1. SB743 – Desired Outcomes: Environmental Benefits of Reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled
Association of Environmental Professionals Institute August 4, Connell Dunning, USEPA, Region 9

2. Environmental Benefits of Reducing VMT
Reduced emissions and improved air quality/health
Compact development and reduced impacts to environmental resources
Better understanding of induced travel, associated impacts
Equity and environmental justice considerations
Autonomous future?
Speaking from history of reviewing NEPA analyses for many years, providing feedback on air quality analysis methodology, and recommending tools/resources for smart growth.

3. R9 = 39M, 26%
CA = 34M, 23%
Over 34 million Californians live in NAAQS nonattainment areas, that’s over 23% of the US national nonattainment population. 2

4. Here you can see that California has the highest level of population weighted exposure to unhealthy levels of fine particulate matter of any state in the nation (74%).
Combined, the San Joaquin Valley and South Coast air basins comprise 47% of population weighted exposure to unhealthy levels of fine particulates in the entire US.
PM2.5 poses a significant health risk because its small size (approximately 1/30th the average width of a human hair), allows it to lodge deeply into the lungs creating and/or exacerbating a wide variety of negative health impacts. 3

5. - California is the only state projected to be in nonattainment status for the 2012 PM2.5 NAAQS by 2020.

6. In addition to PM2.5, California has the highest level of population weighted exposure to unhealthy levels of tropospheric ozone pollution, or “smog” of any area in the US.
California is over two thirds of the population weighted exposure for the entire US (67.4%).
Ground level ozone, is not emitted directly into the air, but is created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). Even relatively low levels of ozone can cause and/or exacerbate negative health effects like asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory ailments. 6

7. Other areas of the nation will likely require additional NOx and VOC emission reductions to comply with the 2015 ozone NAAQS.

8. Projected Ozone Levels post-2025 Baseline Scenario
CA Projected Ozone Levels
Post-2025 Baseline Scenario
Projected Ozone Levels post-2025 Baseline Scenario
2025 Ozone Baseline Projections - Additional California counties exceeding ambient ozone level
> 70 ppb = 4
> 66 ppb = 8
> 60 ppb = 6

9. Reduced VMT = Increased Health through reducing emission sources
Particulate Matter is associated with:
Premature death in people with heart or lung disease,
Nonfatal heart attacks,
Irregular heartbeat,
Aggravated asthma,
Decreased lung function, and
Increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing;
Reduced visibility (haze) in many parts of the U.S., including many of our national parks and wilderness areas; and
Lake and stream acidification.

10. Motor Vehicle PM2.5 Emissions
Chart from Quantitative Particulate Matter Hot-Spot Analysis Best Practices Guidebook, Caltrans, Sept. 2015

11. Reduced VMT = Improved Health through Active Transportation
“Transportation agencies and their partners can create opportunities for people to exercise for recreation and to build physical activity into their daily routine. Agencies can do that by reducing distances between key destinations and providing and improving bicycle and pedestrian facilities. More people might then bicycle or walk to work, shops, and services.”
Active Transportation such as walking and biking, also provide significant public health benefits. The reductions in adverse health outcomes attributable to an increase in walking or biking can outweigh the health benefits resulting from emission reductions.
Promoting active travel and public transport has both health and environmental benefits due to increased physical activity, reduced air and noise pollution, and decreased greenhouse gas emissions.
Recently published study, Barcelona – Journal of Transport and Health, March 2017, The health and economic benefits of active transport policies in Barcelona
•Promoting active travel and public transport has both health and environmental benefits.
•The number of trips walking and cycling in Barcelona increased by 26.7% and by 72.5% from 2009 to 2013.
•Pedestrian and cyclist injury rates decreased by 26.7% and 1.4% during the same period.
•This resulted in an average annual economic benefit of €47, 3 m due to walking and €4, 7 m to cycling.
•Promoting active transportation in Barcelona created clear health and economic benefits.
US DOT: Investing in public transportation and bicycle and pedestrian facilities creates opportunities for people to exercise. This helps reduce obesity and the risks for developing costly chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Active transportation facilities are particularly important in low-income and minority communities, or communities with high percentages of new immigrants. People in those communities are less likely to own vehicles, and unsafe streets might pose a barrier to using active transportation.
Active transportation facilities are particularly important in low-income and minority communities, or communities with high percentages of new immigrants. People in those communities are less likely to own vehicles, and unsafe streets might pose a barrier to using active transportation.

12. Reduced VMT = Reduced impacts to environmental resources
Reduce impervious surfaces
Protect environmentally sensitive areas
Encourage growth in areas with existing urban development
Preserves open space
smart growth can decrease the amount of impervious surfaces, improve stormwater detention, protect environmentally sensitive areas, increase transit accessibility, and promote pedestrian and bicycle Transportation.
Smart growth also encourages growth in areas where urban development has already taken place. This protects unimpaired streams that have not yet experienced urbanization.
smart growth can protect water quality through compact development and open space preservation. More information can be found on the USEPA's Smart Growth website (Smart Growth).

13. Compact Development = Tools for Communities
Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities
Governors' Institute on Community Design
Greening America's Communities
Healthy Places for Healthy People
Smart Growth Implementation
Assistance
smart growth can decrease the amount of impervious surfaces, improve stormwater detention, protect environmentally sensitive areas, increase transit accessibility, and promote pedestrian and bicycle Transportation.
Smart growth also encourages growth in areas where urban development has already taken place. This protects unimpaired streams that have not yet experienced urbanization.
smart growth can protect water quality through compact development and open space preservation. More information can be found on the USEPA's Smart Growth website (Smart Growth).

14. Analyzing and Disclosing VMT = Better Analysis of Induced Travel
Better understanding of project impacts, near roadway effects, and potential mitigation locations
Better estimates of reduced greenhouse gas emissions
This policy brief is drawn from the “Impact of Highway Capacity and Induced Travel on Passenger Vehicle Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions” policy brief and technical background memo prepared for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) by Susan Handy (University of California, Davis) and Marlon Boarnet (University of Southern California), which can be found on CARB’s website along with briefs and memos on 22 other land use and transportation strategies that impact vehicle use and GHG emissions. Website link: policies.htm

15. Reduced VMT through Compact Development = Concentrated Impacts?
Awareness of unexpected public health costs and EJ concerns
Higher population exposure to vehicle emissions?
Equitable development

16. Reducing VMT, Autonomous Vehicle Future?