Strategic issues facing transportation. Volume 5, Preparing state transportation agencies for an uncertain energy future / Paul Sorenson, RAND Corporation ; wih assistance from Tom Light, RAND Corporation [and seven others].
- Author:
- Sorensen, Paul, 1967-
- Additional Titles:
- Preparing state transportation agencies for an uncertain energy future
- Published:
- Washington, D.C. : Transportation Research Board, 2014.
- Physical Description:
- 2 volumes : illustrations ; 28 cm.
- Additional Creators:
- Light, Thomas (Economist), Rand Corporation, National Research Council (U.S.). Transportation Research Board, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and United States. Federal Highway Administration
Online Version
- Series:
- Contents:
- [Main report] -- Extended summary.
- Summary:
- "Major trends affecting the future of the United States and the world will dramatically reshape transportation priorities and needs. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials established the NCHRP Project 20-83 research series to examine global and domestic long-range strategic issues and their implications for departments of transportation (DOTs) to help prepare the DOTs for the challenges and benefits created by these trends. NCHRP Report 750: Strategic Issues Facing Transportation, Volume 5: Preparing State Transportation Agencies for an Uncertain Energy Future is the fifth report in this series. Growth in global energy consumption, especially within the transportation sector, is expected to increase demand for oil. Given that the entire transportation sector accounted for more than 90% of all liquid fuel consumption in 2006, it is clear that changes in energy infrastructure and energy sources will affect transportation activities. Because fossil fuel emissions and greenhouse gases from all sources are expected to continue to increase, contributing to air pollution and climate change, the push to move toward energy efficiency and alternative fuels in the transportation sector is expected to continue. World population growth and energy demand are inextricably linked, but the fossilbased energy supply is finite. Alternative technologies are emerging in the marketplace, and these could prompt enormous changes over time in how DOTs operate. Implementation of alternative fuels will also necessitate a change in highway funding strategies. Most of the revenue that DOTs currently use for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the highway system comes from federal and individual state gas taxes assessed on traditional motor vehicle fuels. The ability to finance future transportation programs has already been negatively affected by various technological, economic, and social changes, and these affects will be magnified over time. Under NCHRP Project 20-83(04), The RAND Corporation was asked to identify short- and long-range actions and strategies that state DOTs can use to plan, respond to, and otherwise manage under a broad range of plausible future energy scenarios, and to assess the likely consequences associated with potential policy responses and management strategies. The research (1) identified driving forces, leading indicators, critical interdependencies, and their relative importance to future energy use and alternative fuel scenarios; (2) developed representative scenarios regarding the future use of energy and alternative fuels that may result from the driving forces; and (3) analyzed how the mandate, role, funding, and operations of state DOTs may be affected by various plausible future energy supply-and-demand scenarios. NCHRP Report 750, Volume 5 contains a significant compilation of information from a variety of industry and public sources that may be used to inform long-range transportation planning processes. The scenario planning conducted as part of the research should also be of interest to transportation planners and policy analysts--both for the information generated from the scenarios and for the way in which scenario planning was used. An extended summary of the full report is included that briefly describes the results of the research."--Foreword.
- Subject(s):
- ISBN:
- 9780309283922
0309283922 - Note:
- At head of title: National Cooperative Highway Research Program.
- Bibliography Note:
- Includes bibliographical references.
- Other Forms:
- Also available online.
- Funding Information:
- Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration under project no. 20-83(04)
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