1 CMAQ COST

- EFFECTIVENESS THRESHOLD DOCUMENTATION FOR THE STANISLAUS COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS 20 11 FTIP

The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (C MAQ ) program provides funding for transportatio n projects or programs that contribute to attainment or maintena nce of the national ambient air quality standards. All San Joaquin Valley M etropolitan Planning Organizations (M POs ) adopted policies in 2007 for distributing at least 20 percent of the C MAQ funds to projects that meet a c ost

- effectiveness threshold for em ission reductions beginnin g in F iscal Year (FY) 2 011. For the 20 11 Federal Transportation Improvement Program ( FTIP ) , this applies to years 2010

- 2011 through 201 3

- 201 4 . Stanislaus Council of Governments (StanCOG) has made every effort to expend the m inim um 20 percent funding for cost

- effective projects over the course of the FTIP and the attached documentation demonstrates that StanCOG has me t the 20 percent funding goal

.
Project eligibility continue s to be based on fe deral CMAQ guidance. MPOs can fund projects within local jurisdictions or contribute funding to the S an Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD) grant incentive programs to meet the cost

- effectiveness threshold requirements. Funds contributed to the SJVAPCD grant incentive programs will be assumed to have met the threshold, as that threshold is more stringent than the one established by the CMAQ cost

- effectiveness policy

.

Emission benefits and cost

- effectiveness calculations are based on the applicable pollutants for the re gion, including the components of ozone ( nitrogen oxides [NO x ] and reactive organic gases [ROG ]) and particulate matter (PM). The “Methods to Find the Cost

Effectiveness of Funding Air Quality Projects” document developed by the Air Resources Board (ARB) i s currently the appropriate methodology for calculating cost

- effectiveness. Cost

- effectiveness is expressed as dollars spent per pound of pollutant reduced (ROG + NO x + PM 10 ). The cost

- effectiveness threshold for the 20 11 FTIP has been maintained at the

p reviously recommended level of $3 0 per pound ($60,000 per ton) and is based on CMAQ dollars only, not total project cost.

StanCOG has identif

ied , through existing programmed p rojects in those years or other selection methods, projects that qualify for the cost

- effectiveness policy . StanCOG’s project selection process begins with approval of the CMAQ funds distribution methodology by the Policy Board. On June 10, 2009 the Stanislaus Council of Governments Policy Board approved distributing CMAQ Funds f or FY 10/11 and FY 11/12 as follows :

 50% Formula (Based on Percent by Population)

 50% Competitive (Cost

- Effectiveness)

 Rideshare taken off the top

 $100,000 Floor for the Cities of Hughson, Waterford, and Newman (Supplemented by the Competitive Share of Fu nds)

Once the distribution methodology is approved a Call for Projects is announ ced and agencies must submit a CMAQ application p acket to StanCOG

. T he application packet allows the agency to demonstrate that the project is eligible for CMAQ funding and includes2

c alculatio ns demonstrating the cost

- effectiveness of the project. T he FY 10/11 and FY 11/12 Call for Project schedule is as follows:

Friday, August 7 th , 2009 Call for Projects
Friday, November 20, 2009 Project Applications due to StanCOG

November 23 rd

– Decemb er 11 th Verification Committee Review & Selection
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 Policy Board adopts prioritization

As identified in this s chedule the applications and cost

- effectiveness calculations are reviewed by a committee to verify application compl eteness and accuracy of the cost

effectiveness calculations submitted . The selected projects are then brought through the Technical Advisory Committee, Citizen Advisory Committee and Management and Finance Committee for a recommendation to the Policy Boar d. The Policy Board then adopts the CMAQ projects that are to be programmed in the FTIP.

As stated in the Cost

- Effectiveness Policy, StanCOG has agreed to post information related to the implementation of the cost

- effectiveness CMAQ policy on its website

. Attached is documentation that fulfills this requirement and demonstrates that StanCOG has estimated the amount of funding in the 20 11 FTIP necessary to meet the 20 percent cost

- effectiveness goal and provided a summary of the CMAQ projects that meet the minimum cost

effectiveness threshold

.