Applied Research Center of Alabama

Transportation Planning:The Center continued its ongoing participation in the local transportation planning process for Jefferson and Shelby counties with its chairman serving on the Transportation Citizens Committee (TCC) of the Birmingham Metropolitan Planning Organization. During the year, the TCC chairman retired and the Center's chairman was elected as the TCC's new chairman effective January 2022. The Center also continued its involvement in a coalition to educate the public on the benefits of completing a major highway development project in Jefferson County, the Northern Beltline (Beltline). The organization was founded in October 2008 as an Alabama nonprofit corporation, the Coalition for Regional Transportation (CRT), and the Center's Chairman serves on CRT's Board of Directors. The Beltline, a limited access expressway from I-59/20 west of the City of Birmingham around the northern fringes of the Birmingham metropolitan area to I-59 northeast of the City of Birmingham, has been considered since the 1960's when the Interstate Highway System in the region was developed. The Beltline is designated as an Appalachian Development Highway System Corridor (Corridor X-1) and is proposed to be a part of the nation's interstate highway system as I-422. The Beltline will be an economic development corridor for the region and will provide transportation improvements, traffic congestion relief, air quality improvements and public safety improvements in the area. Construction of the Beltline will provide a safer, more efficient highway facility where no convenient east-west access currently exists in northern Jefferson County.

Alternative Fuels:The Center provided office space to and remained active in the management and operation of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, Inc. (ACFC), a participant in the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program. ARCA's Chairman serves on the ACFC Board of Directors, and the value of his time associated with ACFC management and operation is donated to the organization. This program promotes the use of alternative fuels (AF) and alternative fueled vehicles (AFV) to expand the market, create job opportunities, improve air quality, and to reduce dependence of foreign sources of energy. ACFC was founded in 2002 as an Alabama nonprofit corporation. ACFC and its members work primarily with state and local governments to provide them with information on the benefits of AF and to identify potential AFV uses and AF infrastructure projects. The use of alternative fuels was significant in Alabama in 2022 and provided a reduction in the use of petroleum of more than 16.8 million gallons of gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) and 123,414 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. This effort was led primarily by state and local governments with assistance from the ACFC. During 2022, alternative fuels (E85 Ethanol, B20 Biodiesel, and Propane) continued to be included on the state fuel contract. In addition to being available to state agencies, these alternative fuels can be purchased by local governments on the state contract from approved vendors in all 67 counties in Alabama. Use of alternative fuels in the fleets of government agencies in Alabama continued to be used in 2022: the Alabama Department of Transportation used 96,814 gallons of B20 Biodiesel and 111,105 gallons of E85 Ethanol; the Alabama State Docks used 1,147 gallons of Propane; the Alabama State Motor Pool used 7,865 gallons of E85 Ethanol; the Marshall Space Flight Center used 20,927 gallons of E85 Ethanol; the City of Birmingham used 10,357 gallons of E85 Ethanol and 148 gallons of Propane; City of Birmingham Schools used 95,636 gallons of Propane; the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) used 762,227 GGE of CNG; the ACFC developed public access CNG station at the BJCTA facility dispensed 51,960 GGE of CNG to the general public; Mobile County Schools used 540,325 gallons of Propane; the City of Daphne Utilities used 7,645 GGE of CNG; Franklin County Schools used 92,820 gallons of Propane; the Lee County Sheriff's Office used 3,805 gallons of Propane; the Town of Gordo used 101,057 GGE of CNG; the City of Athens used 26,961 heavy duty GGE of CNG and 11,403 light duty GGE of CNG;; the City of Tuscaloosa/Tuscaloosa Transit used 22,224 gallons of Propane; Tuscaloosa City Schools used 307,686 gallons of Propane;; Lawson State Community College used 50 GGE of CNG; The University of Alabama at Birmingham, through the publics' use of their on-campus EV charging stations, reduced petroleum usage by 87,649 gallons. The City of Montgomery operated diesel-hybrid electric transit buses reducing petroleum usage by 13,499 gallons; and waste vegetable oil to biodiesel initiatives continued at the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind, where the program produced 2750 gallons of B100 Biodiesel. ACFC programs and activities laid the foundation for additional alternative fuel infrastructure projects and increased the availability of cleaner burning fuels to the public in Alabama during calendar year 2022 and beyond. Increasing availability of these fuels will improve air quality. In addition, other potential projects were identified for future funding and/or technical assistance. ACFC also led an effort to assist the state in developing a statewide Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Plan. This plan was used by the state to determine priorities and criteria needed to develop a statewide grant program to install EV chargers around the state. These programs and activities serve to lessen the burdens of government and also further a charitable purpose by improving the environment, which promotes social welfare.