[Federal Register: June 25, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 121)]
[Notices]
[Page 34738-34739]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25jn07-148]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Surface Transportation Environment and Planning Cooperative
Research Program (STEP)
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Section 5207 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) established
the Surface Transportation Environment and Planning Cooperative
Research Program (STEP). The general objective of the STEP is to
improve understanding of the complex relationship between surface
transportation, planning and the environment. SAFETEA-LU provides
$16.875 million per year for fiscal years (FY) 2006-2009 to implement
this new cooperative research program. STEP is the primary source of
funds to conduct all Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) research on
planning and environmental issues. In addition, Congress mandated
several special studies and STEP will be the funding source for those
projects. STEP will also address priorities identified in the U.S.
Department of Transportation Research and Development Strategic Plan
(section 508 of title 23 U.S.C.) including those related to highway
safety benefits and congestion reduction.
The purpose of this notice is to announce revisions to the STEP
implementation strategy for FY 2008 and to request suggested lines of
research for the FY 2008 STEP via the STEP Web site at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/step/index.htm
.
DATES: Suggestions for lines of research should be submitted to the
STEP Web site on or before August 24, 2007.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Felicia Young, Office of Interstate
and Border Planning, (202) 366-1263, Felicia.young@fhwa.dot.gov; or
Grace Reidy, Office of the Chief Counsel, (202) 366-6226; Federal
Highway Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590.
Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., e.t., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access
An electronic copy of this notice may be downloaded from the Office
of the Federal Register's home page at http://www.archives.gov and the Government Printing Office's Web site at http://www.access.gpo.gov.
Background
Section 5207 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (Pub. L. 109-59, Aug. 10.
2005), established the Surface Transportation Environment and Planning
Cooperative Research Program. STEP is a new cooperative research
program for environment and planning research created in section 507 of
Title 23, United States Code, Highways (23 U.S.C. 507). The general
objective of the STEP is to improve understanding of the complex
relationship between surface transportation, planning, and the
environment.
Congestion reduction is an important element of the STEP.
Transportation system congestion is one of the single largest threats
to U.S. economic prosperity and the American way of life. In response
to the challenges of congestion, in May 2006, the U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT) established the National Strategy to Reduce
Congestion on America's Transportation Network (the ``Congestion
Initiative''). The Congestion Initiative is a bold and comprehensive
national program to reduce congestion on the Nation's roads, rails,
runways and waterways.
Traffic congestion affects virtually every aspect of peoples'
lives--where people live, where they work, where they shop and how much
they pay for goods and services. According to 2003 figures, in certain
metropolitan areas the average rush hour driver loses as many as 93
hours per year to travel delay--equivalent to more than 2 weeks of
work, amounting annually to a virtual ``congestion tax'' as high as
$1,598 per traveler in wasted time and fuel.\1\ Nationwide, congestion
imposes costs on the economy of over $65 billion per year,\2\ a figure
that has more than doubled since 1993, and that would be even higher if
it accounted for the significant cost of unreliability to drivers and
businesses, the environmental impacts of idle related auto emissions,
or increase gasoline prices.
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\1\ Texas Transportation Institute (TTI--, 2005 Urban Mobility
Report, May 2005 (http://ttiltamu.edu/documents/mobility_report_2005.pdf
), Tables 1 and 2.
\2\ TTI, 2005 Urban Mobility Report, p. 1.
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The STEP directly addresses congestion reduction efforts as part of
the Planning Focus Area. Other STEP emphasis areas include goals and
objectives that relate to congestion reduction. These include:
Congestion; Air Quality and Global Climate Change, Bicycle/Pedestrian
and Health, Environmental Streamlining/Stewardship; U.S./Canada and
U.S. Mexico Border Planning; Safety Planning; Freight Planning; Travel
Modeling, etc. In addition, STEP outreach efforts continue to seek
partnerships that can leverage limited research funding with other
stakeholders and partners in order to increase the total amount of
funding available to meet the Nation's surface transportation research
needs including congestion reduction.
SAFETEA-LU provides $16.875 million per year for FY 2006-2009 to
implement this new cooperative research program. Due to obligation
[[Page 34739]]
limitations, rescissions, and congressional designation of Title V
Research in SAFETEA-LU, it is anticipated that approximately $11.7
million of the $16.875 million authorized will be available each fiscal
year.
On March 1, 2006, FHWA published a notice in the Federal Register
(71 FR 10586) announcing the creation of an FHWA Web site to provide
information regarding STEP and to solicit public input on the
implementation strategy for this program. After reviewing the comments
received in response to this notice, FHWA published a notice in the
Federal Register on August 4, 2006 (71 FR 44348), announcing the
posting of the final STEP Implementation Strategy on the STEP Web site.
Additionally, this notice requested suggestions be submitted via the
STEP Web site for the lines of research that should be undertaken in
the STEP program.
The FHWA is issuing this notice: (1) To announce revisions to the
STEP Implementation Strategy for the FY 2008 STEP, and (2) to solicit
comments on proposed research activities to be undertaken in the FY
2008 STEP via the STEP Web site. The STEP Implementation Strategy was
revised to: update information on the graph and chart regarding
historical planning and environment research funding, and to add
information about proposed FY 2008 STEP including proposed funding
levels, goals and potential research activities.
Suggested lines of research activities for the FY 2008 STEP may
include potential research ideas related to highway safety and the
Congestion Initiative. Research activities related to the Congestion
Initiative could specifically include ideas to relieve urban
congestion; unleash private sector investment resources; promote
operational and technological improvements and target major freight
bottlenecks and expand freight policy outreach.
We invite the public to visit this Web site to obtain additional
information on the STEP, as well as information on the process for
forwarding comments to FHWA regarding the STEP implementation plan. The
URL for the STEP Web site is http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/step/index.htm.
The FHWA will use this Web site as a major mechanism for
informing the public regarding the status of the STEP.
Authority: Section 5207 of Public Law 109-59.
Issued on: June 8, 2007.
J. Richard Capka,
Federal Highway Administrator.
[FR Doc. E7-12127 Filed 6-22-07; 8:45 am]
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