Dive Brief:
- The Federal Transit Administration will help up to five U.S. transit agencies develop and implement environmental and sustainability management systems through a program that is accepting applications until May 22.
- The two-year program helps transit agencies analyze, control and minimize the environmental impact of their activities by providing training and technical assistance.
- The program’s relaunch, announced April 22 by FTA acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool, follows a seven-year hiatus.
Dive Insight:
Sustainability programs must be based on economic, environmental and social factors, the FTA says, describing the ESMS framework as a disciplined methodology to manage environmental impacts that “allows the organization to specify which goals or requirements to focus on.”
Medium-sized and large transit agencies from across the U.S. have participated in these programs across five rounds, with the first taking place from 2003 to 2006 and the most recent round wrapping up in 2017. Benefits for the selected transit agencies can include increased fuel economy, better operational efficiencies, reduced waste and pollution and improved relations with state and federal regulators, the FTA says.
The program begins with a site visit and environmental review of each participating transit agency, which will take place this summer. A series of three virtual workshops will follow over the course of nine months, then a virtual interim audit and on-site final audit conducted in 2025.
To be successful, the FTA says the entire organization must be engaged, with visible commitment from senior management. The ESMS program requires the hands-on participation of a team from the transit agency that consists of a senior executive, management representative, environmental champion, operations manager or superintendent and administrative or executive assistant.
