AN INTERMODAL NETWORK MODEL OF COAL DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES

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0 0 0 0 AN INTERMODAL NETWORK MODEL OF COAL DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES Benjamin Blandford, Ph.D. candidate, and Ted Grossardt, Ph.D. and John Ripy, Systems Engineer and Michael Shouse, Ph.D. Kentucky Transportation Center Raymond Building University of Kentucky Lexington KY 00 Tel: --0 Fax: -- E-mail: Benjamin.Blandford@uky.edu; jripy@uky.edu; m.shouse@uky.edu; tgrossardt@uky.edu A paper prepared for the 0 TRB Annual meeting Revised and resubmitted November, 0 Number of words in text: Number of figures and tables: Total Word count:

0 0 ABSTRACT This paper describes a GIS-based intermodal network model for the shipment of coal in the United States. The goal in this research is to better understand a portion of the energy transportation system and how the three ground-based modes of rail, water, and highway integrate with each other to deliver energy goods. The background transportation network used a variety of data sources, and the coal movements were modeled across the network using the Energy Information Administration s 00 data providing detailed origin, destination, primary mode, and volume information for all energy movements in the U.S. The model identifies the optimum routes for coal shipments based on a rate structure that accounts for the relative costs of shipping by each of the modes. The ultimate model reveals the strong spatial domination of the U.S. by Powder River Basin coal, the market area of which reaches well across the west and into the midwest. Both Texas and Illinois, the two largest coal consumers, derive virtually all of their coal from the west or from within state, and little or none from the more closely located Appalachian Basin. Conversely, Appalachian Basin coal serves domestic and export markets primarily in the east and southeastern U.S. Only the Ohio River provides significant movement of Central Appalachian Basin coal to the west and south. This modeling efforts demonstrates the potential for such integrated models to accommodate energy-related or similar data, and serves as a tool for freight planners in identifying energy transportation corridors of significance. Results from this model can help inform MAP- related efforts to develop a National Freight Network and National Freight Strategic Plan.

0 0 0 0 Despite extensive data collection and compilation from various agencies, the actual full multi-modal paths of energy movement in the US are not well understood. This is so partly because most transportation analysis is mode-specific. The USACE has highly detailed (and confidential) data on movement and volumes along the inland river system, but their level of knowledge about that movement decreases as it leaves the river. Similarly, rail movements are considered proprietary data due to the private ownership of both the infrastructure and the rolling stock. And the pattern of truck freight movement is also proprietary because of the multitude of carriers and business confidentiality requirements. States tend to focus attention on the movements within and proximal to their systems, which provides limited geographic understanding of end-toend movements that are national or even international in range. Consequently, our national understanding of the spatial pattern movement of a particular commodity across the freight network is typically limited. The goal in this research is to better understand a portion of the energy transportation system and how the three ground-based modes of rail, water, and highway integrate with each other to deliver energy goods. This research can be used by states to respond to MAP- legislation calling for elevated consideration to investments in Identification of routes providing access to energy exploration, development, installation, or production locations (). Additionally, this research can bolster efforts to develop a National Freight Network and National Freight Strategic Plan as prescribed by MAP-. As market conditions change and power generation patterns shift, this research will be useful in anticipating the changes that will occur on the highway network as it articulates with water and rail, thus furthering state DOT s knowledge and ability to meet the energy corridor requirements. The United States contains the world s largest estimated reserves of coal. In 0, just over one billion tons of coal were produced in the U.S. (). This coal was produced by nearly 0,000 employees in,00 coal mines located throughout the U.S. (). The National Mining Association placed the total value of coal production in the U.S. at nearly $ billion for 0 (). Of the total coal production, about 0 percent is used in the U.S. for the generation of electricity. Though coal s overall share of the total electricity generation on the grid has declined some in recent years, it still remains at nearly 0 percent of total generation - down from closer to 0 percent in 00 (). This decline can be attributed to the increased production and comparatively lower cost of natural gas, the increased market penetration of renewable energy sources, increased production costs for the mining of coal in some regions, and stricter environmental regulations on the burning of coal (). Nonetheless, coal remains as the largest source for the generation of electricity in the U.S., as it has for the last six decades (). A small share of coal consumed domestically is used in other industries, including the steel industry and for cement production. In 0 the U.S. also imported about 0 million tons of coal, primarily from South America (). Besides coal produced for domestic consumption, the share of coal produced for export has increased in recent years. In 000, coal exports accounted for approximately percent of production; by 0 coal exports increased to 0 percent of all U.S. production, with South American, European and Asian markets as the primary destinations. For the nation s freight transportation system, coal is a significant commodity. Because coal is one of the single largest commodities by tonnage moved in the U.S., its importance extends to all three surface modes of the transportation network railways, waterways, and highways:

0 0 0 0 - For the rail industry, coal is the single largest ton-mile commodity. In 0, coal accounted for. percent of rail tonnage and. percent of rail gross revenue (). Of all domestic coal shipments in 0, over percent were by rail (). - For the barge industry, coal is the second leading ton-mile commodity, just behind petroleum products. In 00, coal accounted for nearly percent of all commodities shipped on the nation s inland waterways (). Of all domestic coal shipments in 0, waterways accounted for nearly percent of trips. This percentage is even higher when including exported coal (particularly through the ports of Mobile, New Orleans, and on the Great Lakes). - For the trucking industry, coal shipments are usually of shorter distances than the other two modes. In 0, about percent of all coal shipments were by truck. This percentage is even higher when accounting for partial trips from mine to ports, tipples, or other loading facilities. - An additional percent of coal was delivered directly by tram or conveyor from mine to power plant. The geography of U.S. coal production is divided into three distinct coal producing regions (). The Western Region is the largest, with total coal production at. million tons in 0. It is comprised of the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana, the largest coal producing basin in the country, in addition to mines stretching from the Dakotas to Arizona. The Interior Region is the second largest in terms of volume, producing.0 million tons of coal in 0. It extends from the Illinois Basin of Illinois, Indiana, and western Kentucky, to the mines of eastern Texas. The Appalachian Region is the third largest in terms of volume, at 0. million tons of coal in 0. The Appalachian Region includes mines from Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, through the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia and eastern Kentucky, and includes mines in Mississippi and Alabama in the south. At the state level, Wyoming is by far the largest producer of coal (). In 0, the state produced million tons of coal, or 0 percent of the total U.S. production. The next largest producer was West Virginia, at million tons ( percent). Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Texas round out the top five producers of coal. The top domestic consumer of coal is Texas, followed by Midwest states lining the inland waterways: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Missouri. Modeling the particular pattern of coal movements involves accounting for the intermodal character of coal distribution. In some instances, coal moves by unit trains directly from mine to power plant, while in others coal is mixed from multiple mines before delivery in order to meet the specific requirements of individual power plants. Most shipments that spend at least a portion of their trip on water are multimodal in nature. Coal is delivered from mine by either rail or truck to ports for transloading onto the waterways. In some cases, coal is also transloaded off the water at the end of the trip before being delivered by rail or truck to power plants. Many rail shipments are also multimodal in nature, as mines that do not have direct rail access move coal by truck to tipples where the coal is then transloaded onto rail. Understanding and translating this complexity of coal transportation into an integrated freight network model is a challenging endeavor, but one that may result in significant value for transportation planners and policy makers at all levels. INTERMODAL NETWORK MODELING The implementation of MAP- has resulted in increased attention and need for states to accurately understand and model the movement of freight across not just highways, but railways and waterways as well. Federal agencies, such as the U.S. DOT, Army Corps of Engineers, and

0 0 0 0 the Environmental Protection Agency, have invested considerable resources toward these purposes, with some notable results. One such model, referred to as Geospatial Intermodal Freight Transportation (GIFT), is a GIS-based intermodal network model that has been developed to model intermodal freight flows in the state of California and the Great Lakes region (, 0). GIFT is designed to calculate optimal freight routing across the three modes of highways, railways, and waterways. Additionally, GIFT explores possibilities for modal substitution for shippers, and evaluates both energy and environmental impacts of freight movements across regions. Another intermodal network model, prepared for the Army Corps of Engineers, models the movement of grain from croplands to river locations and other destinations within the Ohio River Valley (). This model utilizes early year aerial photography of croplands to estimate the production and eventual shipment of grains by truck, rail and river. The model incorporates barge-costing and rail-costing methodologies to incorporate shipping rates and to optimize route choice for shippers. The Army Corps of Engineers has also developed the Regional Routing and Multi-Ports Analysis Model for the purposes of understanding the relationship between freight flows on the waterways and the associated costs (). This multimodal model analyzes the movement of specific commodities to better understand how changes in the nature of production and consumption are reflected in transportation costs and modal choice for shippers. This model incorporates shipper response surveys to better understand and model how these changes might manifest on the ground. Other studies have similarly used shipper response methods to analyze and calculate modal elasticities for shippers who used the inland waterway system (, ). Predictive modeling specifically for coal has been conducted for the inland waterway system. One such model incorporates transportation rates, coal production, coal consumption, and coal exports to model the predicted demand for barge transportation on the inland waterway system (). This model is designed to assist planners and policy makers toward planning for infrastructure improvements and maximizing the efficiency of the existing network. Because of the national scale of this model, it is likely most applicable to planning efforts at the federal or state level, particularly those that involve the development of national freight strategies. These modeling efforts have helped inform the data and methods used to develop the intermodal freight network model for this project. Whereas many of the models discussed here are predictive models for estimating freight flows, the coal model in this project uses fully developed data, including origin, destination, volume, and modal type, to simulate the specific routing of coal shipments in the U.S. In calibrating the model to accurately replicate existing patterns of coal distribution, the model is able to capture and spatially translate current coal movement data across highways, railways, and waterways. METHODS Network Model The network model is built using ESRI ArcMap 0., and utilizes the program s Network Analyst toolset. The Network Analyst toolset enables users to model data flows, in this case coal, across a network, with assigned impedances. The network is comprised of a set of shapefiles representing the highway, railway, and waterway segments, as well as a collection of nodes representing intermodal access points, such as river ports, loading facilities, and rail interchanges. These network data sources, which represent the transportation systems available for the shipment of coal, are described below:

0 0 0 0 - Highways: the Oak Ridge National Highway Network was used. - Railways: the National Transportation Atlas Dataset (NTAD) 0 network was used. For this network, rail networks for each of the seven Class I carriers of the U.S. were created separately. These include BNSF, Union Pacific, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Kansas City Southern, Canadian National, and Canadian Pacific. The remaining class II and short line railways that handle coal were combined into a separate and single railway network. - Waterways: the National Waterway Network (NWN) was obtained from the Navigation Data Center of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This dataset includes navigable rivers, intercoastal waterways, and the Great Lakes. - Ports: Ports data were obtained by several means. In a collaborative project, the Kentucky Transportation Center and the University of Louisville conducted a survey of river ports along the inland navigable waterways. Survey results helped inform the locations of coal handling facilities in these areas. Detailed river port information for West Virginia was obtained from the WV Department of Transportation. Additional inland river ports data were obtained from Crounse Corporation, a barge operator throughout much of the inland waterway network. - Rail loading facilities: The location of rail transloading facilities was obtained from trade publications of all the Class I rail carriers as well as Class II and short line carriers that handle coal. Coal movement data used to populate the network were obtained from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). EIA releases monthly and annual reports on the production and distribution of energy related fuels, including coal, natural gas and petroleum. For this model, data collected from Form for the year 00 were used, as the 00 dataset was the most recent full set available at the outset of this project. The coal movement dataset contains the full origin, destination, and mode(s) of transportation used for each coal shipment. For the origins, this includes the mine name, operator, county, state, and identification number. For the destinations, this includes the power plant name, identification number, operator, and state identification number. The mode(s) of transportation include the primary mode type - or longest duration of the shipment, and the secondary mode type if applicable, for the shipment. The modes may include rail, water (i.e. river, Great Lakes, tidewater pier and coastal port), road, or conveyor. For this model, coal shipments that traveled solely by conveyor from mine to a neighboring power plant were not included, as those shipments are not captured on this transportation network. Additionally, only coal involving the contiguous U.S. states was included. The highly detailed EIA data from Form used in this model describe the shipments of just under one billion tons of coal, or approximately percent of coal produced in 00. Additional data included in the model involved 0 million tons produced for export, or about percent of coal production. For these shipments, data describing the volumes produced at origins and the volumes received at ports were available from other sources, but particular origindestination combinations, modal selection, and routes traversed was not included in EIA. Routes for these shipments were calculated through the network model as part of a linear programming problem that minimized shipping cost across the network. The remaining coal produced for other domestic industries, which accounts for approximately percent of production, was not included in this model, as data pertaining to these shipments were not publicly available. These data sources served as the starting point for developing the network. Significant editing of the network was required to produce separate rail networks for each of the Class I rail

0 0 0 0 carriers. Additionally, connectivity rules and logic were developed for the network to function properly. For example, flows on the network are restricted by mode or rail carrier, and only allowed to divert through specified nodes, such as ports, transloading facilities, or rail interchanges. Some measure of impedance, captured through a shipping rate, was also needed to prevent the model from switching modes arbitrarily. In the freight industry, shipping rates may vary significantly and are affected by mode, geography, distance, volume, and other factors. Shipping rates are also largely proprietary, or where obtainable, insufficient to describe all segments of the network. For these reasons, estimated shipping rates were calculated on an order of magnitude basis, wherein rates by water were equal to the trip distance, rail rates were calculated as three times the trip distance, and highway rates were calculated as five times the trip distance. These factors were created based on conversations with industry experts. Additionally, a cost for mode switching, such as through a port, loading facility, or rail interchange, incurred a cost to the trip. Rates for modal switches were also estimated based on conversations with industry representatives and data obtained from industry publications. The rate for moving through a truck-to-rail loading facility was placed at 0, while the rate for moving through a river port was placed at 00. In the model, these rates result in shipping via road, rail, and waterways as equal in cost at a distance of 0 miles when both the origin and destination are only directly accessible by truck, with rail and water loading/unloading facilities also located in between the origin and destination. As distances increase, rail, and where available, waterways, become more cost-effective modes of transport. The rate for rail interchanges was placed significantly higher, particularly between competing Class I railways. The relative rate structures used here are reflective of those found in industry publications. To test the accuracy of this shipping rate structure, all routes from origin to destination as identified in the EIA data were computed in the model without regard to the modal selection identified in the data. Routes were solved based on lowest cost from origin to destination across the entire network. The modal selection of the resulting modeled routes were then compared to the modal selection as identified in the EIA data, where available. Comparison of the modeled routes to the actual routes yielded an accuracy of percent of total routes, or percent of volume of coal. This discrepancy likely results from a number of factors. Actual shipping decisions by utilities are affected by factors beyond solely shipping costs, including reliability, existing business relationships, temporary disruptions in the supply chain, and others. In addition, the calculated shipping costs used by the model are only estimates, and cannot possibly reflect with complete certainty the actual shipping costs, which may be influenced by a wide range of external issues. Data entry errors within Form also likely contribute to this discrepancy. RESULTS For demonstration purposes, the following figures aggregate coal mine origins at the county centroid. In other words, all coal produced from mines within a given county are displayed with a shared origin at the county s centroid. Overall model results Figure shows the modeled routes and aggregated volumes of coal by truck across the U.S. In 00, million tons of coal, or percent of all coal produced, went by truck for at least a portion of its total shipment route. Of this total, only percent of the shipments by volume (0 million tons) were solely by truck, while the remaining percent ( million tons) were

multimodal in nature, primarily truck to barge or rail loading facility. As Figure demonstrates, the majority of coal shipments by truck occur east of the Mississippi River. One reason for this is the close proximity of coal mines to the inland waterway system. In many cases, coal is shipped relatively short distances from mine to river port before being transferred to barge for longer hauls. Second, there is a greater number and density of coal burning power plants in the Illinois and Appalachian coal basins. In instances where coal only needs to move short distances from mine to power plant, trucks are more competitive with other shipping modes in terms of shipping rates. 0 0 Figure Volume and distribution of coal by truck in 00. Figure shows the modeled routes and aggregated volumes of coal by water to and around the U.S. In 00, million tons of coal, or percent of all coal produced, went by water for at least a portion of its total route. This includes shipments on the inland river systems, the Great Lakes, and through tidewater piers or coastal ports. Immediately evident is the importance of the Ohio River system to the shipment of coal. Not only does the river flow through the coal fields of the Appalachian and Illinois basins, for easy access from coal mines, but it is also home to a large number of coal burning power plants, many of which receive coal directly via the inland waterway system. The model shows over 0 million tons of coal moving on the Ohio River near its mouth for 00. The Mississippi River also shows nearly million tons of coal, most of which is headed downriver toward Louisiana. Also notable is the movement of coal on the Great Lakes. A large amount of coal moves by rail from the Western U.S. before being transloaded onto the water, particularly through the port of Superior, WI. Model results indicate that over million tons of coal moved through Superior in 00. This compares to data from the USACE Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center which reported million tons of coal moving through Superior during this time frame. Other notable waterways include the Black Warrior - Tombigbee River corridor in Alabama, the Kanawha River in West Virginia, the Green River in Kentucky, the

Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers in western Tennessee and Kentucky, and the Monongahela River of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Figure Volume and distribution of coal on inland waterways in 00. Figure shows the modeled routes and aggregated volume of coal by rail within the U.S. In 00, million tons of coal, or percent of all coal produced, went by rail for at least a portion of its total route. This is evident in Figure, as the rail routes are the dominant mode of transport for coal throughout most of the U.S.

0 Figure Volume and distribution of coal by rail in 00 0 0 Results by origin Figure shows the modeled routes and aggregated volume of coal by rail and water originating from the Powder River Basin (PRB). In 00, the PRB produced million tons of coal, or just over percent of the total production in the U.S. Of this, million tons ( percent) shipped out of the basin by rail. The Joint Line, a 0 mile-long segment of rail through the PRB used by both BNSF and Union Pacific, is the busiest and highest freight density freight railroad in the world when measured by gross ton-miles (). The largest rail corridor moves through Nebraska before dividing up to serve destinations throughout the Midwest and Great Plains. The second largest rail coal movement is southward primarily for destinations in Texas and the Southwest. A third corridor moves coal toward the Pacific Northwest, destined for coal burning plants or export through the Seattle district and terminals in British Columbia. A fourth corridor moves coal toward the upper Midwest, destined for coal burning plants or moving onto the Great Lakes through the port of Superior, Wisconsin. Figure demonstrates the significant geographical reach of PRB coal throughout the U.S.

Figure Volume and distribution of coal originating in the Powder River Basin (PRB) in 00 by rail and water. 0 Figure shows the modeled routes and aggregated volume of coal by rail and waterways from the Central Appalachian Basin (CAB). Several rail corridors accommodate high volume shipments of coal. One carries coal directly eastward toward the mid-atlantic seaboard, destined largely for export through Norfolk or for consumption in mid-atlantic power plants. Another significant rail movement is southeast primarily toward coal burning plants in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. C oal from the CAB moves mostly toward the east and southeast, with comparatively less coal moving either northward or westward. This indicates a smaller market reach for CAB produced coal as compared to PRB coal. A final observation is the importance of the inland waterway systems in moving coal west and south out of the CAB. Indeed, both the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers provide significant waterborne connections to other power plants and for export through New Orleans.

0 0 Figure Volume and distribution of coal originating in the Central Appalachian Basin in 00. Results by destination Figure shows the modeled rail routes and aggregated volume of coal to Texas and Illinois. Texas is the largest consumer of coal in the U.S. at over million tons in 00. Forty million tons of this coal is produced within Texas, with the balance of million tons imported from other states. Here, nearly all of that originated in the Powder River Basin, and smaller amounts from Colorado. This rail corridor from the north moves through the Dallas-Ft Worth area before dividing up for destinations at coal burning power plants throughout the eastern half of Texas. Smaller amounts of coal are also consumed in north-west and western Texas. Illinois is the second largest consumer of coal in the U.S. at just over million tons in 00. From this total, almost million tons of coal were both produced and consumed in Illinois, leaving a net of million tons of coal imported from other states. Figure shows how nearly all of the coal burned in Illinois originates from the Powder River Basin and other mines in the western U.S. Only a small amount of coal (about 00 thousand tons) was imported the bordering areas of western Kentucky or Indiana, the only areas east of the Mississippi River from where coal was imported to Illinois. Figure demonstrates the significant reach of the Powder River Basin coal across the U.S. Even in areas, such as Illinois, which are home to the Illinois River Basin and not too distant from the Appalachian Basins, Powder River originated coal still holds a competitive advantage because of its comparatively low price.

Figure Volume and origination of coal consumed in Texas and Illinois, the two largest consumers of coal in 00. 0 Figure shows the modeled routes and aggregated volume of coal for export within the U.S. to the four largest coal export ports for 00. The largest port, in terms of volume of exported coal, was Norfolk at.0 million tons, with the coal primarily originating from the Central Appalachian Basin of southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and Virginia. The second largest port for volume was Baltimore at. million tons of coal, primarily originating in the Northern Appalachian Basin of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia. The third largest port was Mobile at. million tons of coal, primarily originating in the Southern Appalachian Basin of Alabama. The fourth largest was New Orleans at. at million tons, with coal originating from throughout the United States before largely being transported to New Orleans via the inland waterways. Figure demonstrates how coal distribution varies significantly across states. States like West Virginia, which produce higher priced and higher valued coal, and have reasonable access to international ports, export a higher percentage of their production. Indeed in 0, West Virginia exported percent of its total production compared to Wyoming which only exported percent ().

Figure Volume and modeled routes of coal for export through the four largest volume ports for coal in 00: Norfolk, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Mobile 0 0 DISCUSSION Taken together, the figures above help to demonstrate the geographic patterns of coal distribution in the U.S. The Powder River Basin has the most abundant and competitively priced coal on the market, and so its market reach covers the entire western half of the United States, including Texas - the largest coal consumer, and much of the Midwest. Most of the coal originating in the Powder River Basin is transported solely by rail, with much of the balance being transloaded onto waterways: the Great Lakes, the Mississippi River, or the Ohio River. Coal from the Central Appalachian Basin, the second largest production region, is primarily destined for areas of the U.S. southeast. Additionally, in 00 the four largest ports for export coal were all primarily accessing the Appalachian coal fields. This suggests that, while Appalachian coal was less competitive at the national scale, this coal is still highly valued at the international scale. Indeed, metallurgical coal produced in the Appalachian Basin for the steel industry worldwide accounts for well over half of all exported coal. Recent trends have indicated that increasing amounts of coal will be destined for export, particularly to Europe and China. To accommodate the growing demand for coal in China, the industry is developing and improving infrastructure to ship more coal through western U.S. ports, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. The model has demonstrated the ability to capture and spatially translate current EIA coal movement data across highways, railways, and waterways with reasonable accuracy. Even though EIA specifies the origin, destination, and primary mode of transportation, considerable additional work is required to produce a unified, coherent, and reasonable translation of that onto the freight systems in the U.S. In order to execute the data properly, all available modes must be represented reasonably accurately and their shipping characteristics adequately captured. When

0 0 0 this is accomplished, it becomes much easier to conduct a wide variety of spatial network analyses regarding sources, destinations, modes, regions, and even flow across subsets of the network. At the state level, Kentucky s association with the Ohio River Basin and the Appalachian Coalfields accentuates the importance of having a thorough understanding of coal and other energy movements in and through the Commonwealth, but also highlights the impacts on surrounding states, and the impact of integration into the world economy. A logical next step is to translate the remainder of the EIA movement data: petroleum and natural gas in particular, as they can serve as substitutes for each other and have different handling and shipping characteristics. If the current trend of lower natural gas prices persists, the pattern of LNG substituting for coal generation will continue, and new destinations for LNG will be served by a wider variety of freight modes. For example, certain power plants in the Upper Midwest have already announced plans for shuttering coal generation capacity and/or shifting to natural gas generation. In response to this and other demands for LNG movement, the pace of construction of pipelines and LNG barge tankers is increasing, signifying new dynamics in energy movement. Obviously, the background model has the capacity to accommodate freight movements of any kind, if the appropriate data are available, and to accommodate movement volumes and capacities, as for example state truck freight models that reflect truck volumes but not commodity types, origins, or destinations. Similarly, detailed inland waterways movements could be represented, including data gathered regarding the likely behavior of shippers under conditions of inland navigation interruption. Currently such efforts focus on the costs to industry of the (temporary) loss of the mode. However, decisions made by industry also have impacts on public sector modes such as highways, in the form of congestion, safety, maintenance, and air quality. Ultimately, a successful modeling effort will need to include a reasonably accurate estimation of the full transportation context: rates, time and timing, distance, reliability, and so forth, in order to begin the process of understanding how shippers make decisions and thus create the commodity movements that form a significant portion of the nation s transportation traffic. The current model of coal movements helps to demonstrate some of the potential of the larger process.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This research was made possible through federal funding from RITA and the University Transportation Center (UTC) program. The Kentucky Transportation Center at the University of Kentucky is part of the Multimodal Transportation and Infrastructure Consortium (MTIC), a designated UTC for 0-0.

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