Workshop Announcement – Getting on the Right Track: Real-world Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation – March 21-22, 2012, Arlington, VA

Dear Region IV State partners,

Please refer to the workshop announcement below. This workshop is oriented to help transit agencies in developing strategies to tackle the challenges of climate change:

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), invites you to join us for a workshop…

Getting on the Right Track: Real-world Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation

March 21-22, 2012

1310 North Courthouse Rd, Suite 600, Arlington, Virginia

(by the Courthouse stop on the Washington Metro)

Extreme weather and a changing climate pose a unique challenge to public transportation professionals: how do we adapt our operations, our planning, our emergency management? What data can we use in approaching this problem? What are others in the field doing today? FTA’s workshop will target exactly these kinds of questions by bringing together public transportation professionals and experts from a variety of disciplines.

Recent events such as Hurricane Irene, Mississippi River flooding, and drought and wildfires in Texas gave transit agencies experience in the types of events projected to become more common. Come and share experiences as well as learn from experts in the field. This effort is in keeping with broader goals to address state-of-good repair needs and enhance transit safety.

Workshop Highlights:

• Interactive exercises

• GIS tools

• Breakouts by discipline

• Presentations from engineers, climate scientists, planners

• Discussions with representatives of climate adaptation pilot projects

Highlighted Speakers:

• Therese McMillan, Deputy Administrator, FTA

• Jeffrey Knueppel, Chief Engineer and Assistant General Manager, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)

• Harriet Tregoning, Director of the Washington DC Office of Planning

• Dr. David Major, Senior Research Scientist, Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research

• David Springstead, Senior Director of Engineering & Development, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)

Workshop Objectives:

1. share analytical methods and tools for climate adaptation;

2. shape ongoing and future transit adaptation assessments by determining successful approaches;

3. develop strategies for mainstreaming climate considerations into transit agency processes such as operations, maintenance, emergency management, capital planning, long term transportation planning, and environmental management systems;

4. gather transit industry input into FTA climate adaptation planning.

Who should attend:

Representatives of public transportation agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, state departments of transportation; public transportation professionals from the broad range of fields impacted – engineering, planning, safety, emergency management, operations, sustainability, etc.

Preliminary Agenda: http://fta/sitemap_14257.html

Registration:

This workshop is free of charge. Registration is required and space is limited. http://fta-adaptation.eventbrite.com

More on FTA’s Climate Adaptation Initiative:

This effort is part of FTA’s climate adaptation initiative, which includes a recently issued research report, funding for pilot projects, workshops, and webinars. To view FTA’s dear colleague letter, policy statement, recordings of past webinars, presentation slides from prior workshops, and other resources, please see www.fta.dot.gov/adaptation.

If you have questions, comments, or require alternative formats, please contact Bryce McNitt at bryce.mcnitt@dot.gov.

January 19, 2012 Posted in: Training