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1INTRODUCTION Most climate scientists agree that climate change has been occurring in scientifi cally measurable ways since the fi rst stages of industrialization and that it will likely become even more pronounced in future years. In the past several years, an ever-increasing number of state and local offi cials have begun to examine how activities in their juris- dictions can contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Hundreds of U.S. cities have joined national consortia whose aim is to take action with respect to climate change. Many states have formed regional climate initiatives and have developed indi- vidual statewide climate action plans (often with little or no input from state transpor- tation offi cials). Most of these state, regional, and local plans have identifi ed specifi c GHG reduction targets for the transportation sector and specifi c strategies to achieve these targets. Almost all these efforts identify the transportation sector as an important area in which GHG reductions can be achieved. National inventories suggest that the trans- portation sector contributes approximately 28% of the U.S. GHG emissions, with roadway vehicles constituting 82% of transportation GHG emissions. These are national percentages, with signifi cantly higher transportation shares in states that rely heavily on hydropower and other low-carbon electricity. Most importantly, the GHG emissions from the transportation sector have been growing at a much faster rate than emissions from other sectors. As owners, operators, and regulators of much of the nationâs transportation system, transportation agencies are well-positioned in the public policy arena and in public infrastructure decision making to contribute to efforts at reducing GHG emis- sions. Although many of the most effective strategies for achieving such emissions reductions will likely come from national vehicle and fuel standards, many agencies 1 INCORPORATING GHG EMISSIONS INTO COLLABORATIVE DECISION MAKING: A PRACTITIONERS GUIDE
2PRACTITIONERS GUIDE TO INCORPORATING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS INTO THE COLLABORATIVE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS and groups are looking at the use and performance of the transportation system as another opportunity for emissions reductions. This Practitioners Guide presents suggested approaches for considering GHG emissions in transportation planning and decision making. The material is structured around the decision guide that was developed for the Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP 2) series of projects aimed at incorporating a collaborative decision- making approach throughout the entire transportation decision process or targeted on specific issues. The decision guide and corresponding information on a variety of topical issues for transportation officials are available on the Transportation for Communities: Advancing Projects Through Partnerships (TCAPP) website. It is important to recognize the different settings and institutional environments within which decision making occurs. At the level of state government, there are wide variations in public awareness of climate change, transportation program size, financial capacity, mix of urban and rural areas, and transportation planning experi- ence. In urban areas, many small metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) lack experience in extensive planning, and a multifaceted decision-making process often does not occur. Rural areas are another context in which institutional capacity and decision-making options differ markedly from those found at the state or large urban level. Similarly, analysts and transportation officials who have not been engaged in the air quality analysis mandated by conformity requirements usually have very different capabilities in such efforts than those who have. Hence, users of this guide should view the information on data, methods, and strategies as being appropriate for varying levels of analysis, some applicable to their circumstance, and some not. The SHRP 2 decision guide focuses on four major decision-making contexts: long-range transportation planning, programming, corridor planning, and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) project development and permitting. Most trans- portation agencies are involved with many more types of decisions, such as system and operations management, congestion management, and modal planning. Although such planning and decision making are not explicitly considered in this guide, many of the methods and approaches discussed are appropriate for assessing the GHG emis- sions impacts and benefits of different types of strategies. This guide benefited greatly from the participation of many transportation prac- titioners who reviewed the material. In particular, state department of transportation (DOT)âsponsored workshops were held in Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Washington State that provided important feedback on the usefulness and presenta- tion of the material. ORGANIZATION Chapter 2 presents the overall decision framework for guiding the reader to an under- standing of when and how GHG emissions can be considered in planning and decision making. Users should determine which decision contextâlong-range planning, pro- gramming, corridor planning, or project development and permittingâis most relevant to their situation and use the information from the appropriate parts of this section.
3PRACTITIONERS GUIDE TO INCORPORATING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS INTO THE COLLABORATIVE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS Each decision point uses the following template in presenting useful information to the user. The specific consideration of GHG emissions in that particular decision point is explained. The linkage between the GHG role in that decision point and how it relates to other decision points in the framework are described, and key questions that analysts should ask themselves are presented. Finally, the type of information that will be necessary to answer these questions is provided. Users of this guide can thus focus on a particular decision point and obtain infor- mation on how GHG emissions can be considered in that decision; alternatively, they can trace the role of GHG emissions analysis through different decision-making processes. Chapter 3 describes methods and approaches that can be used for considering GHG emissions in different decision-making contexts. The section is organized in a way that allows users to identify how GHG emissions can be considered through the planning process or pinpoint specific approaches for individual planning tasks. The annotated bibliography that follows Chapter 3 provides a description of use- ful references for those researching more specific approaches and methods for analyz- ing GHG emissions. Appendix A serves as a reference document for users who wish to have more infor- mation on different technical aspects of GHG emissions analysis. Key Question Template GHG Consideration Integration of GHG considerations into � Information Transfer Among Key Decision Points The decisions made at LRP-1 are transferred to LRP-2 to support � Questions What is the scope of GHG emissions to be � Technical Information Needed to Answer Questions Technical information needed at this key decision point involves a review of existing or readily available tools and data resources available to the agency to support the preferred mechanism and scope for integrating GHGs into the long-range plan. ⢠Emissions source(s) to � ⢠Transportation mode(s) to � ⢠Analysis results that �
