safety Elizabeth Forney, Assistant Editor Jo Allen Gause, Senior Program Officer, Capacity Rosalind Gomes, Accounting/Financial Assistant Abdelmename Hedhli, Visiting Professional James Hedlund, Special Consultant, Safety Coordination Alyssa Hernandez, Reports Coordinator Ralph Hessian, Special Consultant, Capacity and Reliability Andy Horosko, Special Consultant, Safety Field Data Collection William Hyman, Senior Program Officer, Reliability Michael Marazzi, Senior Editorial Assistant Linda Mason, Communications Officer Reena Mathews, Senior Program Officer, Capacity and Reliability Matthew Miller, Program Officer, Capacity and Reliability Michael Miller, Senior Program Assistant, Capacity and Reliability David Plazak, Senior Program Officer, Capacity Monica Starnes, Senior Program Officer, Renewal Charles Taylor, Special Consultant, Renewal Onno Tool, Visiting Professional Dean Trackman, Managing Editor Connie Woldu, Administrative Coordinator Patrick Zelinski, Communications/Media Associate

Scientific evidence is mounting that the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is contributing to noticeable changes in the earth’s climate. While this assertion is controversial, many public agencies, including transportation agencies, have begun to investigate how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is a new topic for most, and analytical procedures are not well established. This report and the associated Practitioners Guide provide a frame- work and methods for assessing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation projects or programs. The framework is linked to decision points in the larger transportation planning and environmental review process. The report and Practitioners Guide will be of interest to transportation professionals charged with analyzing strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. For those in areas that are not using complex transportation planning and air quality models at the present time, this report will be particularly useful. The findings are also available on the SHRP 2 website Transportation for Communities—Advancing Projects through Partnerships (TCAPP). It is generally accepted that the transportation sector of the economy contributes about 28% of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions, making transportation a significant target of opportunity for mitigating strategies. Carbon dioxide is the major transportation-generated greenhouse gas, constituting over 80% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions are directly linked to the amount of fuel consumed and its carbon intensity. Carbon emission reductions can be achieved by increasing the use of low-carbon fuels, improving fuel economy, reducing vehicle miles of travel, and reducing congestion. The job of a transportation analyst is to determine the cost effectiveness of various strategies at their disposal. This report provides background information to aid in understanding the issues, a summary of the state of the practice, a framework for conducting greenhouse gas analysis, a description of tools and data requirements, and an overview of the cost-effectiveness of various strategies. Eight short case studies are included to demonstrate the state of the practice by state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, and other units of government. Workshops were conducted in four states to vet the framework and the methods. The Practitioners Guide identifies steps in the transportation planning and environmental review process where greenhouse gas emissions could be considered and at what scale. The Practitioners Guide uses the decision points in the transportation planning and environmental review process from TCAPP to structure the information and link the scale of greenhouse gas analysis to stages in planning and environmental review. Finally the appendices to the Practitioners Guide contain data useful for conducting greenhouse gas emissions analysis, a compendium of tools, references to carbon calculators, life cycle fuel and emissions estimates and other resources. The report and Practitioners Guide provide a structure to aid transportation professionals in coping with the greenhouse gas emissions issue, clarify the types of mitigating actions available to a transportation agency, and provide methods and data for analysts. F O R EWO R D Stephen J. Andrle, SHRP 2 Deputy Director

C O N T E N T S 1 Executive Summary 5 CHAPTER 1 Introduction 5 Background 5 Motivation and Objectives 5 Intended Audience 6 Approach and Organization 8 CHAPTER 2 Understanding GHG Emissions and Energy Consumption 8 Greenhouse Gas Emissions 12 Context Factors Influencing Transportation GHG Emissions 18 Conclusion 19 CHAPTER 3 GHG-Reducing Transportation Strategies 19 Background 21 Cost-Effectiveness of Transportation Strategies 28 Strategy Assessment 31 Combined Strategy Impacts and Benefits 32 Other Studies 32 Conclusion 35 CHAPTER 4 Technical Framework for GHG Emissions Analysis 35 Background 36 GHG Analysis Framework 47 Carbon Footprint Analysis and GHG Emissions Calculators 54 Conclusion 55 CHAPTER 5 Case Studies of GHG Emissions Analysis 55 California Senate Bill 375 58 Maryland Department of Transportation 62 North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority Regional On-Road GHG Inventory 66 North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority Regional Nonroad GHG Inventory 69 Atlanta Regional Commission 76 Hillsborough County, Florida, Long-Range Transportation Plan Analysis 80 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 82 Columbia River Crossing

89 CHAPTER 6 Knowledge Gaps and Research Needs 89 Data and Methodological Limitations for Development of Inventories and Baseline Forecasts 90 Limitations on Basic Knowledge Regarding Strategy Effectiveness 92 Limitations in Tools and Methods for Analyzing Strategy Effectiveness 94 References Online version of this report: www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/166936.aspx.

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TRB’s second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) Report S2-C09-RR-1: Incorporating Greenhouse Gas Emissions into the Collaborative Decision-Making Process identifies where and how greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption fit into a conceptual decision-making framework, including key decision points.

The report presents background information on the role of GHG emissions in the transportation sector, factors influencing the future of emissions, GHG emissions reduction strategies, as well as information on cost effectiveness and feasibility of these reduction strategies. It also presents case studies to illustrate different scales and institutional contexts for GHG analyses.

A web-based technical framework, Integrating Greenhouse Gas into Transportation Planning, which was developed as part of SHRP 2 Capacity Project C09, provides information on the models, data sources, and methods that can be used to conduct GHG emissions analysis. The framework is part of the Transportation for Communities: Advancing Projects through Partnerships (TCAPP) website. TCAPP is organized around decision points in the planning, programming, environmental review, and permitting processes. TCAPP is now known as PlanWorks.

SHRP 2 Capacity Project C09 also produced a Practitioners Guide that presents information on how GHG emissions can be incorporated into transportation planning when using different types of collaborative decision-making approaches and includes an appendix with detailed technical information for GHG analyses.

An e-book version of this report is available for purchase at Amazon, Google, and iTunes.

In June 2013, SHRP 2 released a project brief on SHRP 2 Project C09.

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