Transportation Conformity is a federal requirement in nonattainment areas to conduct air quality analysis on projects, programs, and policies identified in transportation plans, transportation improvement programs, federally funded projects, or projects requiring federal approval. Conformity determinations must demonstrate consistency between emissions expected from the implementation of transportation plans and programs and Motor Vehicle Emission Budgets (MVEBs) in the applicable implementation plan. To meet this criterion, conformity determinations in nonattainment areas with adequate MVEBs from an applicable State Implementation Plan (SIP), must perform a MVEB test. For the MVEB test, the emissions analysis must demonstrate the estimated emissions are less than the MVEBs in the applicable implementation plan.
The determination of the analysis is a two-step process in metropolitan areas. The first step is for the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to make the initial transportation conformity determination at the local level. For the North Central Texas nonattainment area, this responsibility falls with the Regional Transportation Council (RTC), the MPO’s policy body. The second step is for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to make a joint transportation conformity determination at the federal level. Upon favorable federal approval, a four-year window begins during which projects, programs, and policies identified in the Metropolitan Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program may move toward implementation.
2011 Transportation Conformity Analysis and Documentation (Current Governing Document)
The Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) 1997 8-Hour Ozone Attainment Demonstration and DFW Reasonable Further Progress SIP revisions were adopted on May 23, 2007, and submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2007. On March 21, 2008, EPA published, in the Federal Register (FRL-8544-9), Adequacy Status of Submitted State Implementation Plans for Transportation Conformity Purposes. EPA also provided a conditional approval on January 14, 2009 (FRL-8758-7), effective February 13, 2009.
2013 Draft Transportation Conformity Analysis and Documentation (In Development)
 The DFW 1997 8-Hour Ozone Attainment Demonstration and DFW Reasonable Further Progress SIP revisions were adopted on December 7, 2011, and submitted to the U.S. EPA in January 2012. On February 1, 2013, EPA published, in the Federal Register (FRL-9774-9),
Adequacy Status of the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Reasonable Further Progress 8-Hour Ozone Motor Vehicle Emission Budgets for Transportation Conformity Purposes, effective February 19, 2013.
Previous Conformity Determination Letters
Resources:
Federal Highway Administration
Environmental Protection Agency
Conformity Rules and Regulations
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