Handbook on Applying Environmental Benchmarking in Freight Transportation (2012)

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N A T I O N A L C O O P E R A T I V E F R E I G H T R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M NCFRP REPORT 21 Subscriber Categories Environment  •  Freight Transportation Handbook on Applying Environmental Benchmarking in Freight Transportation Larry O’Rourke Pepper Santalucia Andrew Papson Jennifer Brickett Eric Beshers Candace Cronin ICF InternatIonal Fairfax, VA John A. Gentle John Gentle assoCIates Toledo, OH Edgar Blanco MassaChusetts InstItute oF teChnoloGy Cambridge, MA TRANSPORTAT ION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2012 www.TRB.org  Research sponsored by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE FREIGHT RESEARCH PROGRAM America’s freight transportation system makes critical contributions to the nation’s economy, security, and quality of life. The freight transportation system in the United States is a complex, decentralized, and dynamic network of private and public entities, involving all modes of transportation—trucking, rail, waterways, air, and pipelines. In recent years, the demand for freight transportation service has been increasing fueled by growth in international trade; however, bottlenecks or congestion points in the system are exposing the inadequacies of current infrastructure and operations to meet the growing demand for freight. Strategic operational and investment decisions by governments at all levels will be necessary to maintain freight system performance, and will in turn require sound technical guidance based on research. The National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) is a cooperative research program sponsored by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) under Grant No. DTOS59-06-G-00039 and administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB). The program was authorized in 2005 with the passage of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). On September 6, 2006, a contract to begin work was executed between RITA and The National Academies. The NCFRP will carry out applied research on problems facing the freight industry that are not being adequately addressed by existing research programs. Program guidance is provided by an Oversight Committee comprised of a representative cross section of freight stakeholders appointed by the National Research Council of The National Academies. The NCFRP Oversight Committee meets annually to formulate the research program by identifying the highest priority projects and defining funding levels and expected products. Research problem statements recommending research needs for consideration by the Oversight Committee are solicited annually, but may be submitted to TRB at any time. Each selected project is assigned to a panel, appointed by TRB, which provides technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. Heavy emphasis is placed on including members representing the intended users of the research products. The NCFRP will produce a series of research reports and other products such as guidebooks for practitioners. Primary emphasis will be placed on disseminating NCFRP results to the intended end-users of the research: freight shippers and carriers, service providers, suppliers, and public officials. Published reports of the NATIONAL COOPERATIVE FREIGHT RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet at: http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore Printed in the United States of America NCFRP REPORT 21 Project NCFRP 27 ISSN 1947-5659 ISBN 978-0-309-25875-3 Library of Congress Control Number 2012953-767 © 2012 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. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) 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, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FTA, RITA, or PHMSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not- for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the National Cooperative Freight 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 panel 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 panel 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 National Cooperative Freight 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 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 the 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 achievements 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 Transporta- tion Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, 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 Transportation, and other organizations and individu- als interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S CRP STAFF FOR NCFRP REPORT 21 Christopher W. Jenks, Director, Cooperative Research Programs Crawford F. Jencks, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs William C. Rogers, Senior Program Officer Charlotte Thomas, Senior Program Assistant Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications Hilary Freer, Senior Editor NCFRP PROJECT 27 PANEL Freight Research Projects Nathan Huynh, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (Chair) Christina S. Casgar, San Diego Association of Governments, San Diego, CA Tom Kear, Cambridge Systematics, Inc., Oakland, CA Mark Stehly, White Bear Lake, MN Anne Strauss-Wieder, A. Strauss-Wieder, Inc., Westfield, NJ Steven Beningo, RITA Liaison David J. Carlson, FHWA Liaison Ken Adler, US Environmental Protection Agency Liaison Christine Gerencher, TRB Liaison

NCFRP Report 21: Handbook on Applying Environmental Benchmarking in Freight Trans- portation identifies and evaluates approaches that can be used by public and private entities to estimate, monitor, and reduce freight emissions and impacts across the supply chain by examining how benchmarking can be used as a management tool in the freight and logistics industry to promote environmental performance. The handbook provides a step-by-step overview of the benchmarking process and describes a framework for applying this process to freight carriers, shippers, and freight hubs. The freight sector is increasingly recognized as a major source of air pollution. As such, public agencies are rapidly developing policies and programs to reduce related emissions and are challenged to maximize the environmental benefits of public investments. The private sector, including shippers and carriers, is also working to decrease emissions and meet expectations. In addition to complex, resource-intensive freight emissions models and studies currently undertaken by public agencies, many think that other tools are needed. Benchmarking presents an efficient approach to reducing freight emissions and impacts because it can accelerate improvements by eliminating the trial and error process. Under NCFRP Project 27, ICF International was asked to (1) review existing environ- mental benchmarking practices and standards as well as best practices in freight, logistics, and other industries that are relevant to environmental benchmarking; (2) develop a glos- sary of key environmental benchmarking terms, including such properties as geographical coverage, freight mode, overall supply chain, public and private environmental goals, and metrics; (3) develop a general framework for environmental benchmarking and describe how it can be applied to freight systems within specific geographical scales and how it can be applied for supply chains, freight modes, and facilities; (4) describe how industry bench- marking has been an economically efficient and practical tool for improving industry in areas such as safety and quality; (5) conduct case studies, verified through industry interviews, that discuss the applicability, outcomes, benefits, challenges and implications of applying the benchmarking framework; and (6) develop a handbook that identifies and evaluates approaches that can be used by public and private entities to estimate, monitor, and reduce freight emissions and impacts across the supply chain and creates a framework to apply environmental benchmarking to addressing air quality impacts of freight transportation. F O R E W O R D By William C. Rogers Staff Officer Transportation Research Board

1 Chapter 1 Introduction 2 Chapter 2 Air Quality and Climate Change Impacts  of Freight Transportation 2 2.1 Criteria Air Pollutants 5 2.2 Greenhouse Gases 6 2.3 Air Toxics 7 Chapter 3 Environmental Benchmarking: Overview of the Process and Benefits 8 3.1 What Are the Benefits of Environmental Benchmarking? 10 Chapter 4  Steps in Benchmarking Process 10 4.1 Planning 19 4.2 Analysis 23 4.3 Integration 25 4.4 Action 26 4.5 Maturity 30 Chapter 5 Benchmarking Framework for Addressing  Air Quality Impacts of Freight Transportation 30 5.1 Benchmarking Framework Overview 34 5.2 Types of Indicators and Metrics 36 Chapter 6  Environmental Benchmarking Approaches  and Metrics by Sector 36 6.1 Truck Carriers 39 6.2 Rail Carriers 42 6.3 Air Carriers 44 6.4 Marine Carriers 48 6.5 Marine Ports 50 6.6 Airports 52 6.7 Shippers and Receivers 55 Chapter 7 Benchmarking Implementation Issues 55 7.1 Customer Demands 55 7.2 Cost and Level of Commitment 56 7.3 Obtaining Comparative Data 58 Appendix A  Glossary 63 Appendix B  Benchmarking Programs 70 Appendix C  Additional Resources C O N T E N T S Note: Many of the photographs, figures, and tables in this report have been converted from color to grayscale for printing. The electronic version of the report (posted on the Web at www.trb.org) retains the color versions.