Budget in Brief Table of Contents | DOT.gov

U.S. Department of Transportation
Fiscal Year 2009 Budget In Brief

Overview

Environmental Stewardship

Transportation makes our communities more livable, enhancing the quality of our lives and our society. At the same time, transportation generates pollution and noise, and uses valuable land and aquatic habitat on which fisheries depend. In 2002, on-road transportation sources accounted for 55 percent of carbon monoxide emissions, 35 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions, 27 percent of volatile organic compound emissions, and 1 percent of particulate matter emissions. Total on-road mobile source emissions declined from 112 million tons in 1993 to 74 million tons in 2002, marking a 33 percent improvement in a decade. 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 of transportation on our environment and our quality of life.

DOT’s objective is to reduce the time it takes to gain benefits from transportation projects while minimizing negative environmental impacts. The FY 2009 budget request includes $7 billion in funding to continue progress in achieving our environmental outcomes. This will require further streamlining of the environmental review process and greater emphasis on program level and major-project oversight activities in conjunction with the Federal, State and local agencies involved.

Reduce pollution and other adverse environmental effects of transportation

• Reduce the Impacts of Transportation on the Human Environment. The budget request includes $6.2 billion for FHWA in FY 2009 to increase the number of Exemplary Human Environment Initiatives (EHEIs) undertaken nationwide to at least 15. An Exemplary Human Environment Initiative is a transportation program or project that either creates or improves conditions for human activities. Among the eligible activities are initiatives that encourage non-motorized transportation, project enhancements for human activities, process improvements, provision of educational and training opportunities, and new product development. In 2007, there were 38 submittals to the EHEI program, and eight were selected for recognition. The selected projects were in Arkansas, New York, Georgia, South Carolina, Oregon, Colorado, Kansas, and Mississippi. This measure replaces the number of Exemplary Ecosystem Initiatives because FHWA exceeded its original target for this measure and achieved the desired effect of promoting consideration of ecosystems in the development of transportation projects.
  
  FHWA supports activities at the State level to improve highway planning and project development, thereby enhancing the scenic beauty of facilities, promoting the conservation of native habitats, protecting wildlife populations, and reducing impacts on land and water resources in general. Funds will also be used for research, technical assistance, and public education initiatives to support further implementation of exemplary ecosystem and habitat conservation initiatives.
• Reduce Emissions. The Department’s budget request includes funding for environmental programs that help to reduce emissions. A DOT performance goal for FHWA and FTA is to ensure that the average number of Clean Air Act non-attainment and maintenance areas in a conformity lapse in FY 2009 is no greater than six. In FY 2007, the average number of areas remained at zero during the entire year. 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 and FTA will fund improvement projects in States to ease congestion, reduce emissions, improve highway planning, and expand transportation options. Funds will also be used for research, technical assistance, and public education initiatives to improve air quality.
• Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 was signed into law by the President on December 19, 2007. Under Title I (known as the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act), NHTSA has the authority and responsibility to issue fuel economy standards for the 2011-2019 model years that will lead to steady progress toward the 35 mpg mandate in 2020. The Act also requires NHTSA to partner with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct an evaluation of the technologies and costs associated with establishing fuel economy standards for medium and heavy duty trucks (single unit trucks and tractor trailers). These vehicles have never been evaluated or regulated by the Government for fuel efficiency. The Act also requires NHTSA to implement a rule that requires manufacturers to label additional fuel economy information on new vehicles. Additionally, the Act requires NHTSA to develop and propose a new consumer information program for replacement tires to educate consumers about the effect of tires on fuel efficiency, safety, and durability.
• Reduce the risk of hazardous liquid pipeline spills in high consequence areas. The budget request includes $25.9 million for PHMSA and its State partners to help reduce the number of hazardous liquid pipeline spills in high consequence areas in FY 2009 to 49 or fewer. To reduce pipeline failures, thereby reducing hazardous liquids spills from pipelines, PHMSA reviews the compliance of all hazardous liquid pipeline operators subject to PHMSA’s integrity management program (IMP) and invests in research and technology to strengthen industry’s ability to effectively manage pipeline integrity. PHMSA will increase oversight of low pressure pipelines in environmentally sensitive rural areas and increase oversight of Alaska pipelines. These initiatives support the National Energy Policy for energy infrastructure growth by improving the integrity of, and public confidence in, existing pipeline infrastructure.
• Limit Exposure to Aviation Noise. The budget request includes $276.8 million for FAA in FY 2009 to ensure that the number of people in the United States who are exposed to significant aircraft noise levels — a Day/Night Average Sound Level of 65 decibels or more — continues to decline. FAA will address the environmental impacts of airport projects, primarily aircraft noise. FAA will also provide expertise and funding to assist in abating the impacts of aircraft noise in neighborhoods surrounding airports by purchasing land, relocating persons and businesses, soundproofing residential homes or buildings used for educational and medical purposes, purchasing noise barriers and monitors, and researching new noise prediction and abatement models and new technologies. The FY 2009 request includes $10 million in new RE&D funding for the Continuous Low Emissions, Energy and Noise Technologies program to accelerate the introduction of quieter and cleaner technology in commercial fleets, and to initiate a NextGen Environmental Management System.
• Alternative Fuels. For FY 2009, $0.5 million is requested for RITA to continue its efforts, in concert with the Department of Energy and other partners, to design safe handling, transport and storage guidelines for hydrogen fuels. This will enable the development of a deployable hydrogen fuel infrastructure and help reduce green house gas emissions and dependence on petroleum products for our transportation energy source. Included in this environmental stewardship effort is the ability to contribute to the creation of a hydrogen economy; to help establish safety codes for emergency responders that will enable effective and safe responses to hydrogen emergencies; to enhance the development of codes supporting biofuel production and transport; to support biofuels sustainability; to provide leadership in Transportation’s climate change research; and to inform policy and program planning. FTA also continues to provide incentives for transit operators to acquire or rehabilitate buses with biodiesel or hybrid electric propulsion systems.
• Clean Up DOT Facilities. The budget request includes funding in FY 2009 to ensure that the percentage of DOT facilities categorized as No Further Remedial Action Planned under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) is no less than 93 percent in FY 2009. Facility cleanup will comply with the SARA process and the requirements of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan. A “worst first” prioritization system is used to assign higher 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. In addition, MARAD conducts an obsolete ship disposal program in support of DOT’s strategy to improve DOT-owned or controlled facilities. In 2009, MARAD proposes to remove 14 ships from the reserve ship fleet sites for disposal, and to continue nuclear license management for the inactive Nuclear Ship SAVANNAH.

Improve timeliness of environmental review for federally funded infrastructure projects

• Improve Project Review Efficiency. The budget request includes funding to streamline the completion of an environmental impact statement or environmental assessment on all infrastructure projects. Executive Order 13274 contains a mandate for DOT to reduce the decision-making time required for transportation infrastructure projects. Environmental reviews consume a significant amount of time in project review and final decisions. A key challenge to DOT’s stewardship of the environment vis-à-vis the Nation’s transportation system is to strike a better balance between adding capacity and doing so with the smallest reasonable impact on the human and natural environment. Executive Order 12898 directs each Federal agency to identify and address disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities on minority and low-income populations consistent with existing authorities, such as the National Environmental Policy Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. DOT’s Environmental Justice policy incorporates these considerations in all DOT programs, policies, and activities.

DOT’s Environmental Stewardship Performance Budget is distributed as follows: