Environmental process | Environmental review | Energy Analysis Procedure
Energy Analysis Procedure process
Energy use discussion
You must include a discussion, in general terms, of the energy requirements and conservation potential of various alternatives under consideration for projects that require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Projects of the types listed in “Energy Analysis Procedure” also require a detailed analysis with computations.
You do not need an energy analysis or discussion for Environmental Assessments (EAs) or Categorical Exclusions (CATEXs).
Calculation procedures
The FHWA and the Minnesota Department of Energy and Economic Development play important roles in defining the energy analysis procedure.
Step 1: Detailed energy analysis
For projects that require a numerical analysis, use state-of-the art energy consumption models and include both direct and indirect energy use. Direct energy includes the fuel vehicles consume as they travel on the project. Indirect energy includes the fuel used to construction and maintain the project and to construction and maintain the vehicles using the roadway. Fully consider all project alternatives, including the “no-build” alternative.
MnDOT’s Minnesota Infrastructure Carbon Estimator tool (MICE) produces estimates of energy consumption from both the construction process (direct and indirect) and from vehicles using the roadway. When MICE is used to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a project, it also estimates energy consumption, and the MICE results can be used to meet the energy analysis requirements. If EPA’s MOVES model is being used for a mobile source air toxics (MSAT) analysis for the project, the MOVES model produces energy consumption estimates for vehicle usage as part of the MSAT calculations, and these estimates are more refined than those generated by MICE and should be used.
Step 2: Energy discussion
Base the discussion on fuel use statistics (see Highway Statistic Series) and use general terms to indicate the energy requirements and conservation potential of various project alternatives. Incorporate factors that affect energy use, such as average speed, congestion, speed changes, grade, curvature, average age of vehicles (if affected by the project), reductions in delay due to improved safety and reduced number of traffic incidents, and other miscellaneous factors. Include a summary of the MICE and MOVES results if these models are used for the energy analysis.
Step 3: Assistance
Obtain assistance with developing the analysis from the Office of Environmental Stewardship (OES) Environmental Modeling and Testing Unit and the FHWA Division Office.