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| Documents/DOT/4: ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP |
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Promote transportation solutions that enhance communities and protect the natural and built environment. Other Information: We will continue to work toward a balance between environmental challenges and the need for a safe and efficient transportation network. Current data reveal that transportation is exerting significant pressure on the environment world-wide. Commercial and personal transportation have grown substantially in recent years and are projected to increase in the future despite higher prices for petroleum and warnings about climate change. Our Environmental Stewardship goal describes how we will reduce pollution and other adverse effects from transportation to protect the environment. OUTCOMES 1. Reduction in pollution and other adverse environmental effects from transportation and transportation facilities 2. Streamlined environmental review of transportation infrastructure projects STRATEGIES Current data reveal that transportation is exerting significant pressure on the environment worldwide. Commercial and personal transportation have grown substantially in recent years and are projected to increase in the future despite higher prices for petroleum and warnings about climate change. Over the past 20 years however, contributions of emissions from on-road mobile sources relative to all emissions have been rapidly declining. The downward trend in on-road mobile source emissions is expected to continue through 2030 as a result of the introduction of cleaner engines and fuels. Though solid progress has been made to reduce airborne threats, more needs to be done to improve air quality. At the current rate of growth, transportation’s share of humanproduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. is projected to increase from 28 percent currently to 36 percent by 2020. DOT is working to achieve a balance between environmental challenges and the need for a safe and efficient transportation network. DOT’s National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America’s Transportation Network recognized the environmental impact of congestion. The Strategy cited emissions from trucks stalled in traffic and from airplanes circling over crowded airports as adverse environmental effects resulting from congestion. In 2006, the Department asked the Congress to take prompt action to authorize the reform of fuel economy standards for passenger automobiles for the first time. The Administration has shown strong leadership on fuel economy. The Department raised the light truck and sport utility vehicle standards twice in the last four years, including a rulemaking that will save nearly 11 billion gallons of gasoline, eliminate incentives to make lighter, and therefore more dangerous vehicles, and encourage all manufacturers to deploy fuel saving technologies. DOT established the Center for Climate Change and Environmental Forecasting (the Center) in 1999 to be the focal point within DOT for information and technical expertise on transportation and climate change, and for coordinating related research, policies, and actions. The Center promotes comprehensive multimodal approaches to reduce GHG emissions and to prepare for the effects of climate change on the transportation system. DOT also participates in the Administration’s Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) and Climate Change Technology Initiative. One of DOT’s efforts is focused on how to best provide climate science information to transportation decision makers. DOT’s Climate Center is conducting one of the 21 synthesis and assessment projects under the CCSP: Impacts of Climate Variability and Change on Transportation Systems and Infrastructure - Gulf Coast Study. This work, which has three phases, will also fulfill a requirement of Section 106 of the Global Climate Research Act. Phase I will be completed by the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2007. RESOURCES Below we present our strategies for achieving our environmental stewardship goals. The human resources, programs, capital assets, information technology and other resources described in DOT's Annual Performance Budgets are needed to achieve our outcomes for environmental stewardship and to execute the strategies presented below. The schedule for executing these strategies extends from fiscal year 2006 through fiscal year 2011. EXTERNAL FACTORS Both demographic trends and obstacles to intermodalism could affect our ability to achieve our environmental stewardship goal in the years covered by this Strategic Plan. DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS Demographic trends work against our ability to achieve our environmental goal of reducing pollution and other adverse environmental effects from transportation. Within the next 25 years, the U.S. population is estimated to grow to 364 million, up from 282 million in 2000. Vehicle miles of travel (VMT) is projected to increase by approximately 60 percent from 2000 to 2030 leading to more emissions even with vehicles that are increasingly fuel efficient. Travel by air for leisure and business purposes is also expected to increase with resulting pollution from aircraft emissions and noise. Because of demographic pressures, trucks will be an increasing part of the traffic stream and will make a greater contribution to environmental problems. OBSTACLES TO INTERMODALISM Persistent obstacles to efficient intermodal connections in the U.S. such as the high cost of intermodal infrastructure projects, localized opposition to new transportation development, and the stovepipe organizational structure of public transportation agencies impede our ability to improve connection points within the U.S. and to the global transportation network. If this situation persists, intermodal congestion, which increases air pollution from transportation sources, will get worse. Objective(s):
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