Geosynthetics April/May 2023 - 6

EDITORIAL
Back to Washington for TRB
J
Geosynthetics
anuary always means it's time for the annual Transportation Research
Board (TRB) meeting in Washington, D.C. This was the 102nd annual
meeting, and by all accounts it was once again a success.
Perhaps the biggest highlight this year was when the Department of
Kevin Kerfoot
Editor
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kevin.kerfoot@
textiles.org
Transportation (DOT) and Department of Energy (DOE) secretaries addressed
the carbon emissions plan. This discussion was presented as a " fireside chat "
and included energy secretary Jennifer M. Granholm, transportation secretary
Pete Buttigieg, TRB executive committee chair Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. and vice
chair Shawn Wilson. The discussion centered on a recently released national
public-private sector blueprint for transportation decarbonization developed
by DOE, DOT and other federal agencies, and the federal government's plan
to reach net-zero carbon emissions in the U.S. transportation sector by 2050.
This plan includes equitably improving mobility and building out a nationwide
network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers, zero-emission fueling infrastructure,
and zero-emission transit and school buses as well as other initiatives.
The Deen Distinguished Lecture featured Charles A. Fuhs III, who spoke
about re-envisioning mobility on urban freeways and the emergence and evolving
roles of managed lanes. Other TRB highpoints included visiting nearly 200
exhibits showcasing a wide range of transportation-related products and services;
hearing Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board,
who gave the keynote for the chair's plenary session; and a panel discussion
moderated by Colleen Vaughn with the U.S. Department of Transportation's
Infrastructure Permitting Improvement Center. The discussion covered revisions
to key environmental policies including the Council on Environmental Quality's
(CEQ) review and revision of guidance for considering greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions and the effects of climate change in the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) reviews, current status of the NEPA Phase II rulemaking, and the
DOT's recent environmental review initiatives in the wake of the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
While the meeting was not centered around geosynthetics, there were many
opportunities to attend geo-related seminars. A few of my favorite lectern sessions
were Large and Full-Scale Performance Testing of Geosynthetics, GeoEnvironmental
and Climatic Impacts on Geomaterials Use for Transportation
Infrastructure, and Evaluation of Open-Graded Aggregates Stabilized with a
Multi-Axial Geogrid Using a Large-Scale Triaxial Test Set-Up.
These sessions included case study examples and delved into topics such
as geo materials for transportation, geocell installation, geogrid reinforcement,
pavement infrastructure improvement and achieving sustainability by
reinforcing pavement with geotextiles.
I also recently experienced our own ATA Geosynthetics Conference in
Kansas City, Mo., for the first time. You can read all about the show recap
on page 14.
Geosynthetics is an international, bimonthly publication for civil engineers, contractors and
government agencies in need of expert information on geosynthetic engineering solutions.
Geosynthetics presents articles from field professionals for innovative, exemplary practice.
6
Geosynthetics | April May 2023
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE*
Melody A. Adams | Waste Management, USA
Sam R. Allen | TRI/Environmental, USA
Richard J. Bathurst | Royal Military College, Canada
Malek Bouazza | Monash University, Australia
Daniele A. Cazzuffi | CESI S.p.A., Italy
Archie Filshill | Aero Aggregates of North America LLC, USA
Ronald K. Frobel | R. K. Frobel & Associates, USA
Stephan M. Gale | Gale-Tec Engineering Inc., USA
John M. Gardner | Smith Gardner Inc., USA
Han-Yong Jeon | INHA University, Korea
Robert E. Mackey | S2L Inc., USA
Kent von Maubeuge | Naue GmbH, Germany
Dhani Narejo | Narejo Inc., USA
Marco A. Sánchez | ML Ingeniería, Mexico
Mark E. Smith | RRD International Corp., USA
L. David Suits | LDS Geosynthetic Consulting Services, USA
Richard Thiel | Thiel Engineering, USA
Gary L. Willibey | ESP/SKAPS Industries, USA
Aigen Zhao | AGZ International LLC, USA
*The Editorial Advisory Committee reviews selected
papers, case histories and technical editorial copy in
its areas of expertise. Individual advisors do not review
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the author's responsibility alone, and do not imply
the viewpoints of Geosynthetics, the Editorial Advisory
Committee, the editors or the association.
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Geosynthetics April/May 2023

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