摘要: |
Texas's energy sector has a critical impact historically and currently on both the state economy and the Texas transportation system. The states various transportation modes, including rail, highways, pipelines, and ports, form a system that supports the energy sector in a number of ways. Examples include the (a) movement of various components during the construction and implementation of the energy source (e.g., wind turbines and solar farms), (b) provision of enabling infrastructure (e.g., transmission lines), and (c) movement of the intermediate and final products in some energy supply chains (e.g., low sulfur mid-west coal by Class 1 unit trains to the major coal burning plants in Texas). It is thus critical that TxDOT develop a better understanding of the current and future impacts of the energy sector on Texass transportation system, as well as quantify these impacts to ensure both adequate maintenance and its future sustainability. |