1. FHWA’s Current Activities Related to Climate Change Southeastern Natural Resource Leadership Group Regional Climate Change Meeting Charleston, SC May 27, 2008 Bob Lee Division Administrator FHWA South Carolina Division

2. FHWA’s Interest Mission: Improve mobility on our Nation's highways through national leadership, innovation and program delivery Environment Strategic Goal: Promote transportation solutions that enhance communities and protect the natural and built environment. Three Considerations: Atmospheric GHG Concentrations Infrastructure Risk Collaboration

3. FHWA’s Approach to GHG Reductions FHWA focusing on devoting resources where we could make a difference on a bigger scale –Federal Policy solutions may yield greater reductions than at project level –Currently gathering information and ideas for our next highway reauthorization bill –Encourage stewardship on GHG best management practices (construction, maintenance) Hosting Executive-Level Interagency Meeting on Greenhouse Gas Reductions –Will discuss federal programs which influence land use decisions that affect VMT –June 5, Washington, DC

4. Approach to Infrastructure Risk Gulf Coast Study Analyzed the potential detrimental impacts of rising sea levels and sinking land mass on transportation infrastructure in the Gulf Coast region The Potential Impacts of Global Sea Level Rise, Atlantic Coast Study Phase 1: Quantifies potential impact of sea level rise on land and transportation infrastructure in coastal areas (DC, MD, NC, VA). NCDOT is conducting a project-level risk analyses assessing sea level rise, storm surge, and flooding.

5. Collaboration – Planning and Environmental Linkages Integrate Environmental Knowledge into Long-Range Transportation Plans - Smart Transportation Planning Encourage Cooperation between Resource and Transportation Agencies –Eco-Logical Approach –Linking Conservation and Transportation Planning –Emergency preparedness for natural disasters and other catastrophic events

6. Current Climate Change Research Gulf Coast Study Impacts of Sea Level Rise – Atlantic Coast Study Integration of Climate Change Considerations into Statewide, Regional, and Local Transportation Planning Integrating Climate Change into the Transportation Planning Process Transportation and Climate Change Technical Analysis Tools Carbon Sequestration Pilot Project See handout for additional information on these studies.

7. Historical VMT

8. Thanks! DOT Center for Climate Change and Environmental Forecasting: (for much more information on current DOT climate change research and activities): http://climate.dot.gov/http://climate.dot.gov/