Position Title: Transportation Specialist, GS-2101-13 / 14 CAH (Open to US Citizens)

Job Announcement Number: FHWA.HOP-2013-0010

APM Terminals, Portsmouth, VA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Open Period: Friday, January 11, 2013 to Monday, January 21, 2013

Duty Locations: Washington, DC, US

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen.

There is an open position for a Transportation Specialist assigned to the Office of Freight Management and Operations, in the Office of Operations of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Within a team environment, the Transportation Specialist is recognized as a national expert in developing and delivering a freight-related programs and initiatives program. This includes working closely with the public sector at all levels of government and the affected industry sectors to conceptualize and implement this programs and initiatives. You will be considered an expert in the field of intermodal freight operations and will have the ability to manage technology-based programs; and will serve as lead for activities related to integration of freight into transportation infrastructure and operational improvements. You will serve as the lead for public sector freight transportation activities, programs and initiatives throughout the United States and with Canada and Mexico and our partners in other countries of the world.

The ideal candidate is a mid-career to senior professional with knowledge and experience in transportation and intermodal freight operations, with knowledge of supply chain logistics, the economic factors that drive industry liaisons and drive business relationships, and intergovernmental relations as conducted with other Federal, State, MPO and multi-jurisdictional entities. For complete information and to apply, click here.

via YPTransportation.org

This position is located in the Innovative Program Delivery office (HIN), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Washington, D.C. The Financial Analyst will serve as a member of the TIFIA Joint Program Office (JPO), one of five teams within HIN. The ideal candidate for this position will bring specialized experience in budget and accounting to apply the principles of the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (FCRA), as interpreted through guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to manage the TIFIA program funds appropriated by Congress. Working with the budget and accounting staff from the FHWA and the Office of the Secretary, as well as outside technical advisors, you will prepare TIFIA’s annual budget submission, calculate the subsidy cost of each TIFIA transaction, prepare apportionments, collect payments from applicants and borrowers, and ensure that all financial events are recorded properly in the program accounts. This position is being filled at the GS-11, 12 or 13 level and is located in Washington, DC. Salary range is $62,467.00 to $115,742.00 per year, based upon qualifications.

This Financial Analyst vacancy announcement can be viewed at: FHWA.HIN-2013-0002: DEU-Open to all US Citizenshttps://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/331226200 and

FHWA.HIN-2013-0004: Government Employees only https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/331227500.

In order to be considered, please follow specific application procedures on the announcements.

Application Cut-off: Given our continuing need for professionals in this field, we will routinely review applications and refer the top candidates for potential interviews multiple times during the open period of the announcement. The first cutoff for applications is close of business November 26, 2012, 2nd cut-off is December 26, 2012 and final review occurring after January 24, 2013 (closing date).

via YPT Boston

Prepared by the Office of Planning, Environment and Realty @ Federal Highway Administration
www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/climate_change/

Recent Events and Reports

FHWA‘s Climate Change Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Pilots Completed. Five areas have completed vulnerability and risk assessments of their transportation infrastructure under FHWA’s pilot program to implement a draft framework for climate change vulnerability and risk assessment. Each area took a different approach and contributed significantly to the understanding of potential climate change impacts on their transportation assets, and to the body of knowledge of the transportation community as a whole. FHWA will use the experiences of the pilots to update the draft framework. A very brief description of each pilot:

• WSDOT assessed the infrastructure it owns, including roads, rail, ferry facilities, and airports. They held workshops around the State, presenting information on climate projections and asking maintenance engineers and other employees with intimate familiarity with the assets, “What keeps you up at night?” to help identify current vulnerabilities that may be exacerbated in the future.
• A New Jersey project was led by NJTPA and was supported by an interagency partnership, including the three New Jersey MPOs, NJDOT, NJ Transit, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, and the NJ State Climatologist. The pilot closely followed the three steps of the Conceptual Risk Assessment Model in its analysis of the New Jersey Turnpike/I-95 corridor and the New Jersey Coast.
• The Oahu MPO used an interagency, multidisciplinary two-day workshop to facilitate a climate change dialog and identify five key vulnerable assets for further study. The five assets were then assessed in more detail.
• The University of Virginia developed a priority setting tool to assess how consideration of climate change and other factors may affect project prioritization in a transportation plan. They used the Hampton Roads region as a case study.
• MTC, in partnership with the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission and others, led a study of a portion of the Bay, stretching from the Oakland Bay Bridge to the San Mateo Bridge (Alameda County). This study was focused on sea level rise. The project team developed asset risk profiles for a representative list of assets within the study area, including exposure to sea level rise, sensitivity to sea level rise (based on level of use, age, seismic retrofit status, maintenance cost, and liquefaction susceptibility).

For more information see FHWA’s pilots website which includes links to the individual pilot web pages where most of the final reports are posted. Also see recordings of two webinars on the pilots to hear about the projects directly from the project leads:

• In FHWA Pilots Webinar I, Becky Lupes from FHWA gives an overview of the vulnerability and risk assessment framework, Jeff Perlman from NJTPA presents the results of the New Jersey study, and Carol Lee Roalkvam from WSDOT gives an overview of the WSDOT study.
• In FHWA Pilots Webinar II, after Becky Lupes gives a very short introduction, Brenda Dix from MTC gives an overview of the San Francisco Bay study, Jim Lambert from the University of Virginia gives an overview of the Virginia Study, and Randolph Sykes from the Oahu MPO gives an overview of the Oahu study.

FHWA Releases GHG Strategy Analysis Tool. The Energy and Emissions Reduction Policy Analysis Tool (EERPAT) was developed to assist state transportation agencies with analyzing greenhouse gas reduction scenarios and alternatives. The Tool allows agencies to quickly assess policy interactions in hundreds of scenarios. The Tool uses GreenSTEP, developed by the Oregon State DOT, as its foundation, and is expected to have regular enhancements. FHWA will be conducting pilots of the tool in early 2012. DOTs interested in participating in the pilots should contact Diane Turchetta at 202-493-0158 or diane.turchetta@dot.gov.

FHWA’s Conditions and Performance Report Includes Chapter on Climate Change Adaptation. FHWA’s bi-annual “Report to Congress” for the first time includes a chapter on climate change adaptation. The chapter includes information on projected climate change impacts to highway transportation, steps for assessing adaptation needs, discussion of adaptation options, barriers to implementation of adaptation measures, and some current adaptation activities underway by USDOT, and state and local transportation agencies.

FHWA Newsletter Highlights use of ROW for Renewable Electricity Generation. The December issue of FHWA’s Success in Stewardship Newsletter, “Utilizing the Highway Right-of-Way to Generate Renewable Energy,” highlights DOT efforts in Oregon, Ohio, Massachusetts, and North Carolina to use highway rights-of-way for solar, wind, and biofuel generation.

FAA Issues NEPA GHG Guidance. On January 12, the Federal Aviation Administration issued interim guidance on considering greenhouse gas emissions in NEPA studies. The guidance calls for including an estimate of CO2 equivalent emissions if conducting an analysis of other air emissions or if computing and reporting on fuel burn in the NEPA document.

EPA Issues Draft Guidance on Using MOVES for Estimating State and Local On-Road GHG Emissions. The draft EPA guidance, “Using MOVES for Estimating State and Local Inventories of On-Road Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Consumption,” explains how to use the MOVES model to estimate greenhouse gas emissions from on road vehicles to create state or local inventories, or to estimate total energy consumption from the on-road sector. This document is posted on a new web pagethat also hosts other recent EPA publications about estimating emission reductions of both greenhouse gases and criteria pollutants from transportation efficiency strategies.

Army Corps of Engineers Issues Sea Level Rise Guidance. USACE’s “Engineering Circular 1165-2-212” provides guidance for accounting for projected future sea level rise across the project life-cycle for all Army Corps Civil Works activities. According to the Circular, local sea level rise is required to be considered in all Corps coastal activities. The circular includes some broad guidelines on how to develop and consider this information in alternatives selection for a project (pp.1-4), and also includes several appendices. One appendix is designed to help project sponsors estimate future trends in local sea level rise relevant to a specific project, while a second provides a decision-support flowchart for developing ranges of projected local sea level rise.

Report Identifies Climate Information and Assistance Needs. “Climate Adaptation & Transportation: Identifying Information and Assistance Needs” summarizes presentations and discussions from a NOAA workshop to investigate the transportation community’s needs for assistance from the climate science community, identifying the major findings and recommendations for addressing them. Workshop discussion focused on ways the climate science community can help meet transportation organizations’ needs for data, decision support tools, technical assistance, and other activities.  Attendees included representatives from the transportation and climate science fields in government, academia, consulting, and the nonprofit communities. The Center for Clean Air Policy and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute led this study with funding from NOAA.

State and Local News

Florida Report Looks at Assessing Sea Level Rise on Transportation Infrastructure. A new report sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), “Development of a Methodology for the Assessment of Sea Level Rise Impacts on Florida’s Transportation Modes and Infrastructure,” provides recommendations on how to assess the impacts of Sea Level Rise (SLR) on transportation infrastructure in Florida. Researchers at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) reviewed existing SLR forecasts, undertook an extensive inventory of the transportation network along the Florida coastline, and developed a methodology for identifying and assessing potentially vulnerable transportation infrastructure. The researchers applied this methodology and developed case studies for three locations in the state. The report provides recommendations to FDOT on building the impact of SLR into their planning, project development, and construction processes.

WSDOT Issues Updated Climate Change Guidance. WSDOT has issued updated guidance on considering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change effects in project evaluations. The guidance calls for no GHG, qualitative GHG, or quantitative GHG analysis based on the class of environmental review, and provides a recommended quantitative approach for the analysis and sample language. It also addresses how climate change effects could be considered by asking project teams to ask and answer the question: “how will my project be affected by climate change?” and provides the steps and resources to do this.

Washington State Issues Framework for Addressing Climate Change Challenges. In recognition of a projected $10 billion in costs from climate change by the end of the decade, Washington State has released an “Integrated Climate Change Response Strategy” that is intended to provide a broad framework for decision-makers to use in their day-to-day work to ensure that consideration of climate change impacts is given a high priority. The strategy, “Preparing for a Changing Climate: Washington State’s Integrated Climate Response Strategy,” was completed by the Department of Ecology in collaboration with other state agencies and released April 3. It lays out a variety of threats ranging from the risks posed by a projected spike in diseases found in warmer climates such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia to increased flooding brought on by more frequent extreme weather events.

The response plan suggests adaptive strategies such as public education to meet disease threats and floodplain restoration, with the goal of increasing water storage capacity to fend off floods. The report calls for reducing risk of damage to buildings, transportation systems, and other infrastructure by:

• Identifying vulnerable areas and taking proactive steps to reduce risks to infrastructure;
• avoiding climate risks when siting new infrastructure and planning for growth; and
• enhancing capacity to prepare for more frequent and severe flooding, rising sea levels, wildfires, and changes in energy supply and demand.

The report noted WSDOT’s recent efforts to conduct a qualitative assessment and initial screening of state-owned transportation infrastructure vulnerable to climate impacts as part of FHWA’s pilot program. The results of that assessment will be used to help prepare for future conditions and incorporate climate information into decision-making.

New York State Creates Electric Vehicle Voucher Incentive Program – The FHWA New York Division approved $10 million of Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds for the initial year of a statewide project entitled the “New York State Electric Vehicle Voucher Incentive Program.”  This program is intended to help the private companies, public entities, and non-profit entities operating vehicles within New York State to purchase new electric-battery powered medium and heavy-duty (Class 3-8) trucks with a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or more.  MPOs in all air quality nonattainment/maintenance areas of the State are being given the opportunity to endorse the statewide project on their Transportation Improvement Programs. If an MPO chooses not to endorse it, dealers in their area will not be eligible to participate.  It is estimated that this incentive program will provide vouchers for at least 450 vehicles in the first year, reducing greenhouse gases by an estimated 11,700 tons and saving about 1 million gallons of diesel fuel. This project was the result of cooperative discussions between the New York Division’s Planning, Environment, and Right of Way Section, the New York State Department of Transportation, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and the New York City Department of Transportation. More information is available in a press releasefrom Governor Cuomo.

New York State Releases Climate Change Adaptation Report. In an effort to provide state decision makers with information on the state’s vulnerability to climate change and to assist in the development of adaptation strategies, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) produced “ClimAID: the Integrated Assessment for Effective Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in New York State.” The report contains a chapter on transportation infrastructure in the state, including a comprehensive description of the sector, the relevant climate hazards, and resulting vulnerabilities. The transportation chapter also outlines key adaptation strategies and important equity and environmental justice considerations.

Oregon’s TIGER III Electric Vehicle Charging Corridor Project Gets Major Boost. The Electric Vehicle Charging Corridor Connectivity Network Project in Oregon has been awarded an additional $1.34 million in TIGER III funding. The current project, originally funded with $2 million in TIGER II funding will install 22 DC fast charging stations at major destinations outside of Oregon’s metropolitan areas.  The project is anticipated to begin installation in April 2012, and be completed by December 2012. The additional TIGER III funding will allow expansion of the DC fast charging stations network as envisioned in the State’s original proposal.

NJTPA Hosts International Discussion on Climate Change Adaptation. On March 28, 2012, The North Jersey Transportation Authority (NJTPA) hosted the Symposium – Adapting to Climate Change: an International Discussion. As part of a tour of US transportation agencies, researchers from the Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories (FEHRL) met with officials from NJTPA, NJ Transit, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Rutgers University, and others to exchange information on infrastructure resiliency and climate change adaptation activities. More information, including presentations and video recordings of the proceedings, is available on the NJTPA website.

Announcements

FHWA and AMPO Webinar on Climate Change Planning for MPOs: Effective Implementation of Traffic Operations and Management. June 26, 2012, 2:00-3:30 Eastern time. How are MPOs building on existing transportation management and operations programs to meet climate change needs? For GHG reductions? For better emergency response to extreme weather (climate) events? This webinar is free and open to all, however registration is required. This is the last in a series of six webinars on climate change sponsored by FHWA and AMPO.

Portland State University Transportation Seminar Series Explores Modeling and Climate Change – For the Spring of 2012, Portland State University’s Center for Transportation Studies Seminar Series, traditionally covering a breadth of current transportation topics, will instead focus on the single theme of transportation modeling, specifically taking a policy oriented approach and examining climate change impacts. Speakers for the series of 8 to 10 seminars will include both public and private sector transportation professionals. The series is free and open to the public. Webcasts of each seminar will be available live and archived; see www.cts.pdx.edu/seminars/ for topics and scheduling details.

If you have any suggestions for inclusion in future issues of Transportation and Climate Change News, or if someone forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like to receive it directly in the future, please send your suggestions or request to Becky Lupes at Rebecca.Lupes@dot.gov or Heather Holsinger at Heather.Holsinger@dot.gov.

(via NTOC)

This position will be open from Thursday, May 31, 2012 to Friday, June 29, 2012. For complete information and to apply, click on the link below.

Job Title: Director, Office of Freight Management and Operations
Department: Department Of Transportation
Agency: Federal Highway Administration
Job Announcement Number: FHWA.SES-2012-0015
http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/317947800

JOB SUMMARY:
Come on board with us and take a journey that will challenge your mind and develop your career. The quality of our lives, the shape of our communities and the productivity of our Nation’s economy depend on our transportation systems. We recognize and value the importance of our workforce and the diversity of backgrounds and ideas that each employee brings. The U.S. Department of Transportation: Careers in Motion.

The Director, Office of Freight Management and Operations, is responsible for developing and administering nationwide surface transportation programs, policies, and regulations designed to enhance the safety, efficiency, productivity and security of freight operations.

DUTIES:
The SES Office Director provides executive leadership and direction on issues relating to the highway freight industry.  Leads the development of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) intermodal goods movement vision, mission, strategies and policy direction.  Represents the FHWA in national and international freight industry forums, facilitates and supports the development of coalitions among shippers, carriers, freight forwarders, and public agencies to improve freight operations.  In collaboration with transportation stakeholders, leads the development of partnerships, networks, associations, and agreements to develop efficient freight operations on high speed, multi-state trade/transportation corridors, and at key intermodal connectors.  Directs the development of metrics for freight productivity; directs a program of data collection in cooperation with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and other Federal agencies and leads analysis to assess goods movement trends and needs; leads the development of an intermodal freight research agenda, including the application of intelligent transportation system technologies; builds a professional capacity building program, and directs the review of state certification of compliance with truck size and weight regulations.

The Real-Time Data Capture and Management Program Announces a Test Data Sets Request for Procurement (RFP) and Request for Applications (RFA), issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on 2/5/11 with the proposal due date of 4:00 PM EDT on 3/15/11.

An initial offering to “Clean-up of Existing Data Sets to Support Dynamic Mobility Applications Development,” was issued on 2/5/11 with the proposal due date of 4:00 PM EDT on 3/15/11.  As a result of this solicitation, FHWA anticipates collecting multiple “cleaned up” research-ready data sets that meet the minimum requirements of this solicitation and program objectives, within available resources.

The Request for Applications (RFA) DTFH61-11-RA-00004 can be found on www.Grants.gov at:
http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/opportunities/instructions/oppDTFH61-11-RA-00004-cfda20.200-instructions.pdf

A solicitation notice (synopsis) for a full and open competition entitled “Test Data Sets to Support Dynamic Mobility Applications Development,” was issued on 2/5/11 with the proposal due date of 4:00 PM EDT on 3/15/11.  The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) intends to make multiple awards to obtain existing well-documented, quality data sets available from recent or ongoing operations, field tests, or simulations of emerging technologies supporting mobility, environment, transit, freight, weather, and other surface transportation research. FHWA intends to award multiple contracts and/or cooperative agreements to fund the following tasks: data clean up of existing data sets, data integration, documentation of data set contents and formats, addition of meta-data to the data set, and provision of data sets in final form to FHWA.

The Request for Proposals (RFP) DTFH61-11-R-00010 can be found on http://www.FedBiz.Opps at:
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=db892596312f21e9508d6ae4f70faf31&tab=core&_cview=1

The Real-Time Data Capture and Management Program is a multimodal program of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office, a program office of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA).Additional information can be found at: http://www.its.dot.gov/

RITA strongly encourages comments on the Real-Time System Management Information Program Final Rule Request:

Rule: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2010_register&docid=fr08no10-4 Comments: http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480b84022 BACKGROUND The concept for establishing a Real-Time System Management Information Program was included in federal transportation legislation in 2005 (specifically known as Section 1201 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, or SAFETEA-LU). The Real-Time System Management Information Program would provide the capability to monitor in real-time the traffic and travel conditions of the major highways across the U.S. and provide a means of sharing these data with state and local governments and with the traveling public. The SAFETEA-LU legislation required the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to establish a formal rule in order to define minimum parameters and requirements for states to make available and share traffic and travel conditions information via real-time information programs. The Federal Highway Administration has released the proposed rule, and is seeking comments from stakeholders across the public and private sectors. The Research and Innovative Technology Administration, which oversees the U.S. Intelligent Transportation Systems Program, is actively encouraging innovation in data collection, management, and dissemination across a wide array of communications platforms, and also encourages stakeholders to provide detailed comments regarding this rule. RITA is particularly interested in responses to questions below from the Notice:

1. Given the research investment into wireless communications systems in the 5.9 GHz spectrum for Intelligent Transportation Systems applications, to what extent could systems in this spectrum also be used to fulfill the requirements of this rule and/or enable other applications?
2. Given that there are legacy technologies in place now, and that there are new technologies on the horizon that are being adopted, how can we ensure that investments made today to comply with this rule are sustainable over the long term?

DATES:

This rule will be effective December 23, 2010. Establishment of the real-time information program for traffic and travel conditions reporting along the Interstate highway system will be completed no later than November 8, 2014. Establishment of the real-time information program for traffic and travel conditions reporting along the State-designated metropolitan area routes of significance will be completed no later than November 8, 2016. We request that comments be submitted via the link above no later than December 23, 2010.

The FHWA Office of Natural Environment has announced a GS-13/14 position on the Sustainable Transport and Climate Change Team. The position will focus on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and sustainable transportation issues, research and policy. We are looking for a high-energy, team-oriented individual to help lead FHWA efforts in these high priority and emerging areas.

The position closes October 1.

Please see the USAjobs link below. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or email Mike Culp, Sustainable Transport and Climate Change Team Leader (michael.culp@dot.gov, 202-366-9229).

http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=90782706&aid=46575945-17910&WT.mc_n=125

Tuesday, February 23rd

1:00 to 2:30 PM EST

Please join us for a free Webinar hosted by the National Transportation Operations Coalition on Tuesday, February 23rd from 1:00 to 2:30 PM EST. Click on the URL below to register.

Integrating operations into a metropolitan transportation plan can lead to important improvements that customers care about: increased efficiency, reliability, safety, security, travel options, and more. The Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration have developed a desk reference that can help metropolitan planning organizations and their planning partners meet the challenge of integrating operations into the plan and realize the benefits. The desk reference assists planners and operators in using specific operations objectives and performance measures to plan for operations. It contains an extensive menu of operations objectives and performance measures that planners and operators can draw from for their own plans. Excerpts from a sample plan illustrate the integration of operations into a plan.

This seminar will offer a preview of this new tool. Audiences will have an opportunity to hear how two MPOs are using an objectives-driven, performance-based approach to plan for operations and the desk reference. This is the second in a series of two Talking Operations Webinars on the objectives-driven, performance-based approach. Tune in to hear about the experiences of two more metropolitan planning organizations.

The speakers will be:

• Richard Backlund, FHWA Office of Operations, Egan Smith, FHWA Office of Planning, and John Sprowls, FTA Office of Planning
• Deena Platman, Principal Transportation Planner, Metro, Portland, Oregon
• Lance Wilber, Central Region Director, Alaska Department of Transportation and former Municipality of Anchorage Traffic Director.

To Register, Click this URL: https://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/webconference/web_conf_learner_reg.aspx?webconfid=19485

(Source: USDOT & Green Car Congress)

Preliminary reports from the State Highway Agencies show travel during June 2009 on all roads and streets in the nation increased by 2.0% (4.9 billion vehicle miles) resulting in estimated travel for the month at 256.7 billion vehicle-miles, according to the US Federal Highway Administration.

This total includes 89.6 billion vehicle-miles on rural roads and 167.1 billion vehicle-miles on urban roads and streets. Cumulative Travel changed by -0.4 percent (-6.1 billion vehicle miles).  Cumulative estimate for the year is 1,446.1 billion vehicle miles of travel.

While traffic volumes have shown some year-over-year gains earlier this year, June marks the first month when driving was higher in all regions of the United States and on all types of roads. US traffic volumes started declining in November 2007 as oil prices rose and experienced dramatic drops in 2008.

Image Courtesy: USDOT

Click here to read the entire article.