FTA has selected 10 public transportation organizations in the U.S. and Northern Mariana Islands to participate in the fourth round of its Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Training & Technical Assistance Program for Transit Agencies.

The participating agencies are:

* Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;
* City of Fort Lauderdale, FL;
* Greater Cleveland Regional Transit District;
* Golden Empire Transit, Bakersfield, CA;
* Hillsborough Area Regional Transit, Tampa, FL;
* Kitsap Transit, Bremerton, WA;
* Lane Transit, Eugene, OR;
* Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose, CA;
* Tri Delta Transit, Antioch, CA; and
* VIA Metropolitan Transit, San Antonio, TX.

An EMS is a set of management processes and procedures that allows an organization to analyze, control, and reduce the environmental impact of its activities, products, and services, and to operate with greater efficiency and control.

These agencies will receive technical assistance and training in the development and implementation of an EMS based on the 14001 Standard of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ISO 14001 standard is a toolbox of management techniques to minimize harm to the environment.

FTA provides assistance through training workshops, on-site technical support visits, electronic materials and resources, and consultation, working with the services of the Center for Organizational and Technological Advancement at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Roanoke, VA. The Environmental Protection Agency recognizes Virginia Tech as a Public Entity Environmental Management System Resource Center, specifically designed to aid local, county, and state entities that are considering implementing EMS.

More information about the program is available here.