NOACA Governing Board Action: April 13, 2007

NOACA Board Adopts Policy for Prioritizing Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality-funded Projects

Today the NOACA Governing Board amended its Regional Transportation Investment Policy with a policy for prioritizing Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ)-funded projects. NOACA allocates CMAQ funding for projects in Northeast Ohio that will help reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. CMAQ projects include: traffic signal upgrades, transit center construction, bus replacements, the regional Ozone Action Day program, the Rideshare carpool ridematching service and some bicycle/pedestrian improvements.

The policy allows projects currently in project development to be grandfathered into the process and programmed in the region’s long-range plan and Transportation Improvement Program. NOACA will review and score new projects with regard to congestion relief, cost effectiveness, air quality benefits, and regional and population impacts, and then prioritize them according to their total score and available funds.

In other business, the Board authorized NOACA to serve as the fiscal agent for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), which will conduct a study of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to determine their impact on reducing Northeast Ohio air pollution. Currently, the NOACA area is not meeting federal air quality standards for ground-level ozone and fine particles. Since gasoline-powered and diesel-powered motor vehicles contribute significantly to ozone and fine particle pollution, electric hybrid vehicles may be a long-term solution for improving Northeast Ohio’s air quality.

The Cleveland Foundation will be funding the study, if it approves the proposal submitted by EPRI with NOACA as the fiscal agent, and has agreed to reimburse NOACA for staff work related to its role as fiscal agent. NOACA’s sole function will be to accept and disburse funds from the Cleveland Foundation to EPRI. If the proposal is approved by the Cleveland Foundation, EPRI has indicated that some of the funding will be used locally to hire a consultant in Northeast Ohio to help obtain the needed data.