Upcoming NCTCOG Public Meetings

The North Central Texas Council of Governments is holding public meetings next week that may be of interest to the environmentally minded:

Monday, Dec. 12
6:30 pm
Richardson Civic Center
411 W. Arapaho Road
Richardson, Texas 75080

Tuesday, Dec. 13
10:30 am
Ella Mae Shamblee Library
1062 Evans Avenue
Fort Worth, Texas 76104

Thursday, Dec. 15
6:30 pm
West Irving Library
4444 W. Rochelle Road
Irving, Texas 75062

Per their release, topics include:

COTTON BELT INNOVATIVE FINANCE INITIATIVE UPDATE
At the request of Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, the Regional Transportation Council led efforts to identify viable funding sources for an innovative funding plan to construct, operate and maintain passenger rail service along the 62-mile Cotton Belt corridor. All agencies were involved in evaluating the viability of funding sources. Staff will summarize potential funding sources and next steps to further refine the project implementation plan.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES NORTH TEXAS UPDATE
The Dallas-Fort Worth area is among the top six cities in the US ready to embrace electric vehicles, according to Ford and GE studies. Staff at the North Central Texas Council of Governments have been working with utility companies, local governments, school districts, transit partners, first responders, local businesses and others to ready the region for plug-in electric vehicles. Staff will provide an update on the initiative.

OZONE SEASON SUMMARY
North Texas faced one of the toughest ozone seasons in recent years. With more than 70 days at or above 100 degrees, the unusually extreme heat may have contributed to the atypical ozone season, following several years of steady improvement. Staff will summarize how the region's air quality fared this year and what it means for meeting current and future air quality standards as set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

PROPOSED MODIFICATIONS TO THE LIST OF FUNDED PROJECTS
A comprehensive list of funded transportation projects through 2014 is maintained in the transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Projects with committed funds from federal, state and local sources are included in the TIP. To maintain an accurate project listing, this document is updated on a regular basis. The current set of project modifications will be presented for public review and comment.