The ability of our nation's transportation system to provide for and maintain the efficient movement of freight is important to the continuing economic health of the United States. U.S. domestic freight tonnage is anticipated to approximately double - and international freight tonnage expected to nearly triple - by 2035. This has led to a growing need to find new ways to address air quality concerns and greenhouse gas emissions associated with freight movements. Diesel exhaust from freight vehicles is a primary source of PM2.5, air toxic contaminants, and NOx emissions (one precursor to...

The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program provides funds to States for transportation projects designed to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion, particularly in areas of the country that do not attain national air quality standards. Created by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991, the program was reauthorized under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) in 1997, and again as part of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) in 2005. Since...

In 1990, Congress amended the Clean Air Act (CAA) to strengthen National efforts to attain the National air quality standards. Among other strengthening provisions, the amendments required stronger coordination and linkages between transportation and air quality planning. Shortly thereafter, in 1991, Congress passed the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), which realigned the focus of transportation planning toward a more inclusive, environmentally sensitive, and multimodal approach. This included the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program, which...

Emergency medical services (EMS) workers serve on the front lines of emergency medical care. The EMS system is vitally dependent on the ability of these workers to provide high-quality emergent health care in dynamic and oftentimes dangerous circumstances. In the community-based EMS system envisioned in the 1996 EMS Agenda for the Future, EMS workers would contribute to the health of the populations they serve by providing services that reflect the integration of EMS with other health care providers, and in other arenas, such as public health and public safety. The Emergency Medical Services...