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Racial Equity and Environmental Justice Key Focus in Latest Grant Program

July 23, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Projects focusing on “racial equity, environmental justice, and access to opportunity” have been requested by a Federal Highway Administration grant program–a particular course of action that hasn’t been taken until now.

Specifically, the FHWA’s Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment program is planning to allocate $60 million in funding for these kinds of projects, and, in its recent announcement, noted that it has strong backing for technologies working to lower fuel emissions, like electric-vehicle charging technology and infrastructure.

Now, projects working with these kinds of innovations will be highly considered for this grant funding.

“The department has added areas of interested to the [Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment] program application process to be more aligned with administration priorities that include building equity into the transportation system, increasing access to jobs, schools, and businesses, and tackling the climate crisis,” explained a spokesperson for the FHWA.

These new areas of focus come in alignment with President Joe Biden’s recent executive order that requested an overall review of the regulations set forth in regards to the environment during Donald Trump’s presidential term, as Biden now plans to move forward with the intention of placing heavier focus upon environmental justice, and especially upon lowering amounts of greenhouse fuel emissions within the country’s minority and low-income communities and regions.

Biden’s latest sweeping executive order will aim to make “environmental justice a part of the mission of every agency by directing federal agencies to develop programs, policies, and activities to address the disproportionate health, environmental, economic, and climate impacts on disadvantaged communities.”

These efforts are only the beginning of actions being taken in regards to tackling the climate crisis, especially in regards to the transportation industry, noted American Trucking Associations’ environmental affairs council, Glen Kedzie.

“This is just another example of what federal agencies are planning on doing going forward to address environmental justice,” he said. “This is not the last.”

To follow in line with President Biden’s order in relation to boosting environmental justice and racial equity, Kedzie believes many federal agencies will be finding more innovative and creative ways to approach these efforts.

“Obviously, one of the key areas the agency will probably look at will be those frequented by trucking,” he explained. “They include the areas around ports [and] the areas around rail yards and warehouses. The housing stock around industrial-zoned areas is not the same as living in the suburbs.”

Originally, the innovative grants program through the FHWA–established under 2015’s Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act–aimed to boost public travel safety, improve transportation system performance, and lower overall traffic congestion. Since 2016, the grant program has offered more than $256 million to these kinds of projects across the United States.

Now, with President Biden’s mandate aiming to bring justice to the the low-income and minority communities that disproportionately endure living in areas with large sources of pollution, this kind of racial equity is a major priority for the program.

“The federal government has failed to meet that commitment in the past; it must advance environmental justice,” said the executive order.

In 2021, two of the seven areas with grant opportunities will prioritize technologies in the transportation industry that include “climate change and environmental justice impacts,” as well as certain investments that “proactively address racial equity and barriers to opportunity.”

Projects that are successful in proposing their intentions and plans to focus on these topics have a high chance of being awarded significant funding.

“Projects should directly support climate action plans or apply environmental justice screening tools in the planning stage,” said the program’s announcement statement. “Projects should reduce emissions, promote energy efficiency, incorporate electrification or zero emission vehicle infrastructure, increase resiliency, or recycle existing infrastructure.”

Those eligible to apply include transit agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, state departments of transportation, and local government groups. Partnerships within private sector groups are also encouraged, and the closing date for application is August 23rd, 2021.

Heat Waves Affect Trucking Companies Across U.S.

July 23, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Many states across the U.S. are enduring extreme heat waves following an already hotter-than-usual month of June. Still, these states are determined to keep trucking operations moving as usual.

“While we can’t control the weather, we can control what we do,” tweeted the governor of Montana recently. “Remember to use caution when working or recreating outdoors.”

In Montana, Governor Greg Gianforte has declared a state-of-emergency throughout the state for fire and drought conditions; this declaration also implements regulatory relief for truck drivers. Specifically, commercial vehicle drivers offering services to fire suppression efforts during dangerous fire conditions as well as those helping with the transportation of water, forage, and agriculture implements during drought conditions will be granted hours-of-service requirement flexibility under the executive order.

In Thompson Falls, Montana, on the west side of the state, mid-July temperatures have reached highs of around 95 degrees.

According to Gianforte’s office, around 91% of the state of Montana has been experiencing “abnormally dry to extreme” drought conditions since last month. During this same period in 2020, only about half of the state was undergoing these kinds of conditions.

“Every region of the state faces severe to extreme drought conditions, and the situation is getting worse,” said the governor.

In Las Vegas, temperatures have reached as high as 113 degrees, and Redding, California has seen highs of around 100 degrees this month. Temperatures in Idaho have been hitting around 101 degrees in mid-July and have stayed nearly as high lately, especially in areas around Boise.

Because these highs are nearly unprecedented in many areas, safety consideration information has been sent to members of the Idaho Trucking Association with precautions for truck drivers, telling them to stay as rested and hydrated as possible.

“Everybody’s been running their business as usual,” said Idaho Trucking Association President, Allen Hodges. “At the same time, people have been taking precautions because of the heat.”

Idaho is gearing up for potential 100-degree days or higher in August, Hodges said, and the Association–located west of Boise in Meridian, Idaho–has already seen temperatures of at least 98 degrees.

In Arizona, one of the hottest states in the country, temperatures have already followed an “early heating trend,” reaching up to 117 degrees in June–which isn’t even the hottest month of year, noted Tony Bradly, President of the Arizona Trucking Association. The Association is based in Tolleson, an area the National Weather Service predicts will reach temperatures of at least 111 degrees throughout the month of July.

“We’re fairly used to being on the surface of the sun,” said Bradley, who added that he made sure to remind drivers to keep their tire pressure in mind when operating in such extreme conditions.

“You want to make sure that your tire pressure is correct, because if your tire pressure is low, that could lead to blowouts,” he said.

Pre-trip inspections are key during times like these, and making sure anti-idle devices and coolant hoses are working properly is vitally important, explained California Trucking Association and Liberty Linehaul West Inc. president, Greg Dubuque.

Additionally, truckers should take note that the big windows on large trucks can allow in a lot of heat and sunlight–so skin protection should be a priority. He even goes as far as to tell drivers to position their trucks toward the west if they are parking in a rest area overnight.

“With more glass in the cab of the truck, there’s more sunlight coming in, bringing more heat,” during the sunrise, and in general, Dubuque noted.

When trucks are hauling goods that can be affected negatively by high temperatures–like crops or livestock–truckers should be sure to do their loading and unloading when temperatures are at their lowest during the morning and evening. Carriers must make sure the arrival of living goods is done as safely and healthily as possible, explained American Trucking Associations’ Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference executive director, Jon Samson.

Idaho, North Dakota, Nevada, and California, which are all enduring extreme heat right now, have not yet been issued any restrictions or guidance from their transportation agencies regarding their freight loads being shipped during this time.

Hazmat Transport Needs Boosts, PHMSA Says

July 21, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

In an effort to improve hazardous material transportation methods, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is looking for insight regarding innovative research and advancement techniques.

Because new standards on transportation for things like aerosols and explosives (in small quantities) as well as for non-bulk and bulk packaging are highly needed, the Administration is specifically requesting new ideas on the research of safer shipment methods. Additionally, the agency is calling for further research into dissolved gases in liquids and their hazards, along with the regulation of particular quantities and types of hazardous materials that comprise these kinds of shipments.

“PHMSA is soliciting research ideas from the public for hazardous materials transportation safety,” announced the agency in a recent tweet. “All submissions should relate to one of the five research topics…the best proposals may be awarded federal funding.”

PHMSA will award this funding through “Broad Agency Announcement,” grants that will range anywhere from $250,000 to $2 million for this research. “White papers” consisting of this new testing and data analysis must be sent to PHMSA by the end of the day on August 24th, according to the agency’s announcement.

PHMSA works to create regulatory standards for the handling, packaging, and even classifying of hazardous material shipments and their transportation throughout the country; these shipments make up more than 1 million of the United States’ daily total shipments. Now, the agency is cracking down on reducing the number of potential risks brought about by this kind of transportation by making a major effort in boosting their research and technical contracts.

PHMSA has been searching for innovative classification and research projects for many years, and has recently been looking into projects regarding bulk hazardous material liquid transportation spill incidents as well as biologically-derived fuel transportation classification and standards.

Now, the agency’s top five research subjects include deregulation, explosives, aerosols, gases, and bulk and non-bulk packaging.

For deregulation, the agency explained that current data depicts some non-bulk quantities of hazardous materials making up most transport-related incidents, although the transportation of these materials doesn’t often account for any transportation interruptions or injuries. Therefore, PHMSA infers that non-bulk hazardous materials in small quantities may be presently over-regulated, and will make an effort to ascertain whether or not there are any ways to relax hazardous material transportation regulations in regards to non-bulk quantities while maintaining overall safety standards.

For explosives, current Class 1 material transportation calls for classification approval by the Department of Transportation, and PHMSA believes there may be ways to test some explosive mixtures that could be classified outside of Class 1. Therefore, the industry could see flexibility in regulation and time constraints regarding these materials.

Because aerosols are comprised of a variety of substances such as foams, powders, liquids, gases, or pastes and are still dispensed as gases or liquids, the agency is calling for research into the potential risks that could come with certain kinds of aerosols and their flammability. Additionally, the agency would find it ideal if someone may be able to properly conduct testing and analysis of aerosol flammability in certain measurements, rather than just testing which aerosols are indeed flammable.

Gases, of course, pose many risks of their own, and there are currently no criteria for determining what amount of dissolved gas in liquid can specify the material as being a distinct gas. Additionally, there are a variety of hazards that come with certain combinations of gases and liquids, like when both substances are flammable, or one is flammable and one is non-flammable. Because of this, PHMSA is looking for someone to research these criteria and find what may need to be regulated in specific manners.

Finally, with bulk and non-bulk packaging, the agency believes there needs to be a highly-researched definition, classification, performance standard, service life standard, and testing criteria in regards to how non-bulk packages are regulated. To research this, PHMSA believes researchers should analyze standards for improving criteria in certain non-bulk packages, such as cylinders.

State-by-State Infrastructure Guides Released by White House

July 20, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

By focusing on state-by-state cases of bridges and roads in dire need of reparations, the Biden Administration is working to urge republicans to ease their opposition to a bipartisan infrastructure plan. If such an agreement is reached, the administration says, its funding could help rebuild what is needed in these areas, as well as boost their broadband internet capabilities and water quality.

For the bipartisan agreement made by a group of senators, the White House is looking to achieve public backing and to convince lawmakers of the necessity of such a deal by detailing the amount of infrastructure repair needed in so many individual states across the country. Over the next few weeks, House Democrats are working to make informal negotiations to reach agreements on potential changes to be made, while Republicans are still likely to be in opposition of this bill due to its high costs.

The bipartisan bill agreement reached by the senate initially gained enough support to pass by regular order, although it saw later opposition from Republican senators after it was connected to a Democrat-backed budget bill by Biden. Still, the bill originally received backing from 21 total senators, which included 11 Republicans, and came out to propose $579 billion in new spending (or $973 billion when adding in regular maintenance spending costs).

Currently, the White House has not been able to identify the particular projects in each state that would be acted upon once that plan is officially set forth, as its framework still doesn’t have funding levels depicted on a state-by-state basis. Because of this, Congress is still negotiating specific details within each of the program’s categories.

“These state-by-state fact sheets will help folks localize the impact of these dollars, and better understand how these investments will make life better for their communities across the country,” said Emilie Simons, a spokeswoman for the White House.

“There is more work to do” to help improve living standards, reduce pollution, heal the economy, and create more jobs through the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan, according to the fact sheets. Although this new framework is a “critical step,” the fact sheets still point to the Democrats’ second bill as being a method of bringing these goals to the next level.

According to the documents, President Biden “will work with Congress to build on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework in legislation that moves in tandem, laying the foundation for a robust and equitable recovery for all Americans.”

The bipartisan Senate proposal includes $312 billion for countrywide transportation infrastructure projects–with $110 billion specifically allocated for bridges and roads. In California, 14,220 miles of highway need reparation as well as 1,536 bridges, and the state may need $51 billion to spend on drinking water infrastructure upgrades over the next two decades. Some of the framework’s funding could help cover these costs.

According to the fact sheets, Kentucky has 1,322 miles of highway needing reparations along with 1,033 bridges–and for costs in relation to roads needing repair, drivers pay around $444 a year. Still, the plan doesn’t explain exactly how much funding would be dedicated to Kentucky’s reconstruction projects.

“The need for action in Kentucky is clear” said the document. “For decades, infrastructure in Kentucky has suffered from a systemic lack of investment. In fact, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Kentucky a C- grade on its infrastructure report card.”

7,292 miles of highway and 1,702 bridges in New York are currently considered as being in poor condition, with commute times rising by 7.4% and drivers paying around $625 annually in road repair costs. Between 2010 and 2010, the state of New York endured 31 events of extreme weather that cost around $100 billion in damages, and the plan now details its intent to allocate $47 billion to boost infrastructure updates throughout the country in areas healing from natural disasters.

$905 Million Dedicated to INFRA Grants, DOT Says

July 18, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The U.S. Department of Transportation will be offering $905 million in Infrastructure for Rebuilding American program grants, announced Pete Buttigieg, along with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, at the end of June.

This grant program awards funds to certain transportation projects that are deemed nationally and regionally significant and aim to boost overall economic growth and public safety. 24 projects across 18 U.S. states will receive grants from these funds in their efforts, which include projects facilitating the improved movement of goods.

Of these funds, $46.8 million will likely be allocated to the Georgia Ports Authority for its efforts in building a new Gainesville inland container port near interstate 85 and interstate 985–the Northeast Georgia Inland Port. This will also be directly linked to the Port of Savannah by rail and will aim to lower amounts of truck-related pollution and overall carbon emissions, Buttigieg explained.

“This will be linked to Port of Savannah by direct 324-mile intermodal freight rail service and create meaningful economic opportunities in the region while also significantly reducing the vehicle miles traveled by truck,” said Buttigieg.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will also receive $30 million for its traffic flow-improving construction projects between state Routes 57 and 60. The confluence of these routes has been designated as a chokepoint, Mayor Garcetti noted. Many cargo-carrying trucks bringing goods out of Los Angeles County ports often become stuck within the congestion of this corridor, and smoothing out this traffic will help the environment much more than keeping these trucks idled in traffic, Garcetti added.

“This is not going to increase our climate emissions,” he said. “This is where, notoriously, we have accidents that sometimes will take two hours to clear. These goods have to move–period. Together with the administration, we are looking at the electrification of trucks and infrastructure. But in the meantime, we expect this to be a reduction of emissions through this grant.”

The Department of Transportation has chosen the projects for funding due to their ability to create jobs and improve local and regional economies, and has also assessed how certain projects would address issues like environmental justice and racial equity. Because of these values, around 44% of this funding has been designated to rural areas that have endured long-term underinvestment.

Pennsylvania is receiving funding for one project to improve its rural freight corridor SR 61, as well as for one project to build a multi-use berth at its Port of Philadelphia. Additionally, the South Dakota Department of Transportation will receive $62.5 million to rebuild 28 miles of interstate 90 on the eastern side of the state, which will include road surface repair and replacement as well as the addition of designated truck parking spaces in both westbound and eastbound rest stops.

Under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act of 2015, DOT must alert congressional authorizing committees in regards to the projects chosen under the INFRA grant program. Before the awards are officially finalized, the selected projects will stay with these authorizing committees for a two-month review period.

As of now, there are not yet enough resources to meet the national demand for INFRA grants–in fact, the DOT has only been able to offer funding to around one-seventh of all state projects requesting funds, Buttigieg explained. 157 applications for grants from 42 different states and Guam requested a total of $6.8 billion.

“We need to invest in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure,” said Governor Wolf. “We really need to do this. We need to return to the common attachment we all seemed to have at one point–to the idea that a robust infrastructure has always been at the heart of our national prosperity.”

The announcement of this grant comes as many lawmakers are working to reach a bipartisan infrastructure deal agreement, which was announced by a group of legislators, along with President Biden, at the end of last month.

AV Makers Must Report All Crashes, NHTSA Mandates

July 17, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Automakers must report all crashes that involve either partially automated driver-assist systems or fully autonomous vehicles, as recently ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The American government’s highway safety agency has made it clear it will be cracking down in regards to overall automated vehicle safety–more than it has in the past. Until recently, the agency had still not issued any automated tech-related regulations due to hesitancy about interfering with the adoption of these innovative safety systems.

The mandate, which was released at the end of June, will require that companies operating vehicles equipped with driver-assist systems or operating completely autonomous vehicles, as well as the vehicle and equipment manufacturers themselves, must immediately report autonomous vehicle-involved crashes that occur on public roads. If a driver-assist system was being utilized immediately before or during a crash on a public road, that crash must also be reported.

“By mandating crash reporting, the agency will have access to critical data that will help quickly identify safety issues that could emerge in these automated systems,” said Steven Cliff, Acting Administrator for NHTSA.

Through these reports, NHTSA will be able to identify safety defects and issue a defect investigation or even deploy a crash investigation team when needed. The agency has already dispatched investigation teams to analyze 31 crashes that involved partially automated driver-assist systems over the last six years. Out of those crashes, 25 in particular were using Tesla’s autopilot system and reported 10 deaths, according to the agency’s data.

These kinds of driver-assist systems are meant to help keep a vehicle at a safe distance from any vehicles in front of it as well as keep the vehicle centered in its designated lane. Still, though, most manufacturers, and Tesla itself, make sure drivers know that although the system may be operating on autopilot, they must still be alert and ready at all times to intervene when necessary. In fact, there have been instances of Teslas using the company’s autopilot system and hitting a roadway barrier, crashing into semi trucks crossing in front of them, and getting in the way of emergency vehicles.

The National Transportation Safety Board has been investigating these crashes and has recommended that Tesla, along with the NHTSA, only allow Tesla’s autopilot system to be operated in the areas where it is known to be able to safely do so. NHTSA should also mandate that Tesla develop an improved system that ensures drivers must be paying attention, the NTSB recommended. As of now, there have been no changes made by NHTSA.

These agencies are also looking into a myriad of non-fatal partially automated system-involved crashes in vehicles like a Volvo XC-90, a Lexus RX450H, and two Cadillac CT6s. Some investigative teams have also been deployed to look into a crash involving an Uber-operated Volvo XC-90 (during which a pedestrian was struck and killed), as well as a crash involving an automated Navya Arma low-speed shuttle bus.

“Collecting crash data, and hopefully data from crashes which were avoided, can help serve a variety of purposes from enforcing current laws to ensuring the safety of customers, as well as paving the way for reasonable regulations to encourage the deployment of safe advanced vehicle technology,” explained executive director for the Center for Auto Safety, Jason Levin. The Center for Auto Safety is an advocacy group and nonprofit and has been urging the NHTSA for years to implement strict oversight onto automated vehicle usage.

According to this order, companies will need to report all crashes involving partially automated vehicles or fully autonomous vehicles within one day, as long as they were serious enough to require a tow-away or involve a death, air bag deployment, hospital-treated injury, or any pedestrians or bicyclists.

Additionally, the requirement will not apply to consumers owning autonomous or partially autonomous vehicles or to the auto dealers selling these vehicles. All other crashes involving these kinds of vehicles that involve property damage or injury must be reported once a month.