THE NORTHEAST REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY : THEORY, VALIDATION, AND APPLICATION OF A FREIGHT NETWORK EQUILIBRIUM MODEL

Abstract

The US Department of Energy (USDOE) is assessing the potential for cumulative and interactive environmental impacts associated with the proposed conversion to coal of up to 42 powerplants in the Northwest Region of the United States under the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-620). USDOE's Northeast Regional Environmental Impact Study provides analysis in four interrelated areas: (1) air quality, (2) solid waste disposal, (3) fuel supply and the transportation of fuel and solid waste, and (4) health effects. This document is a description of the main analytical tool developed for analyzing the cumulative impacts of increased coal transportation resulting from the proposed Northeast Regional powerplant conversions. That tool, the Freight Network Equilibrium Model (FNEM), is the first network model that explicitly represents the behavior of both sets of primary transportation decision-makers - the carriers and the shippers. The shippers are modeled as a set of competing interests, each independently seeking to minimize the delivered prices of needed commodities. This is accomplished through the use of a user-optimized network equilibrium model. The origin-destination information produced in this phase is then input to a set of systems-optimized equilibrium models in which each carrier is assumed to minimizemore » its total operating cost. Included are discussions of the theory and methodology of the model, the data bases required, the logic of the software, and the validation of the model. Results from the application of the model in the Northeast Regional Environmental Impact Study are presented.« less