Transportation/Air Quality Public Information Initiative: ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' FY 99 Demonstration Communities; Request for Proposals

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Federal Transit Administration

[FRL-6218-8]

Transportation/Air Quality Public Information Initiative: ``It

All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' FY 99 Demonstration Communities; Request

for Proposals

AGENCIES: Office of Mobile Sources, Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA); Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit

Administration, Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: A few years ago, the EPA's Office of Mobile Sources (OMS) and

DOT's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit

Administration (FTA) began a collaborative public education and

partnership building program to be implemented at the community level.

This effort, entitled ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air,'' is designed to

inform the public about the connections between their transportation

choices, traffic congestion, air pollution and public health. The

initiative emphasizes the ability of individuals to make a difference

when they are informed about the environmental consequences of their

daily travel choices. Through this document, OMS, FHWA, and FTA are

soliciting proposals from organizations and communities around the

country who would benefit from participation as Demonstration

Communities in the ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' initiative.

DATES: Deadline for Proposals is March 5, 1999.

ADDRESSES: This document can also be accessed at no cost by contacting:

Federal Register Web Page:

``http://www.access.gpo.gov/su__docs/aces/aces140.html''

DOT/Federal Highway Administration Web Page:

``www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/pubout.htm''

EPA's Office of Mobile Sources Web Page:

``www.epa.gov/oms'' click on ``What's New''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Bullard, Director of Outreach

and Communication; EPA Office of Mobile Sources; 401 M Street SW (Mail

code 6401); Washington, DC 20460; (Phone) 202/260-2614; (Fax) 202/260-

6011; ``[email protected]''.

TO REQUEST COPIES OF TV AND PRINT MATERIALS REFERENCED IN THIS NOTICE

CONTACT: Kathy Daniel, Project Manager; US DOT Federal Highway

Administration; 400 7th Street SW (HEP-40); Washington, DC 20590;

(Phone) 202/366-6276; (Fax) 202/366-3409;

``[email protected]''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Affected Entities: Communities and/or organizations interested in

participating as Demonstration Communities in a public education/

partnership building project addressing transportation choices and

their impact on traffic congestion, air quality, and public health.

Title: Transportation/Air Quality Public Information Initiative:

``It All Adds Up To Cleaner Air''--FY 99 Demonstration Communities--

Request For Proposals.

Abstract: At the request of state and local transportation and air

quality management agencies charged with implementing the

Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century and the Clean Air Act,

DOT's Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit

Administration, and EPA's Office of Mobile Sources have been

collaborating on a public education and partnership building program to

be implemented at the community level. This effort is designed to

inform the public about the connection between transportation choices,

traffic congestion, air pollution, and public health. It stresses an

individual's ability to make a difference, once informed about the

environmental consequences of daily travel choices. This goal is being

accomplished by (1) providing national support for community-based

public education efforts on the impact of transportation choices on air

quality, traffic congestion, and public health, (2) encouraging and

facilitating the expansion of partnerships and collaborations, both

national and local, committed to raising awareness, understanding,

acceptance, and action related to transportation/air quality issues,

and (3) encouraging informed and responsible individual actions through

public information. The theme of the initiative is ``It All Adds Up to

Cleaner Air.''

The core messages of this initiative focus on actions that people

can take which are convenient and can make a difference in air quality

when they are practiced on a wide scale. The messages include: (1)

Trip-chaining, or linking trips in the car to accomplish a number of

trip purposes without letting the engine cool down completely, thus

cutting down on ``cold-starts'' that produce much greater exhaust

[[Page 2213]]

emissions; (2) maintaining the car in top running condition, which also

can have a large payoff, because out-of-tune vehicles account for a

disproportionately large share of auto emissions; and (3) choosing

alternate modes of transportation whenever possible. Sharing a ride

with a friend, car- or vanpooling to work, taking mass transit, biking,

walking--all of these options reduce congestion and transportation

emissions by eliminating auto trips. The common thread in all these

messages is that drastic changes in lifestyle aren't necessary in order

to make a difference. When enough people are motivated to make small

and manageable changes in their daily routines, the cumulative impact

is improved air quality. This starts with raising awareness about the

problems of transportation and air quality and then calling on

individuals to do their part, because it does add up to cleaner air.

Our two years of research and focus group testing indicate that, in

order for people to be willing to listen to these messages, the tone

must allow them to receive credit for actions they're already taking,

while encouraging them to do more. See public service announcement

scripts in Appendix 1.

Pilot Sites--Background

During 1998, the federal partners pilot-tested the program design

and products in three diverse communities--Dover, Delaware; Milwaukee,

Wisconsin; and San Francisco, California--in support of the long term

effort. Pilot communities were selected so the federal agencies could

learn from the experience of areas with diversity in size, existing

transportation infrastructure, air quality problems, and degrees of

public understanding of transportation and air quality issues. Because

the approach and results differed from community to community,

important and relevant lessons have been learned from each site. While

a comprehensive evaluation of the pilot sites is nearing completion,

dialogue with pilot site representatives will continue. Collaborations

of organizations with a vested interest in transportation/air quality

issues in each of the three pilot communities continue to be involved

in public education campaigns on transportation choices and their

effect on air quality, which will result in the sustainability of the

effort beyond federal support.

``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air''--Previous Public Notice

On October 26, 1998, the federal partners published a joint Federal

Register Notice (63 FR 5721; Oct. 26, 1998) soliciting ``Letters of

Interest'' from communities and organizations interested in becoming

Demonstration Communities. One purpose of requesting Letters of

Interest was to help the federal agencies prepare an efficient

evaluation/selection process. The October 26 document also served as an

opportunity for obtaining feedback and comments from stakeholders and

potential participants on the design of this phase of the initiative.

The federal partners received sixty-six (66) Letters of Interest from

across the country. Comments expressed and concepts presented in those

letters have been considered by the federal partners and are reflected

in this document. Potential participants in the initiative should note

that submitting a Letter of Interest did not commit an organization/

community to proceed with an application, and those who did not submit

a Letter of Interest may still apply by the March 5, 1999 deadline.

Selection of Demonstration Communities begins with the submission of

formal proposals based upon today's document. Any organization

interested in participating has until March 5, 1999 to submit a

proposal to the address found in the section, ``Submitting Proposals.''

Expansion of the ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' Initiative

Through this document, the federal partners are expanding the ``It

All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' effort to include as many as twelve (12)

Demonstration Communities to begin in April 1999 and continue through

October, 2000. FHWA, FTA and OMS are soliciting proposals from

organizations and communities around the country who believe that their

ongoing efforts would benefit from their participation as a

Demonstration Community in ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air.''

Demonstration Communities will enter into cooperative agreements with

the federal partners and will receive national support to further their

public education and partnership building efforts on transportation and

air quality. National support to be provided includes: (1) Market

research; (2) consistent national themes (text of the ``It All Adds Up

to Cleaner Air'' TV and radio announcements follows in Appendix 1); (3)

limited funds ($25,000 per site); (4) a comprehensive resource ``tool

kit,'' including promotional materials; high quality TV, radio, and

print advertisements and other public education tools; transportation

and air quality facts and figures; as well as ``how to'' information;

and (5) technical assistance to create, expand, and support community

partnerships committed to improving quality of life through reduction

of traffic congestion and air pollution.

Initiative Themes

The three message themes which serve as the cornerstone of the ``It

All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' initiative focus on combining trips (trip

chaining), car care (maintenance), and using alternative modes of

transportation. The specific text of the message themes (broadcast

public service announcements) to be used in the Demonstration

Communities follows in Appendix 1. In order for the federal partners to

expand our knowledge regarding the ability of these messages to

motivate the public to change their transportation behavior,

Demonstration Communities will be required to use all three message

themes and accompanying materials in their public education efforts, at

least for the duration of this demonstration period (Spring 1999--Fall

2000), as a condition of the agreement with the federal agencies.

Partnerships

Also critical to the overall initiative is building long-term

partnerships among community members who will work together to

integrate air quality and transportation decision-making into community

planning and education. Successful partnerships will ensure that public

education and investment in transportation and air quality will

continue beyond the initial federal support of the Demonstration

Communities. Partners could include (but certainly not be limited to)

employers, non-profit organizations, health providers, public interest

and business groups, youth, public utilities, consumers, and all levels

of government. Based on the experience of the pilot communities, it is

expected that local partners will be involved in information-sharing;

program support through human, creative and financial resources;

increasing message consistency; providing broad-based support for the

initiative; decreasing duplication of effort; and developing new and

effective approaches to working with the public on these issues.

Expectations for the 1999 Demonstration Communities

(1) Demonstration Communities will be required to use all three

message themes of the ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' public service

announcements and other materials developed and refined through the

pilot sites. Demonstration Communities are encouraged to customize

those materials

[[Page 2214]]

(e.g., adding their logo and specific ``calls to action'' for

individuals and organizations) as appropriate to meet community needs.

(2) If Demonstration Communities develop new materials based on the

``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' themes and products, they will be

required to share those products for replication and use in other

community-based efforts nationwide.

(3) Demonstration Communities will be expected to work closely with

the federal partners as we track outreach activities, successes and

challenges, market research, etc. to further our knowledge of public

education methods that work to motivate the public to change their

transportation behavior and those that don't.

(4) Demonstration Communities will be required to provide quarterly

progress reports and a summary report including information and lessons

learned about organizations and perspectives that must be involved in a

collaborative effort, as well as resources required to ensure long-term

success in addressing transportation choices and their impact on air

quality.

Time Line

Request for Proposals Published--January 1999

Proposals Due--March 5, 1999

Evaluation/Selection Completed--March 1999

Agreements Awarded--April-May 1999

Demonstration Communities' Workshop--May 1999

Eligible Organizations

While cooperative agreements with federal agencies are available to

a range of governmental and non-profit organizations, the ``It All Adds

Up to Cleaner Air'' effort is primarily designed for public agencies

with responsibility for planning and/or implementing transportation/air

quality projects and programs (e.g., metropolitan planning

organizations; state departments of transportation; state, local, and

regional air management agencies; councils of government; and public

transit agencies). These are in large part the organizations and

agencies which requested the federal partners provide assistance that

resulted in the ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' Initiative. All

selected organizations will be expected to be working in partnership

with other organizations actively involved in congestion mitigation and

air quality improvement.

Priority consideration will be given to communities and

organizations that can demonstrate a perceived air quality and traffic

congestion problem, ongoing involvement of a wide range of

organizations, a level of public understanding of transportation

choices as solutions to traffic congestion and air quality problems,

and the commitment to conduct public education linking transportation,

air quality, public health and individual choices using the ``It All

Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' themes and messages.

Content of Proposals

Proposals should be 7-10 pages long and must address the following:

(1) The community's commitment to raising public awareness about

transportation/air quality issues;

(2) Project objectives, including the community's strategy for

integrating ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' into existing public

education efforts on transportation and air quality

--Please provide information on the transportation/air-quality-related

messages currently being disseminated in the community

--Briefly describe activities that have been successful in reaching

targeted audiences through media, community outreach and collaborative

efforts;

(3) The community's perceived air quality and congestion problems;

(4) The existing transportation infrastructure which provides

options for individuals in their daily travel choices;

(5) Commitment of resources, both personnel and funding, to

implement ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'';

(6) Existing partnerships addressing transportation and air quality

issues

--List the partners involved in the community's collaboration (If the

partnerships in the community are just being formed, please provide a

brief note of commitment from prospective partners)

--Describe activities currently being undertaken by the partners;

(7) Use of the $25,000. The federal partners request that this

funding be used for one or more of the following activities:

(a) Purchasing media time or space for the ``It All Adds Up to

Cleaner Air'' public service announcements,

(b) Duplicating and distributing the ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner

Air'' public information materials,

(c) Funding strategic planning for partnership building,

(d) Conducting supplemental market research which will be

beneficial to the community and consistent with the national initiative

goals, and/or

(e) Hiring a project manager to coordinate this effort; and

(8) Expectation for activities to continue beyond the period when

federal support is being provided to the community.

Other Information Sought

Note: Information gathered under this section will be considered

as research only and will not be included in the evaluation process.

(1) The federal partners are interested in the extent to which the

community's public education and partnership building efforts regarding

transportation and air quality are being funded through a combination

of funding sources, including the DOT Congestion Mitigation and Air

Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ), the Transportation and Community

and Systems Preservation Pilot Program (TCSP) under the Transportation

Equity Act for the 21st Century, and the EPA's section 105 Mobile

Source Outreach Assistance Competition.

--Please provide information on the funding sources being used or

sought to support public education and partnership building on

transportation and air quality

(2) Ozone Action Days have typically been employed as one of the

major public education methods to link transportation and air quality.

The federal partners are interested in efforts to expand those public

education activities beyond Ozone Action Days into a year-round

program.

--If applicable, please describe plans to expand your community's

program beyond Ozone Action Days

Additional Items of Interest

(1) In several instances, Letters of Interest were received from

more than one organization in a community. Where appropriate, the

federal partners encourage those organizations to join in the

development of a single, potentially stronger, proposal. The list of

organizations that submitted Letters of Interest follows in Appendix 2.

(2) The limited funding available is clearly insufficient to

accomplish the goals of the overall initiative. In the final selection

process, priority will be given to those who indicate a clear ability

to undertake the initiative and commit resources beyond those provided

by the federal partners. Participation as a Demonstration Community

will clearly require a commitment of human as well as financial

resources.

(3) Representatives from all selected Demonstration Communities

will be required to attend an orientation workshop in Washington, DC as

soon as possible after final selection. The workshop will be designed

to provide

[[Page 2215]]

context for the effort, identify and open effective lines of

communication between the Demonstration Communities and the federal

partners, discuss reporting requirements, and provide valuable

information on working with the media, measuring community awareness

and strengthening local partnerships. Unfortunately, as of this time,

it will not be possible for the federal agencies to provide financial

assistance for travel to that workshop.

Future Availability of ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' Materials

The Federal Highway Administration, EPA's Office of Mobile Sources,

and the Federal Transit Administration are eager to share materials

developed through the ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' Transportation/

Air Quality Initiative with as many communities as possible as quickly

as possible. In that spirit, the federal partners intend to make the

``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' toolkit available to communities not

selected as Demonstration Communities. Information on obtaining the

toolkit will be made available at a later date.

For General Information About ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air''

Contact

Joann Jackson-Stephens, Project Manager; EPA Office of Mobile Sources;

2000 Traverwood Drive; Ann Arbor, MI 48105; (Phone) 734/214-4276 (Fax)

734/214-4906; ``[email protected]''

Abbe Marner; Federal Transit Administration; 400 7th Street SW (TPL-

12); Washington, DC 20590; (Phone) 202/366-4317 (Fax) 202/493-2478;

``[email protected]''

Kathy Daniel, Project Manager; US DOT Federal Highway Administration;

400 7th Street SW (HEP-40); Washington, DC 20590; (Phone) 202/366-6276

(Fax) 202/366-3409; ``[email protected]''

Submitting Proposals

Proposals must be postmarked or received by Friday, March 5, 1999.

Please mail an original + 5 copies (no binders please) to: Kathy

Daniel; ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' Demonstration Communities; US

DOT Federal Highway Administration; 400 7th Street SW (HEP-40);

Washington, DC 20590.

APPENDIX 1: ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air''--Text of TV/Radio Public

Service Announcements

A. Trip Chaining

``The air * * * You breathe it * * * Feel it * * * And continue

to protect it * * * Simply by doing what you're already doing.

Combining your daily errands into one sensible trip. Trip chaining.

It means more time in your life * * * Less traffic congestion * * *

And less pollution * * * So keep it up because it all adds up to

cleaner air.''

B. Maintaining Your Car

``It's within us * * * It's all around us * * * The air * * *

You can protect it simply by doing what you're already doing.

Maintaining your car and keeping it in top running condition. It

saves money and means less traffic congestion due to breakdowns. And

it means less pollution. So keep it up because it all adds up to

cleaner air.''

C. Choosing Alternate Forms of Transportation

``All across the nation * * * People just like you are

protecting the air * * * Simply by doing what they're already doing

* * * Sharing rides, biking, walking, riding the bus, taking the

train * * * It costs less and means less traffic congestion. And it

means less pollution. So keep it up because it all adds up to

cleaner air.''

APPENDIX 2

Letters of Interest for ``It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air'' were

received from:

Greater Boston Urban Resources Partnership (MA)

Connecticut Clean Cities Coalition (CT)

New York City DOT (NY)

Clean Communities of Western New York (NY)

RideWise (Raritan Valley, NJ)

The Partnership TMA (Northern PA region)

Allegheny County Health Department (Pittsburgh, PA)

Clean Air Council (Philadelphia, PA)

Airport Corridor Transportation Association (Pittsburgh, PA)

Dover/Kent County MPO (DE)

RideFinders (Richmond, VA)

ALA of Virginia (VA)

DC Department of Health (DC)

ENDZONE Partners (Washington/Baltimore)

Baltimore Metropolitan Council (MD)

Hattiesburg-Petal-Forrest-Lamar Metropolitan Planning Organization

(MS)

Jefferson County Department of Health (AL)

North Carolina Division of Air Quality (NC)

Mecklenburg County DEP (NC)

Land-of-Sky Regional Council (NC)

Baton Rouge Clean Air Coalition (LA)

Jefferson County Air Pollution Control District (KY)

Lexington Area MPO (KY)

Pensacola Urbanized Area MPO (FL)

Manatee County Government (FL)

Georgia DOT (GA)

State of Tennessee (TN)

Green Hills Regional Activity Center (TN)

Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (IN)

State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WI)

TMACOG (Toledo Council of Governments) (OH)

Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (OH)

Greater Cleveland Safety Council (OH)

State of Illinois EPA (IL)

Laredo Clean Cities Coalition (TX)

VIA Metropolitan Transit (San Antonio, TX)

City of San Antonio (Alamo Area Council of Governments) (TX)

Houston/Galveston Area Council (TX)

North Central Texas Council of Governments (Dallas-Forth Worth, TX)

City of Corpus Christi (TX)

City of Santa Fe (NM)

INCOG (Tulsa association of local governments) (OK)

Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) (OK)

Metroplan (Central Arkansas Council of Local Governments) (AR)

Bi-State Development Agency (St. Louis, MO)

Mid America Regional Council (MARC) (Greater Kansas City, MO)

East-West Gateway Coordinating Council (MO)

Utah Safety Council (UT)

Utah Division of Air Quality (UT)

Colorado Springs Transit and the Clean Air Campaign (CO)

Regional Air Quality Council (Denver, CO)

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (AZ)

Maricopa Association of Governments (Phoenix, AZ)

City of Phoenix (AZ)

Pima Association of Governments (AZ)

Tucson Solar Alliance (AZ)

Cleaner Air Partnership (Sacramento, CA)

San Diego Air Pollution Control District (CA)

City of Portland--Office of Transportation (OR)

Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority (LRAPA) (OR)

Northwest Air Pollution Authority (Island, Skagit and Whatcom

Counties, WA)

Discovery Institute (public policy center) (Seattle, WA)

Olympic Air Pollution Control Authority (OAPCA) (Thurston County,

WA)

Spokane Air Pollution Control Authority (Clean the Air Spokane) (WA)

Washington State Department of Ecology (WA)

Bannock Planning Organization (Southeast Idaho COG)

Dated: January 6, 1999.

Margo T. Oge,

Director, Office of Mobile Sources, Environmental Protection Agency.

Dated: January 6, 1999.

James M. Shrouds,

Chief Environmental Analysis Division, Office of Environment and

Planning Federal Highway Administration.

Dated: January 5, 1999.

Charlotte M. Adams,

Associate Administrator for Planning, Federal Transit Administration.

[FR Doc. 99-771 Filed 1-12-99; 8:45 am]

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