AN ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE ENGINEERING (EVE) EMERGY ANALYSIS RUBRIC TO COMPARE HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER RAIL AND INTERSTATE PASSENGER CAR TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES THROUGH A FIXED DISTANCE

Abstract

An Environmental Value Engineering (EVE) analysis was used to conduct an environmental life cycle assessment of transportation alternatives consisting of high-speed passenger rail and interstate passenger car transportation. This analysis was formulated on the EMERGY inputs of environment, fuel energy, goods, and services (labor). EMERGY input tables were calculated based on subsystem inputs for each mode of transportation. Areas of commonality were identified for analysis exclusion while aspects that showed differentiation were included as viable inputs into the calculation of the total EMERGY for each system. The summation of inputs resulted in an overall EMERGY calculation of the alternatives. Subsequently, the system with the lowest aggregate EMERGY per passenger mile was identified as the one having the least impact on the environment while meeting the need of transporting people. In an effort to further determine if a significant difference existed between these transportation alternatives, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted utilizing aggregate EMERGY values of environment, fuel energy, goods, and services. The following results are specific to this analysis such that the conclusions cannot be extrapolated without a specific evaluation of those conditions. An analysis of the EMERGY per passenger mile results determined that the interstate passenger car alternative met the need of transporting people while having the least impact on the environment. A review of the MANOVA results indicated that there was not a significant difference between the transportation alternatives impact on the environment. Additional environmental variables such as vehicle and locomotive material composition analysis, greenhouse gas emission, ecological footprint and ecological economics were identified as areas of consideration for future research. The variables of interest could be included in the EVE analysis and result in a modified EVE and be defined as a composite environmental return on investment (CE-ROI).