Mission
This interest group has a focus on air quality and climate change. Topics discussed include policies, guidance and regulations, and state-of-the-practice analytic tools and techniques. It carries on the efforts of the Air Quality Work Group, which had funding and technical support from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
With the conclusion of that funding, AMPO has dedicated this interest group to continuing this conversation, renaming it to Environment and Resiliency to better address the needs of the community and requirements under the newest transportation bill.
Goals
The objectives of the interest group include:
- Providing a forum for metropolitan transportation planning practitioners to identify policy and technical research, training and technical support needs;
- Continued building of MPO technical capacity through peer-to-peer sharing, documentation and dissemination of innovative tools and planning practices;
- Continued collaboration with FHWA to address issues, strategies, policies and tools leading to better health, environmental, social and economic outcomes in the context of transportation and air quality and climate change;
- Continued advances in the state-of-the-practice through an ongoing forum and community of practice to share information and ideas on innovative tools, processes and investment decision making strategies that yield positive environmental, air quality and climate change outcomes.
Leadership Team
Russell Pietrowiak
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Russel l has been with CMAP (the MPO for the Chicago area) for over 20 years. He’s currently a Senior Analyst whose primary responsibilities are the project manager for CMAP’s transportation conformity process, including emissions modeling and for the active program management process for projects in the TIP. As the program manager for the conformity process at CMAP he’s responsible for leading CMAP’s efforts for the consultation process, emissions modeling, regulatory and policy monitoring and development, and in ensuring that the requirements associated with the conformity process and transportation planning process are understood and adhered to.
Pamela EatonMaui MPO
Liza FarrLiza is the Supervising Planner on the Transportation Team for the Division of Statewide Planning. Liza is managing the creation of a statewide Complete Streets Guidance, along with many other long- and short-range transportation planning projects and programs. Before joining the MPO, Liza worked for the City of Providence as the Curbside Administrator, managing everything to do with the parking/curb lane on city streets, including paid parking, parking policies and regulations, and curb management data and planning. Liza previously worked at the transit agency in St. Louis on transit-oriented development and bike share.
Katherine RainoneMetropolitan Washington Council of Governments
Katherine is the Transportation Resilience Planner at the MPO for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWOG). Her work includes incorporating adaptation to the impacts of natural hazards on the National Capital Region’s transportation system with the creation of a transportation resilience planning program and spearheading the first regional Transportation Resilience Improvement Plan (TRIP) – an effort to prepare the region for access to PROTECT program funding.
Committee Liaison
WAMPO
Chad Parasa has more than 20 years of MPO Transportation planning experience in the public sector, and he has 5 years of consulting work experience in the private sector, in the areas of Traffic Engineering. Chad has a graduate degree in Civil Engineering, major in Transportation Engineering, from the University of Oklahoma. Chad also obtained his Master degree in Mathematics, from Fairfield University, Connecticut.Chad has a passion for public service, and he believes that many choices of transportation modes of public, develop into a transportation system. The transportation system becomes an integral part and a foundation for economic development. Thus there are so many areas to serve the public’s interests in a multi-modal transportation system. One of the ways to serve the public is by serving elected officials because they represent the public and strive for the larger good of the public. Chad believes that MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) is a great place for collaboration by bringing together various agencies such as local jurisdictions, regional leaders and stakeholders, state agencies, as well as federal agencies.
CCTXMPO
Bill HigginsCalCOG
FHWA Liaison
Allison Yeh
Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Natural Environment’s Resilience Team
