Grantee Research Project Results
FLEETS for All: Facilitating Local Electrified Energy and Transportation Services for All
EPA Grant Number: R840555Title: FLEETS for All: Facilitating Local Electrified Energy and Transportation Services for All
Investigators: Bielicki, Jeffrey M , Best, Kelsea , Gingerich, Daniel B , Hood, Darryl , Jacquet, Jeffrey , Le, Huyen , May, Andy
Institution: The Ohio State University
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026
Project Amount: $1,120,313
RFA: Drivers and Environmental Impacts of Energy Transitions in Underserved Communities. (2022) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Air Quality and Air Toxics , Environmental Justice , Air , Social Science
Objective:
The objectives of the proposed research are (1) partnering with underserved communities in the Columbus Metropolitan Area (CMA) to understand their needs for electrification and mobility and evaluate the effectiveness of current efforts; (2) develop strategies to guide transition investment and deployment to improve health, environmental, and social conditions over time for CMA communities across the urban-exurban-rural gradient; and (3) understand how knowledge, perception, and values vary and design and evaluate informational interventions that inform individual and domicile-level decisions.
Approach:
The proposed research combines approaches from the social sciences, engineering, environmental science, public health, and policy analysis to meet these objectives. In particular, we plan to (1) use interviews, focus groups, and surveys to understand needs and perceptions in 15 CMA focal communities; (2) combined identified needs with transportation data to estimate gaps in transportation infrastructure; (3) develop scenarios of changes in electricity demand and generation capacity resulting from electrification and mobility shifts; (4) model the air pollution, and subsequent health impacts, of changes in tailpipe and electricity generation infrastructure; (5) use cost-effectiveness and benefit-cost analyses in order to evaluate and support policy decisions to guide the transition; and (6) combine consumer perception and decision science in order to design communications that can be used to help individuals and households make better decisions about the transition.
Expected Results:
The expected results of the project include (1) community assessments and toolkits to support local and regional decision-makers that identify challenges and opportunities for supporting transitions to electrified energy and mobility; (2) white papers and presentations for stakeholders on infrastructure planning to support electrified energy and mobility; (3) profiles of a just transition in marginalized communities to help general audiences understand the challenges facing marginalized communities during the transition; (4) tested informational interventions for use in helping marginalized communities understand the decisions facing their households during electrified energy and mobility transitions; and (5) a range of scholarly and general audience outputs designed to communicate our research finding to diverse audiences, including a symposium, webinars, conference presentations, and research papers.
Supplemental Keywords:
Air, Ozone, Mobile Sources, Exposure, Risk Assessment, Health Effects, Population, Race, Ethnic Groups, Particulates, Nitrogen Oxides, Sulfates, Life-Cycle Analysis, Clean Technologies, Innovative Technology, Renewable, Public Policy, Decision Making, Community-Based, Cost Benefit, Survey, Bayesian, Socioeconomic, Willingness-to-Pay, Environmental Chemistry, Epidemiology, Modeling, Monitoring, Analytical, Midwest, Ohio, OH, EPA Region 5, SIC 4911 (Electric Services), SIC 3510 (Electric power generation, transmission and distribution)The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.