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Oversight Unit

TRB Consensus and Advisory Studies Division

The Consensus and Advisory Studies Division conducts studies examining complex and controversial transportation issues at the request of the U.S. Congress, executive branch agencies, states, and other sponsors. Studies address a variety of safety, economic, environmental, energy, and research policy issues affecting all modes of transportation.

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Priorities for Sustainable and Responsible Development of Offshore Renewable Energy on the West Coast Outlined in New Report

News Release

The waters of the U.S. West Coast are well-suited for renewable energy projects but already support maritime activities central to regional economies, food systems, and public safety. A new National Academies report offers recommendations to help inform offshore renewable energy development while mitigating negative impacts on coastal communities and industries.

Mar 17, 2026

coastal ocean waves

New Report Calls for Increased Focus on Mariner Health and Well-Being, Prohibition of Alcohol for Crew of U.S. Vessels

News Release

The health and safety of crew are crucial to the U.S. maritime industry, a sector of critical importance to the nation’s economy and defense. A new National Academies report examines policies and practices pertaining to the use of alcohol and other substances on ships and makes recommendations to support mariner well-being.

Jan 15, 2026

Two female naval architects wearing hardhats standing together on starboard side of tugboat during inspection

Innovative Materials in Water Resources Infrastructure: Opportunities for the Corps of Engineers

Announcement

Dams, locks, and levees are critical to U.S. navigation, safety, and commerce — but many are reaching the end of or have surpassed their design lives. A new National Academies report examines how innovative materials could help the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintain, repair, and modernize this vital infrastructure.

Dec 18, 2025

Used for the cover of: Innovative Materials in Water Resources Infrastructure: Opportunities for the Corps of Engineers

New Report Provides Peer Review of FAA Study on Seat Dimensions and Passenger Evacuation Efficiency

Media Advisory

Declining seat space for passengers on commercial airplanes, coupled with the growing prevalence of larger passengers in the U.S., has provoked concerns in recent years over the lack of regulations for seat dimensions and over whether there could be impacts on the speed of emergency evacuations.

Jul 1, 2025

Assessing Data, Tools, and Metrics in Transportation Investment Decisions ― New Report

Media Advisory

At the request of Congress, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine considers how state, local, and other jurisdictions can strive to use their federal funding to meet the transportation needs of all people, promoting safe and reliable access while avoiding or mitigating any adverse effects of transportation.

Jan 8, 2025

Why Experts Are Calling on Congress and Agencies to Improve Rail Safety

Feature Story

In the wake of some high-profile derailments in recent years, Congress requested a National Academies report assessing the safety challenges related to operating long freight trains. We sat down with Debra Miller, chair of the Kansas Turnpike Authority and head of the new report’s authoring committee, to learn more.

Dec 2, 2024

Strengthening Safety on U.S. Roadways

Feature Story

U.S. roads have been getting more dangerous over the past decade. The rate of fatal crashes per mile traveled has been climbing, and the fastest growing type of crash are ones involving pedestrians and bicyclists. A recent National Academies report identifies ways federal agencies can lead and support efforts to make roadways safer.

Nov 11, 2024

Report Offers Strategies for Understanding the Impacts of Compensation and Working Conditions on Safety and Performance of Long-Distance Truck Drivers

News Release

The nation’s economy depends in large part on the safe and efficient transportation of goods and passengers by commercial motor vehicles. A new report offers strategies for understanding how the compensation and working conditions of long-distance truck drivers may impact their safety and performance.

Oct 15, 2024

Tackling the Road Safety Crisis: Saving Lives Through Research and Action — New Report

Media Advisory

Road safety has continued to worsen in recent years despite significant investments, bringing high human, social, and economic costs, especially to minority communities and vulnerable road users. A new National Academies report contains recommendations for USDOT to help make meaningful strides toward solving the crisis.

Sep 24, 2024

Congress Should Empower Regulatory Agencies to Address Challenges Presented by Long Trains, Says New Report

News Release

Freight railroads are operating increasingly longer trains, which comes with heightened safety challenges and operational demands. Congress, regulatory bodies, and industry should take actions to address these challenges, reduce risks, and resolve other issues such as highway blockages and delayed Amtrak passenger trains.

Sep 17, 2024

FAA Should Modernize its Safety Practices to Manage Emerging Hazards and Support Adoption of New Technologies

News Release

A new report explores how the Federal Aviation Administration can improve its safety risk management practices, foster a stronger safety culture in commercial aviation companies, and better position itself to oversee and regulate an industry facing transformative changes.

Aug 13, 2024

airplane on tarmac

Assessing the Need for New Regulatory Standards for Automatic and Remote-Control Shutoff Valves on Existing Liquid and Gas Transmission Pipelines ― New Report

Media Advisory

More than half a million miles of pipelines are used to transport hazardous liquids and gases across the United States. A new National Academies report assesses regulatory standards for emergency shutoff valves and offers recommendations to improve safety and regulatory practices.

Feb 15, 2024

Elevating Equity Considerations in Transportation Decision-Making ― New Report

Media Advisory

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine analyzes USDOT’s competitive grant programs, which provide funds for transportation projects on a competitive basis, and examines how they could better support and spur equity-oriented transportation planning and decision-making.

Dec 12, 2023

Un nuevo informe presenta un plan integral para alcanzar los objetivos de cero carbono neto en Estados Unidos y garantizar una transición energética justa y equitativa

News Release

Un nuevo informe de las Academias Nacionales de Ciencias, Ingeniería y Medicina ofrece una serie amplia de recomendaciones de un plan integral para encaminar a Estados Unidos hacia la consecución de sus objetivos de cero emisiones netas de carbono para 2050 y garantizar que todos los estadounidenses puedan beneficiarse de una transición energética justa y equitativa.

Oct 17, 2023

New Report Provides Comprehensive Plan to Meet U.S. Net-Zero Goals and Ensure Fair and Equitable Energy Transition

News Release

Lower-cost energy technologies, legislative support, and the national focus on equity and justice have created an opportunity to meet urgent needs created by the climate crisis. A new report provides a comprehensive plan to reach U.S. net-zero goals and ensure fair and equitable energy transition.

Oct 17, 2023

U.S. Should Expand and Standardize Plastics Collection and Recycling, Study Potential Uses in Infrastructure, Says New Report

News Release

Recycled plastics are an underutilized resource in the U.S., and it is in society’s economic and environmental interests to expand and standardize plastics waste collection, increase recycling, and explore new applications for plastics waste in infrastructure. Possible uses include asphalt pavements, railroad ties, and utility poles.

Jul 18, 2023

FAA Should Improve Substance Misuse Programs and Data Collection for Pilot and Flight Attendant Health and Safety, Says New Report

News Release

The FAA should update the Human Intervention Motivational Study program for pilots and the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program to follow best practices in the substance use disorder treatment fields — and improve data collection and transparency to better serve the health and well-being of pilots and flight attendants.

Jun 27, 2023

Measurement and Management of Systemic Risk in Gulf of Mexico Offshore Oil and Gas Operations Have Improved Since Deepwater Horizon Disaster, But Progress Lags in Some Areas

News Release

Most of the offshore oil and gas industry operating in the Gulf of Mexico has improved its management of systemic risk in recent years, according to a new report that also points out where uneven progress and critical gaps remain for industry and regulators to address.

Apr 4, 2023

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