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

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

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

(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

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; ``jackson-stephens.joann@epa.gov'' Abbe Marner; Federal Transit Administration; 400 7th Street SW (TPL- 12); Washington, DC 20590; (Phone) 202/366-4317 (Fax) 202/493-2478; ``abbe.marner@fta.dot.gov'' 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; ``kathleen.daniel@fhwa.dot.gov''

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