01551619

Component

Since the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 1970, environmental legislation has played an increasingly important role in the development process. While NEPA regulates only federal actions and federally funded projects, several states have passed their own environmental legislation, extending this oversight to state actors, and, in some cases, to private actors as well. This research focuses on one category of impacts—those related to transportation—and compares emerging alternatives to motor vehicle level of service in defining a transportation impact. Massachusetts and New York City have broadened the traditional level of service concept to include multiple modes of travel, while King County, Washington has added a greenhouse gas component to the environmental checklist. In contrast, California is moving away from level of service, replacing it with vehicle miles traveled. These new methodologies reflect subtle differences in the definition of a transportation impact, with some emphasizing the local impact on the transportation system, while others focus on the impact on global greenhouse gas emissions.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADC10 Environmental Analysis in Transportation. Alternate title: Redefining Transportation Impact: Comparison of Emerging Methodologies

01550057

15-2435

English

8p

2015

Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Environmental impacts; Environmental policy; Greenhouse gases; Laws and legislation; Level of service; Methodology; Vehicle miles of travel

King County (Washington); Massachusetts; New York (New York)

Environment; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Transportation (General); I10: Economics and Administration; I15: Environment; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2015 Paper #15-2435

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Dec 30 2014 12:52PM