Talking Freight PresentationMarch 21, 2012
Freight Movement & Air Quality: Extending the Freight Planning
Agenda
Rebecca Watts HullMothers & Others
for Clean Air
Alan JonesTennessee Department of
Transportation
Freight Movement & Air Quality
SEDC and the Freight Mobility Committee
Diesel Emissions & Nonattainment
Diesel Emissions & Public Health
Freight Movement "Hotspots"
Reducing Emissions from Freight
SEDC & Freight Planning Committee
• Southeast Diesel Collaborative (SEDC): A voluntary, public-private partnership of leaders from federal, state and local government, the private sector and other stakeholders working together to reduce diesel emissions.
• SEDC is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Clean Diesel Campaign.
• SEDC Freight Planning Committee:
Formed in 2010 to identify and pursue strategies for integrating air quality and exposure reduction into freight planning
Spurred by anticipated increase in goods movements in the region due to projected freight growth & Panama Canal expansion
Diesel Emissions & Nonattainment
The Southeast ContextMany counties in Southeast nonattainment for PM 2.5 and/or ozoneNew designations coming for 1997 ozone standardMore stringent ozone standard likely in a few years (70 ppb or less)Two factors will increase freight-related emissions
• Projected growth in national freight volumeo Studies estimate over 2% a year
• Increased freight volume in SE region due to Panama Canal expansion
“Legacy” fleet of 20 million diesel enginesCompanies delaying truck replacementFleet turnover to cleaner engines will take years
Diesel Emissions & Public Health
Nationally, diesel exhaust poses a cancer risk that is 3 times higher than the risk from the 181 air toxics tracked by EPA combined. (CATF)
Source: Clean Air Task Force, Diesel and Health in America: The Lingering Threat, 2006
Diesel soot particle
Diesel Emissions & Public Health
Fine Particulate Matter: Complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets
Ultra-Fine Particulate Matter: Even smallerNot yet regulated but may be even more dangerous
PM2.5
(2.5 µm)PM10
(10µm)
Human hair cross section (70 µm)
M. Lipsett, California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
Diesel exhaust is a major source of fine and ultrafine PM
Diesel Emissions & Public Health
• Increased rates of asthma• Reduced lung function
growth• More ER visits and higher mortality for people
with asthma• Emphysema, bronchitis,
pneumonia, sinusitis
Respiratory Disease
• Nervous system impairment• Stroke• Increased circulatory and
cardiovascular risk for diabetics
Additional RisksHeart
Disease
Cancers• Lung cancer
• Bladder cancer
In Utero• Slowed fetal growth• DNA damage• Infant mortality
Diesel Emissions & Public Health
Who is affected?• Children & seniors• People with respiratory and cardiac illnesses• People living, working or commuting near
“hotspots”– Highways and busy intersections– Rail yards, airports, marine ports, bus
terminals– Commuters (bus and diesel train riders,
pedestrians, cyclists and car passengers)
Who is affected?
Goods movement (rail and truck) is not evenly distributed
Who is affected?Health risks from diesel soot are closely associated with goods movement
Courtesy of Clean Air Task ForceDiesel Health Risk
Lowest Impact Highest Impact
Freight movement "Hotspots"
Ports and distribution
centers
Freight movement "Hotspots"
FreightCorridors
Freight movement "Hotspots"
Freight corridors may pass very close to schools, senior centers,
businesses--
One-third of U.S. public schools are located close enough to major roadways for exposure to air pollution to be a concern. How many of these “major roadways” are freight corridors?
Appatova, Alexandra S., Ryan, P. H., LeMasters, G. K., Grinshpun, S. A., 2008. Proximal exposure of public schools and students to major roadways: a nationwide US survey. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 51 (5), 631-646.
Freight Movement "Hotspots"
Distribution Centers
Rail yards
Urban FreightCenters
Freight movement "Hotspots"
How Close is Too Close (to roadway diesel emissions)? Health Effects Institute: <500 meters (1640 feet) CHPAC: Screen ½ mile; exclude site if closer
than 1,000 feet California law: Schools cannot be built < 500 feet from busy
roadway/highway
Image courtesy of Clean Air Task Force
Freight Planning AQ Solutions: Big Picture
Air quality as part of freight planning at every level
Make air quality improvement a major goal of all freight planning efforts
Transportation agencies’ goal of reducing congestion is complementary to the goal of reducing diesel emissions
Identify opportunities during freight planning for air quality improvements
Emphasize strategies that address freight bottlenecks and heavily traveled corridors
Elevate the funding priority of projects that address bottlenecks
Freight Planning Air Quality Solutions
Examples: Staying Ahead of Capacity to Reduce Bottlenecks; encouraging mode shift
Georgia Ports AuthorityInvesting $36 million in rail infrastructure expansion
Miami-Dade County, USDOT, FDOT & FEC Investing $49 million in Freight/Rail Restoration: avoiding 34 million gallons of fuel over next 20 years
Freight Planning AQ Solutions: Big Picture
Green Corridors Green corridors an SEDC (regional) priority
Help establish green infrastructure along interstate corridors to reduce environmental impacts
Establish biofuel infrastructure to increase biofuel availability (e.g., B20 biodiesel blend)
Provide incentives for truck stop electrification and auxiliary power units to reduce extended idling
Electric vehicle charging infrastructure
Freight Planning AQ Solutions: State/MPO
Areas where people live and work: Inhabitants of buildings located closer than 300 m to the edge of the road may be exposed to roadway exhaust.
Pedestrian traffic volume: Reducing truck traffic in areas with heavy pedestrian use can alleviate safety concerns as well as air pollution exposures.
Commuter traffic volume: Avoiding heavy commuter routes or encouraging off-peak use of the highways & interstates can reduce congestion and also diesel exhaust exposures for car passengers (some cities have designated car-only roads).
Integrating AQ Considerations into Planning•MPOS and state freight plans should take into consideration the following, when developing freight routes and plans:
Freight Planning Air Quality Solutions
Communities with a high proportion of young children, seniors, or a combination of the two, should receive special consideration.
Roadways with schools and day care facilities located in close proximity to traffic are not good options for freight corridors.
Reducing Local Exposures Miami-Dade County example: Density of senior citizens was
considered in prioritizing waste hauler retrofits
>10,000
5-10K
5-10K
>10,000
Reducing Exposures: Mitigation
Roadway configuration affects downwind exposures
Vegetative barriers may reduce fine and ultrafine PM exposures
Strategic location of air intakes and the use of filtration devices on buildings can reduce exposure to occupants living near heavy freight corridors
If there are no good alternatives for redirecting a freight route, in some cases exposures can be mitigated.
Improving Air Quality: Opportunities
Survey state, local and regional transportation agencies for existing studies identifying trucking patterns and needs
Identify strategic locations for truck parking facilities and seek competitive funding opportunities as a region
Develop comprehensive recommendations to include in all MPO and state freight mobility plans
Improve integration of MPO, state and regional planning
Continue federal funding to speed up emission reductions through retrofit projects
Partner with communities disproportionately affected to problem-solve local challenges
Improving Air Quality: Opportunities
Develop virtual freight networks as part of ITS and Transportation System Management and Operations• Establish software application to provide “load matching”
for shippers and truckers to alleviate “deadheading” of empty trucks
Establish performance measures (e.g., VMT reduction) and emissions reductions monitoring
Support clustering of distribution center facilities to support more rail/intermodal use and economic development• Zoning laws and incentives• Innovative strategies such as off-peak delivery
schemes or ship to rail projects that eliminate need for drayage truck operations
Contact Information
Thank you for your interest and attention!
Rebecca Watts HullMothers & Others for Clean [email protected]
Alan JonesTennessee Department of TransportationLong Range Planning [email protected]