“FHWA initiated the It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air Pooled Fund Program to support states that want to stay ahead of the curve by communicating with the public on transportation, traffic congestion, and air quality issues,” said Cindy Burbank, Associate Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Planning, Environment and Realty.

“Many states already face significant challenges in addressing congestion and improving air quality, and we expect greater challenges due to the new, more stringent air quality standards,” said Burbank. “By partnering with FHWA on this program, states and other participants will have a ground floor opportunity to raise awareness and build the public support necessary to succeed.”

Pooled Fund Programs (PFPs), which can be initiated by the FHWA or state transportation agencies, enable federal, state and private organizations to combine their resources for transportation-related studies and projects. FHWA established the It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air PFP, so these organizations can pool funds to create a suite of “second-generation” messages and tools (TV, radio, print, online and other materials) that build on the principles and success of the nearly-10-year-old DOT/EPA It All Adds Up public information and outreach initiative. The goals of the new messages and materials will be to encourage and sustain the public’s understanding and involvement in improving transportation and air quality. The materials will continue to be flexible, so they can be adapted for small, medium and large cities.

In addition to FHWA, two states already have agreed to participate in the It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air PFP: Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). Several other states have expressed an interest in the program as well.

Although DeSoto County and other Mississippi areas near Memphis, Tennessee are in attainment with all existing air quality standards, they may not meet EPA’s new eight-hour standard for ozone. Looking ahead to future transportation and air quality planning needs, the state of Mississippi joined Memphis in an Early Action Compact, or “EAC.” An EAC is an agreement between EPA and local officials, in which the local officials agree to implement an air quality improvement plan that will attain the 8-hour ozone standard early (by 2007) and, thereby, defer the effective date of their non-attainment designation.

“We are contributing CMAQ funds to this unique pooled fund program, because Mississippi wants to inform the public and gain their support for measures that will help reduce congestion and keep our air clean,” said Mississippi DOT’s Claiborne Barnwell.

In New York, they recognize the value of well-researched, high-quality public information tools, and they successfully use a broad range of the existing It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air broadcast, print and online materials. When New York partnered with DOT and EPA on the existing It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air initiative, the state significantly reduced the costs normally incurred in developing creative materials, and avoided the hassles of contract administration. In addition, New York found that its relationship with DOT and EPA added value to its partnerships with the private sector.

Similarly, FHWA will assume responsibility for managing the contract for the second-generation campaign. Significant cost savings will be achieved because participants will “pool” their funds and, therefore, get more than any one of them would alone.

To ensure that this pooled fund program is effective, the goal is for at least ten to 15 participants to commit between $50-100K annually over a three-year period. FHWA, MSDOT, and NYSDOT have contributed a total of $220,000 in 2004, or about 20 percent of what is needed to launch the program.

For more information on the It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air PFP, please visit www.pooledfund.org proposed study #780.