[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 13, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2212-2215]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-771]


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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]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P