Protect and enhance communities and the natural environment affected by transportation.

We Aim To Achieve These Strategic Outcomes:

• Improve the sustainability and livability of communities.
• Reduce the adverse effects of transportation on ecosystems and the natural environment.
• Improve the viability of ecosystems.
• Reduce the adverse effects of transportation facilities on the natural environment.
• Improve equity for low income and minority communities concerning the benefits and burdens of transportation facilities and services.
• Reduce the amount of pollution from transportation sources.

Transportation makes our communities more livable, enhancing the quality of our lives and our society.However, transportation generates pollution, noise, and uses valuable land and aquatic habitat on which thriving fisheries depend. No matter how much is done to improve the capacity and efficiency of our transportation system, we cannot consider our programs to be successful unless we also manage the effects on our environment, and ultimately our quality of life.

DOT’s objective is to advance the benefits of transportation while minimizing its negative environmental impacts. The FY 2004 budget proposes $3.3 billion in environmental funding to maintain progress in achieving our outcomes.

A detailed analysis of our 2004 strategies follows.

Wetlands are an important natural resource. They provide natural filtration of pollutants, and they store and slow down the release of floodwaters, thereby reducing damage to downstream farms and communities. Wetlands also provide an essential habitat for biodiversity. But many of the Nation’s wetlands have been lost to development over the years, before their value was fully recognized. Highways and transportation facilities (location, construction, and operation) can be a significant factor affecting these ecosystems.

Performance Goal:

Replace each acre of wetland removed by a Federal-aid highway transportation project with half again as much in mitigation.

Performance measure:

External factors:

Wetland impacts are sometimes unavoidable, especially when bridges are being built. Projects on existing alignments can cause wetland degradation that is impossible to avoid. In areas where the concentration of wetlands is high (southern bottomlands, Midwestern prairie potholes, and eastern pine flatwoods), transportation projects must often traverse wetlands to provide access to the area.

Strategies and Initiatives to Achieve 2004 Target: DOT resources attributable to this performance goal are depicted below:

FHWA and FTA work together to approve transportation infrastructure projects that do as little harm as possible to the Nation’s wetlands.

FHWA promotes the design, construction, maintenance, and use of transportation projects that conform to Federal environmental legislation and regulations primarily through research, new technologies, analytical models, management training, and the transfer of technology. FHWA partners with other agencies to devise better ways of avoiding wetland takings, and to develop good mitigation practices when projects unavoidably involve wetlands. FHWA will conduct additional research and development on wetland protection and enhancement, practical techniques of habitat restoration, and ecosystem analyses and characterization. This includes research on ecosystem analyses and methodologies, water quality course development, storm water management practices, functional evaluation of wetlands, and public information measures.

To increase ecosystem and habitat conservation efforts, FHWA encourages projects such as wetland banking and watershed-based environmental assessment and mitigation approaches. FHWA also encourages integrated, multi-modal planning, environmental planning To improve decision timeliness in the environmental review process, FHWA emphasizes the use of programmatic agreements with all involved parties, and State transportation agencies in particular, to encourage adherence to negotiated project timeframes and pre-established expectations for plan quality. FHWA funds are also used to provide technical assistance, training, and consultation with partners to resolve issues related to the National Environmental Policy Act and environmental review processes.

Other Federal Programs with Common Outcomes: DOT coordinates wetland programs and research initiatives with the Environmental Protection Agency; the Departments of Interior, Commerce, and Agriculture; the Coast Guard, and the Army Corps of Engineers. FHWA is a member of several Federal Committees on wetlands and participates in joint research studies with other Federal agencies on wetland evaluation and mitigation. Information is shared through all these activities.

DOT has a special responsibility to ensure that its own facilities are compliant with environmental laws and regulations. Restoration activities involve identifying, investigating, and cleaning up contaminated sites. Compliance activities include the operation of facilities, equipment, and vessels in accordance with environmental requirements. Pollution prevention activities involve preventing future cleanup activities by avoiding the generation of pollutants in our operations or facilities. The Maritime Administration (MARAD) is required by law to dispose of obsolete ships in the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) by the end of FY 2006.

Performance Goal:

Ensure that DOT operations leave no significant environmental damage behind.

Performance measure:

External Factors:

The Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to reactivate previously NFRAP sites, and new sites may be identified. Also, requirements may change as laws and resulting regulation change to reflect new research and findings. Ship disposals are dependent on a continued commercial interest in ship recycling.

Strategies and Initiatives to Achieve 2004 Target: DOT resources attributable to this performance goal are depicted below:

Facility cleanup will comply with the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) process and the requirements of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan. A “worst first” prioritization system is used to assign highest priority to those facilities representing the greatest potential hazard to the public health and the environment. Regulatory factors at the local, State, and Federal levels are also considered in the decision-making process.

FAA funds pollution prevention; complies with occupational safety, health and environmental regulations; promotes good energy management practices; and conducts environmental impact analyses ($32.8 million). Cleanup activities in compliance with mandatory schedules are ongoing in the Alaskan Region, the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, and the William J. Hughes Technical Center. FAA meets current EPA requirements for fuel storage tanks, and will continue to replace outdated fuel storage tanks at the end of their normal life cycle to prevent leakage; will register and test in-service tanks; and will investigate, remove or clean tanks at decommissioned facilities.

FRA will continue to work with the Department of Justice to resolve State issues at the formerly owned facility in Alaska.FHWA will continue work at one facility to meet the legal requirements of the involved State.

MARAD is the U.S. Government’s disposal agent for merchant type vessels 1,500 gross tons or more. Due to the presence of hazardous substances such as asbestos and solid and liquid polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and concerns raised by the EPA about the export of PCBs, sales for overseas disposal were halted in 1995. MARAD plans to dispose of additional ships in FY 2004 ($11.4 million).

Other Federal Programs with Common Outcomes: DOT facility cleanup is based on EPA standards and is in line with government-wide efforts under SARA.

Mobile Source Emissions:

The National Ambient Air Quality Standards target six major pollutants as among the most serious airborne threats to human health. Transportation is a major contributor to some of the pollutants, particularly ozone, carbon monoxide and particulate matter. About two-thirds of transportation-related emissions come from on-road motor vehicles. The quality of our air is a public good, and the cost of these pollutants is not captured in the marketplace. For this reason, the Government works to mitigate this negative impact.

Performance Goal:

In support of the President’s Clean Air Initiative, reduce on-road mobile source emissions by 20 percent of the 1996 baseline.

Performance measure:

External Factors:

Growth in the U.S. economy has translated into annual growth in vehicle-miles traveled (VMT). The principal component—private vehicles—provides flexibility to consumers. So diversion of users to other, more emission-efficient modes must be balanced with market choice and other economic factors.

Strategies and Initiatives to Achieve 2004 Target: DOT resources attributable to this performance goal are depicted below:

The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) were defined in the Clean Air Act of 1970 and reinforced by the Federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Areas that do not meet the NAAQS are designated ‘non-attainment’, and former non-attainment areas that are now in compliance are designated ‘maintenance’. These areas are eligible for special funding to help meet their air quality goals, but are also subject to sanctions if those goals are not met. The transportation conformity process is intended to ensure that transportation plans, programs, and projects will not create new violations of the NAAQS, increase the frequency or severity of existing violations, or delay NAAQS attainment in designated non-attainment (or maintenance) areas.

During the 1990s, the percent of non-attainment and maintenance metropolitan areas that met their emissions goals continued to increase, and total on-road mobile source emissions continued to decline from 87.4 million tons in 1988 to 64.2 million tons in 1999.

DOT aims to reduce mobile source emissions by encouraging the use of less polluting transportation; designing and implementing infrastructure that reduces congestion and emissions; researching and modeling the emissions impacts of investment choices; and supporting the development of fuel- and emission-efficient vehicles.

FHWA identifies approaches to demonstrating conformity in rural non-attainment areas. By increasing the percent of transportation areas that maintain conformity to the air quality regulations, the Department contributes to a reduction in on-road mobile source emissions and the overall improvement in the Nation’s air quality.

Through research, new technologies, and analytical models, FHWA promotes the design, construction, maintenance, and use of highways that are compatible with the National environmental goals. In partnership with our stakeholders, FHWA supports the development of environmental analytical models to assist decision makers. FHWA provides resources, guidance, and technical assistance for States and local agencies to ensure compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, especially reducing transportation-related emissions.

Major programs in 2004 include projects to reduce emissions through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program ($1.4 billion); identifying challenges in implementing amended conformity regulations for clean air by issuing guidance and providing technical assistance; assisting State and local partners in the implementation of the transportation conformity regulation in new non-attainment areas, and studying rural air quality issues and developing approaches to demonstrate conformity in rural non-attainment areas; expanding the transportation and air quality public education effort including the Alliance for Clean Air and Transportation.

Through continued research, FHWA will develop approaches to improve air quality and to evaluate emissions impacts and cost-effectiveness of transportation strategies. Activities include research on air toxics and a 2.5-micron particulate matter emission model to support new National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

Other Federal Programs with Common Outcomes: FHWA and EPA work cooperatively to implement a number of initiatives, including the Transportation and Air Quality public education initiative, the transportation conformity regulation, and the CMAQ program. The DOT and EPA have also jointly funded a number of research efforts that target the reduction of mobile source emissions.

Pipeline Hazmat Spills:

Americans expect reliable delivery of the products that fuel our vibrant economy, enable their mobility and enhance their quality of life. They expect that the pipelines that deliver these products, pipelines that move through their communities as well as nearby sensitive environments, will pose no danger to life, property or the environment. The recently enacted Pipeline Safety Act of 2002 will reinforce and strengthen initiatives and programs that RSPA already has in place to diminish risks of environmental harm from pipeline spills. Because of the volume of liquid hazardous materials moved by pipelines, any spill into the environment is potentially a significant one.

Performance Goal:

Reduce pipeline hazmat spilled 30 percent by 2006, from the last five years’ average spill rate (0.0162 per million ton-miles shipped).

Performance measures:

r) Revised; # Preliminary estimate based on partial year data.

External Factors: Prevention and mitigation of pipeline spills requires improved site-specific knowledge of water and sensitive environmental areas to provide tailored actions to prevent leaks, and, if they do occur, assure that appropriate and timely response is undertaken.

Strategies and Initiatives to Achieve 2004 Target: DOT resources attributable to this performance goal are depicted below:

To reduce pipeline failures, thereby reducing hazmat spills from pipelines, RSPA reviews integrity management program compliance of large hazardous liquid pipeline operators subject to RSPA’s integrity management program (IMP). RSPA will increase IMP reviews to 75% of pipeline miles operated by the nation’s 65 largest hazardous liquid pipeline operators. RSPA will accelerate integrity testing, comprehensively evaluate all pipeline risks, and strengthen Federal/State pipeline safety oversight. Testing, evaluation, and repair will result in finding and solving problems before they lead to failures thereby directly supporting the goal of reducing spills. These initiatives support the National Energy Policy for energy infrastructure growth by improving the integrity of, and public confidence in, existing pipeline infrastructure.

Other activities that will help further reduce spill size and consequence include:

• enforcing operator qualification requirements; expanding participation in industry consensus standards addressing in-line inspection technologies and qualifications criteria for the analysts who interpret their results;

•developing a standard for content and distribution of public education programs of operators;

• improving engineering support for construction oversight, accident investigation, and monitoring remedial work on pipelines through contracted engineering services;

• improving analysis of the risks that pipelines pose to people and the environment through information systems improvements;

• enhancing readiness of both pipeline operators and local communities to recognize and mount effective and timely responses to pipeline accidents; and

• expanding pipeline operator oil spill response exercises involving local, State, and other Federal personnel, with a new emphasis on security.

Pipeline integrity research helps assure that America’s communities can live safely with pipelines by developing the technologies that detect or monitor the main causes of pipeline failure: construction-related damage, corrosion, material defects, and human error. These technologies will enable pipeline operators to identify and eliminate the defects that lead to death, injuries, and environmental damage.

R&D initiatives that help reduce spill size and consequence include:

• expanding ongoing acoustical monitoring technology that can help prevent construction-related damage to pipelines;

• developing new technologies to reveal defects in pipelines currently unpiggable using conventional in-line inspection technologies;

• enabling in-line inspection technologies to accurately detect and characterize longitudinal (e.g., seam) failures - an ability not shared by current in-line tools built primarily to detect circumferential defects from corrosion;

• beginning important new work on the application of remote sensing technologies to detection of right-of-way intrusion and remote monitoring of pipeline control systems;

• expanding airborne laser mapping leak detection technology; and

• development of regulatory standards for leak detection technology and of related best practices.

Other Federal Programs with Common Outcomes: RSPA will work to reduce the frequency and the size of spills by working with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Department of Homeland Security to help analyze risks to environmentally sensitive and populated areas through finalization of a National Pipeline Mapping System. RSPA is also working with the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives, trade associations such as the American Petroleum Institute, and other industry partners in designing new reporting systems and data improvements.

RSPA is working with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Interior, and other natural resource trustees, environmental organizations, and the public to identify drinking water and ecological resources that are unusually sensitive to environmental damage from spills. RSPA has completed the Drinking Water Data Catalog as part of an environmental index initiative and has added the catalog to the web site, http://ops.dot.gov .

Aircraft Noise Exposure:

Public concern and sensitivity to aircraft noise around airports is high. In recent years, noise complaints have increased even while quieter aircraft technology has been introduced. Aircraft noise is an undesired by-product of our mobility, and the Government acts to reduce the public’s exposure to unreasonable noise levels. In the past decade, the phase-out of noisier commercial aircraft was principally responsible for the reduction in the number of people exposed to high levels of aircraft noise, although its efforts were complemented by noise compatibility projects funded under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). While the new international aircraft noise standard will encourage the introduction of quieter aircraft into operations. AIP-funded noise compatibility projects will be the principal means employed by Government to mitigate significant aircraft noise exposure.

Performance Goal:

Reduce the number of people impacted by significant levels of aircraft noise by 62,500 between FY 2003 and FY 2007 through reduction in aircraft noise exposure including residential relocations, and mitigation including sound insulation.

Performance measure:

(r) Revised; # Preliminary estimate.

External Factors: Population growth around airports and increasing flight activity are factors that can negatively impact the FAA’s ability to meet future noise exposure goals.

Strategies and Initiatives to Achieve 2004 Target: DOT resources attributable to this performance goal are depicted below:
DOT pursues a program of aircraft noise control in cooperation with the aviation community through noise reduction at the source (development and adoption of quieter aircraft), soundproofing and buyouts of buildings near airports, operational flight control measures, and land use planning strategies. The number of people exposed to significant noise levels was reduced by about 90% between 1975 and 2000. This is due primarily to the legislatively-mandated transition of airplane fleets to newer generation aircraft that produce less noise. Most of the gains from quieter aircraft were achieved by FY 2000.

The remaining problems must be addressed primarily through airport-specific noise compatibility programs, using measures such as soundproofing and relocation of residences. FAA is authorized to provide funds for these purposes, but each project must be locally sponsored and be a part of a noise compatibility program prepared by the airport sponsor and approved by the FAA. The measure above reflects noise exposure, which is affected by changes in aircraft arrival and departure operations, changes in the aircraft fleet mix, and relocation of people from the Day/Night

Average Sound Level (DNL 65) contour. An FAA supplemental performance measure, described below, tracks numbers of people benefiting from AIP-funded noise compatibility projects.

In 2004, FAA will:

• continue to provide funds for such noise reduction activities as residential relocation, the soundproofing of residences and buildings used for educational or medical purposes near airports, land use compatibility including purchase of buffer zones around airports, and noise reduction planning ($472.2 million);

• continue to develop noise research and assessment technologies ($5.2 million);

• implement operational flight control measures to help reduce neighborhood exposure to aircraft noise, and in cooperation with the National Park Service, assess noise exposure and develop Air Tour Management Plans for national parks, as authorized in AIR-21 ($10.7 million); and

• examine and validate methodologies used to assess aircraft noise exposure, including incorporation of effects of land-use policies and residential sound insulation programs.

FAA Supplementary performance measure:

FAA provides funding to mitigate the effects of aviation noise for residents within the significant noise footprint around busy airports. The number of people expected to benefit will be derived from the number of residential units to be insulated or relocated as identified in grant applications or through other airport sponsor submissions.

Other Federal Programs with Common Outcomes: FAA has been engaged with NASA in joint noise reduction technology research. NASA in coordination with FAA and its industry partners is formulating a new Quiet Aircraft Technology (QAT) initiative to build upon the current research with a goal of reducing future aircraft perceived noise levels by half (10 decibels) within 10 years, and by a factor of 4 (20 decibels) within 25 years, using 1997 subsonic aircraft technology as the baseline.