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Volpe Center Highlights - March 2000

Director's Notes

Director's Notes | Focus | Safety | Mobility | Human and Natural Environment |
Economic Growth and Trade | National Security

Volpe Gets Green

More than 10 years ago on March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground off the coast of Alaska in Prince William Sound spilling 10.8 million gallons of oil and affecting 1,300 miles of shoreline. The effects on wildlife and people in the area were devastating. According to estimates, 250,000 seabirds were killed, along with 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, and up to 22 killer whales. Billions of salmon and herring eggs were destroyed. The lives of the people who live, work, and play in the areas affected by the spill were completely disrupted.

The spill, the largest ever in U.S. history, brought the potentially negative impacts of transportation to the public's attention in a way that could not be ignored. It was approximately at this time that the Volpe Center first began to see an increased need for support on a wide range of environmental issues. Initially, the needs were addressed through the individual efforts of the Directorates and Divisions, but it soon became apparent that a new business area was developing.

In light of these developments, the Volpe Center made and continues to make a concerted effort to develop the expertise and tools needed to address a wide range of client concerns about the environment and other business areas. Volpe employees are offered a number of opportunities and programs to enhance their professional capabilities and effectiveness. The Volpe Center Fellows Program allows employees to pursue graduate level study in areas of concern, including the environmental field.

In addition, we encourage staff to develop invaluable on-the-job experience by working on a variety of projects. The Volpe Center has received much publicity for its work in remedial actions, but preventing environmental problems from occurring in the first place is our foremost concern. Our work on Environmental Assessments (EA) and Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) has guided the development of many "green" transportation projects, including the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)/Amtrak Northeast Corridor Improvement Project and the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) Alaska Hovercraft operation, which is the Focus article in this issue.

We continue to work on new technologies such as electric and alternative fuel vehicles and on studies of other ways to reduce greenhouse gases from transportation, which contribute to global warming. We are committed to sustaining the natural environment and resource management as illustrated by our support of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) fisheries protection program.

The Volpe Center also conducts assessments of the processes and practices that could adversely affect the environment. Hundreds of environmental compliance audits for facilities are conducted under programs for the Postal Service, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and we have performed scientific risk characterizations of aquatic environments from the Midway Islands to Puget Sound where batteries containing small amounts of mercury have been disposed. In addition, the Center develops information systems that are critical for tracking compliance and performance measures.

We have provided an overview of imports and exports of hazardous materials for the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), as well as identified the modes of transportation and types of hazardous materials being transported.

We support the development of an extensive training program on hazardous materials in the mail stream for the Postal Service, and have addressed safety performance for the Office of Pipeline Safety and examined the transport of nuclear waste for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

The Volpe Center also supports site remediation for the FAA including contaminated site restoration and removal or upgrade of underground fuel storage tanks from Buck's Harbor, Maine, to Hawaii. The Center also has just completed remediation of residential sites contaminated by lead mining in Stockton, Utah (see the Winter 2000 issue of the Volpe Journal), and currently is engaged in sampling and analysis for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Libby, Montana, a site contaminated from asbestos mining operations that has the potential to be one of the largest projects in EPA history. The Libby story is featured in this issue of Highlights.

We all know that innovation in transportation is vital to a healthy economy. However, transportation at the expense of the environment does nothing to improve the quality of life of our citizens. The Volpe Center continues to recognize the importance of environmental protection and is helping to make a better world now and for future generations. We are committed to preventing another Exxon Valdez.

On a lighter note, don't forget that in recognition of the 30th anniversary of Earth Day, DOT has designated the entire month of April as "Earth Month." This issue of Highlights is just one of the many activities that the Volpe Center has planned to celebrate the event. Mark your calendars now!

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