A Transportation Research Program for Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change and Conserving Energy Special Report 299 (2009) / Chapter Skim
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2 Existing Transportation Research Programs Addressing Climate Change and Energy Conservation
2 Existing Transportation Research Programs Addressing Climate Change and Energy Conservation
Pages 11-26
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From page 11... ...
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Most of the R&D activities within USDOT are funded and organized by mode; thus, this section reviews the modal administration programs addressing climate change and energy conservation separately.
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From page 12... ...
The study will also develop risk-assessment tools to assist metropolitan planning organizations and other infrastructure investment decision makers in prioritizing resources and facilities that need protection, accommodation, or relocation.4 Examples of recent, ongoing, and planned research of the center include development of models to allow comparison of modal emissions; partial support for the National Research Council (NRC) study that resulted in the report on adapting transportation to climate change (TRB 2008)
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From page 13... ...
Office of Energy and Environment Research and Development funds research on emissions characterization and impact, climate change impacts, emissions impact mitigation, aircraft technology, alternative fuels, operations, and environmental policy measures.6 Activities funded as part of the executive branch Global Change Research Program ranged between $1 million and $2 million in FY 2008 and 2009.7 FAA and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration also support research to improve engine efficiency and aircraft routing, to improve assessment of the impacts of contrails, and to develop tools and models for assessing climate impacts.8 The FY 2009 Omnibus budget legislation, finalized in early 2009, also provides funding for FAA to improve the scientific understanding of the impacts of aviation emissions on climate. Other federal agencies -- the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and EPA -- have joined FAA in an Aviation Climate Change Research Initiative (ACCRI)
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From page 14... ...
Cooperative Research Program.9 Also allocated in STEP's FY 2009 research budget is $500,000 for activities that include developing and testing strategies to reduce GHG emissions, analysis of how national GHG emission reduction strategies would affect transportation, possible GHG emission reductions through reduced vehicle miles traveled (VMT) , and funding for USDOT's Climate Change and Environmental Forecasting Center.
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From page 15... ...
Illustrative Operational Programs Some of the operating programs in FHWA, as distinct from R&D programs, address goals related to climate change and energy consumption. Those designed to reduce congestion, for example, also affect vehicle fuel economy and GHG and other emissions.
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From page 16... ...
Under the goal of improving the performance of transit operations and systems, FTA has R&D under way on technologies to improve the energy efficiency of buses through the use of fuel cell and hybrid bus propulsion systems. These activities include many earmarked fuel cell and hybrid bus demonstrations funded through the capital rather than the research titles of SAFETEA-LU for FY 2006–2009.
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From page 17... ...
Shifting highway use to transit could have a much more substantial energy conservation benefit, given that passenger vehicles account for 61 percent of U.S. transportation energy consumption.
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The program funds research on topics such as traveler information systems, corridor traffic management approaches, and operational tests of technologies and systems to reduce congestion.18 RITA also manages the University Transportation Centers Program, which funds transportation educational and research programs at about 60 University Transportation Centers (UTCs)
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From page 19... ...
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY By far the largest federal investments in R&D to reduce transportation energy consumption and GHG emissions are those of DOE. Because the committee's focus in this report is on R&D most likely to be funded through USDOT, it has examined the DOE programs in less detail.
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From page 20... ...
The Vehicle Technologies Program has two major partnerships with industry to provide precompetitive research: • FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership: "The FreedomCAR and Fuel Part nership examines the pre-competitive, high-risk research needed to develop the component and infrastructure technologies necessary to enable a full range of affordable cars and light trucks, and the fueling infrastructure for them that will reduce the dependence of the nation's personal transportation system on imported oil and minimize harmful vehicle emissions, without sacrificing freedom of mobility and freedom of vehicle choice."21 R&D includes integrated systems analysis, fuel cell power systems, hydrogen storage, technologies for production and dis tribution, technical bases for codes and standards, power electronics and electric motors, lightweight materials, energy storage systems, and advanced emission control systems. The FY 2009 EERE Vehicle Tech nologies appropriation for the FreedomCar totaled $190 million, but this is apparently not the full expenditure on this program.
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From page 21... ...
. The committee responsible for the second review concluded that there are many technical barriers to be overcome before hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are competitive with internal combustion engine vehicles on the basis of cost and service.
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From page 22... ...
(Presumably a considerable portion of the hydrogen and fuel cell program expenditures are included in the FreedomCar and Fuel Partnership expenditures of $400 million cited above.) In May 2009 the Obama administration proposed shifting away from hydrogen fuel cells for transportation vehicles and emphasizing plug-in hybrids instead.
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From page 23... ...
Extensive searching of the EPA website for reports on transportation research turned up few references, most of which relate to EPA's regulation of air and water quality and to the health effects of motor vehicle emissions. EPA staff briefed the committee at its March 2, 2009, meeting and provided more detail about EPA's research.
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From page 24... ...
In its Clean Automotive Technology Program, EPA conducts research primarily to achieve ultralow pollution emissions, increase fuel efficiency, and reduce GHG emissions.30 The program strives to develop cost-effective technologies that would encourage manufacturers to produce cleaner and more fuel-efficient vehicles. EPA partners with industry to maximize the viability of targeted technologies for commercial production.
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From page 25... ...
They are useful but of too small a magnitude to bring about the changes that will be required to meet transportation energy conservation and GHG emission reduction targets. REFERENCES Abbreviations NRC National Research Council TRB Transportation Research Board Brasseur, G
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From page 26... ...
2009. Review of the Federal Railroad Administration Research and Development Program: Letter Report.
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