Before moving onto the paper – allowed me to
offer some personal background and how I came to choose this article. TEA-21
has been a hot topic within the family since the original bill was on the floor
of Congress. In my paper we discuss the
revised TEA-21 bill.
I grew up in a family of transportation
executives. My father was VP of O'Boyle
Tank Lines. Transport Topics was a
household word as well tankers, hazmat regulations, the introduction of
anti-lock brakes (which my father spoke on in front of the ATA and DC Motor
Truck Conventions), DOT, trucking regulations and all other facets of the
industry. This led me to a career in the same industry. I have worked in the offices, warehouses,
drove the trucks, owned the trucks and managed a terminal. Through all of this; I was personally
involved with this regulation and all that TEA-21 governs.
When particulate matter collection was first
discusses in the late eighties / early nineties, my past husband objected
strenuously. He found the bill to be erroneous.
Richard told me that the emissions that they are trying to suppress are
not even produced through the burning of diesel fuel. It was a rouge effort to increase costs to
owner/operators and trucking companies while virtually obtaining nothing. This
greatly upset him and we became involved in the battle.
Over time, the "matter catcher"
evolved. Originally installed as an
aftermarket attachment to the exhaust pipes of a tractor, it caused much
controversy. This particulate trap had
to cleaned on a regular basis in order for the tractor to operate. Image stuffing a potato into a tail pipe and
expecting your car to run; well that is exactly what was occurring as the trap
filled with these fine dust particles. General cleaning time span was 30 days
but on a high mileage vehicle or "dirty" truck, weekly cleaning were
not uncommon.
This posed a real issue. This was not a quick cleaning job that a
trucker could perform. Have you seen the
height of those stacks? Generally 13' 6" or close to it. It was time intensive and costly because it
had to be done at a shop. Besides, you
could not just dump the filter or you were releasing the particles back into
the atmosphere that you were using the filter to contain. Truckers were in a
catch 22 situation. Luckily the only
state that was requiring the operation of these devices was
Well time has past and collection products
have evolved. We were concerned with the
cost of the retrofit but laws and time took care of it all. The new trucks of today are built more
efficient with such particulate collection / suppression devices as part of the
design. The new high power diesel
engines are a modern marvel compared to the small gas chuggers of low power
during my father's days behind the wheel.
The trucking industry has evolved and my
family has been there to personal experience many of the transitions. In fact my father was an innovator in the
tanking industry. He invented and developed
many of the unloading methods of dry bulk products that are in use today.
TEA-21 was a bill we fought when it was in
its original infancy. Now that it has
evolved, it is a bill I have been fighting to support. There is good in these regulations that this
bill encompasses. When the Environmental
Defense Network once again notified me it was back on the chopping board; I had
to take action. This notification came
about a day before this assignment re: a recent environmental issue was
assigned. With this much background on the subject and it being a personal
issue to this family; I only found it natural to choose it as my article of
discussion.
TEA-21 is not implemented to replace local planning. "The core
metropolitan and statewide transportation planning requirements remain intact
under TEA-21, emphasizing the role of State and local officials, in cooperation
with transit operators, in tailoring the planning process to meet metropolitan
and State transportation needs" according to the TEA-21 Summary. This bill is to offer aid thereby reducing
the financial burden on local communities for transportation related
restructuring and planning. In short, TEA-21 is designed to raise the awareness
of the growing importance of operating and managing the transportation system
as a focal point for transportation planning.
Through the funding offered under this bill; new highway programs much
like the twenty lane I-10 expansion project in Houston (http://www.texasfreeway.com/houston/schematics/i10/i10.shtml); replicating the highway
structures found near Los Angeles, can
be completed thereby relieving rush hour congestion and reducing pollution for
vehicle emissions.
New amendments to the bill in front of Congress are the inclusion of
efforts to further ensure the involvement of local officials primarily of
non-metropolitan areas. The current
desire is to strengthen the financial aspects of the planning process, improve
coordination, cooperation and public involvement. Through expanded awareness of the policies of
TEA-21; the greatest benefits can be reaped. The TEA-21 Summary informs us that
desire exists that "States will be encouraged to coordinate the design and
delivery of federally funded non-emergency transportation services. The
requirement for a stand-alone major investment study is replaced with a
directive that such analyses under the planning provisions of TEA-21 and the
National Environmental Policy Act are to be integrated."
A streamlining process is to be established which will encompass a
coordinated environmental review process for the DOT to work with other Federal
agencies in ensuring that major highway and transit projects are advanced
according to cooperatively determined time frames. This new process of coordination will use concurrent,
rather than sequential, reviews to expedite the funding approval
processes. A 30 day window is being
established for resolution. In addition;
States will be allowed to include their environmental reviews in the coordinated
environmental review process. Remember –
environmental improvements and environmental regulation compliance is the goal
of this bill.
Ozone and particulate matter standards have been a hot topic of trucking
companies and trucking manufacturers for over ten years.
TEA-21 required the Administration of the EPA to provide 100% financial support
to the States for the establishment and operating of the PM2.5 monitoring
network.
TEA-21 is establishing budgets for multiple programs. These programs will
foster mass transit initiatives, improve air quality and reduce emissions.
Through the joint initiation of these projects; much can be accomplished both
environmentally and economically.
The Joint Partnership programs allow public and private research
organizations, transit providers or businesses to develop and promote
innovations in mass transit systems and services or technology that has broad
applicability. Such activities can
reduce rush hour traffic, improve air quality and establish new means of mass
transportation.
The International Mass Transportation program is a new program
established to support activities as advocacy of American transit products and
services overseas as well as cooperation with foreign public sector entities on
research. This program finds new
material to build roadways and bridges while reducing mercury levels and others
toxics from our environment. (http://rip.trb.org/browse/additions.asp)
New Advanced Technologies programs are established for study, design and
demonstration of fixed quideway technologies, mass transit technology, fuel
cell-powered transit buses, advanced propulsion control for rail transit, and
low-speed magnetic levitation technology for urban public transportation. Such programs funded under this aspic could
include the technology of the German-built "maglev" train, which uses
electromagnetic levitation to hover a few millimeters above the track which is
currently in use in
TEA-21 recognizes the importance of education, training and development. For
training and development of training programs to improve transit planning and
operations; the National Transit Institute is funded $23 million across a six
year budget.
Rural Transit Assistance Program receives $30.75 million over the life of
the bill to promote delivery of safe and effective transportation services in
rural areas. This can include
non-emergency service vehicles as well as commuter buses and/or trains
connecting to major metropolitan areas.
The commuter system is an alternative to car-pools and allows for rush
hour commuters to access near by cities without the use of individual vehicles
thereby reducing congestion, pollution and improving air quality.
The TEA-21 Summary projects the Bureau of Transportation Statistics or
BTS to be responsible for the establishment and maintenance of "a
Transportation Data Base, a National Transportation Library, and a National
Transportation Atlas Data Base, and will ensure the information it collects,
analyzes, and disseminates [to be] relevant beyond the Federal Government.
Added to the topics BTS will cover is the domestic impact of increasing global
trade. A total of $18.6 million in funding is provided over the six years of
the Act." This assimilation of information
will allow for easy communication of ideas between states, municipalities and
other transportation agencies.
The final act of this budget currently authorizes $158.8 million in
transportation research funds, plus an additional $3.6 million in transit funds
for grants to establish and operate ten regional University Transportation
Centers and up to 23 other centers under the University Transportation Centers
heading. This is to expand to 26 centers
under the new bill. Education is one of
the primary objectives of the transportation research center. The bill
institutionalized the use of strategic planning in university grant management,
and reinforces the program’s focus on multi-modal transportation. In effect; this bill will create four classes
of grants to achieve these goals.
Metropolitan area integration of infrastructure is covered under the
$1.282 billion in contract authority approportioned under the Intelligent
Transportation Systems section of the bill.
Projects included under this heading include but are not limited to:
improvement of traffic flow that contributes to the improvement of air quality
and those deemed as capital projects. Life-cycle cost analysis for projects
funded from this program are required. All funded projects must meet with
Highway Trust Fund standards.
At current; TEA-21 as passed by
the Senate would not provide all these services or protect the environment
adequately. As with all things
environmental during the Bush administration; unfortunate cuts to the integrity
of this bill have been taken. If passed
the new TEA-21 bill would:
-
weaken
protections for public health and accountability for highway air pollution;
- make it easier for road builders to harm parks, wildlife and waterfowl
refuges, recreation areas, and historic resources;
- allow federal and state highway agencies to override local land use plans,
regional transportation plans, and state air and water quality plans;
- reduce opportunities for the public and llocal officials to shape
transportation spending plans and projects; and
- reduce consideration of alternatives thatt might meet mobility needs with less
harm to health and the environment.
But not all is bad
with the Senate bill. The positive side
of the Senate version includes funding for the clean up of highway related
water pollution, ensurance that transportation plans consider wildlife
conservation, open up the option for tolls on roads to help finance better
transit services and provide accessibility to employment for those without a
private means of transportation instead of encouraging more sprawl, traffic,
and economic inequality. Personally I
have to disagree that the addition of toll roads is a benefit. In a discussion
with the Green Party; we debated the pros and cons of toll roads in
The House's
proposal of the bill would implement less damage overall to core environmental
laws. Similarly it would allow new or wider roads and highways with fewer
safeguards against sprawl, traffic, noise and pollution.
Currently the
Environmental Defense Network is making a call to action. This is an opportunity for all
environmentally interested citizens to influence their Congressperson for a
move viable and environmentally friendly TEA-21 bill. Right now is the
opportunity to make this bill less harmer to environmental stewardship, promote
public health and public involvement, and win funding for several good new
initiatives. Deadline for your voice to be hear and
count is
Citizen voices can
make a difference. Writing your Congressperson and working with advocacy groups
do make things happen. Recently a group of us truckers joined with trucking
companies and other agencies to defeat the new DOT hours of service
regulations. (http://www.oocities.org/mskokopelli_it//dot_hours_of_service_law_needs_adequate_revision.html) As of
Passing a viable
TEA-21 bill would benefit everyone from local municipalities to global
citizens. This law, if properly enacted,
could aid in the reduction of Greenhouse gases that threaten tree species as
far away as remote parts of the Amazon.
Reports (http://www.millennium-debate.org/ind5dec02.htm) say that poor air
such as pollution, traffic fumes, smog, cigarette smoke, soot, acid rain, acid
smog and increased CO2 which leads to ozone depletion may kill over 50,000
every year. Support transportation solutions, not more pollution. The assembly
of a viable TEA-21 bill would protect the environment through the implication
of advanced transportation systems to the benefit of us all.
Source: What's At Stake! Support transportation
solutions, not more pollution (
