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Welcome! to the Environmental Analysis and Review website, a clearinghouse dedicated to providing all the necessary information to guide transit agencies, resource agencies, and the public though the environmental review process for transit projects and improvements that receive Federal funds. Here you will find detailed information on NEPA and other environmental policy, as well as information on environmental streamlining and stewardship as mandated in Executive Order 13274. This site also provides resource information, compiled in the NEPA reference library, and information on professional development opportunities.
Environmental Review Roles and Responsibilities
FTA integrates environmental policy into all planning and decisionmaking procedures. In addition to using traditional engineering and economic tools, FTA also utilizes the natural and social sciences, environmental values, and design to make better environmental decisions. Our objective is to balance infrastructure, economic prosperity, health and environmental protection, community and neighborhood preservation, and quality of life when making decisions about initiating new transit infrastructure or making improvements to existing infrastructure. FTA—and local transit agencies seeking FTA financial assistance—work with Federal resource agencies; affected State, local and tribal governments; public and private organizations; and the general public to balance these goals. Within FTA, the Regional Offices manage and participate in environmental impact assessments of Federally-funded projects and have review authority for the final action decision.
The FTA’s Office of Planning provides environmental program guidance through regulations, policy statements, and technical manuals. The Office works with other Federal agencies, principally the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), and the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE), to represent transit interests in the development and implementation of policies and regulations that affect transit. The Office provides training and technical assistance on general environmental protection and also on specific impact assessment methods on topics including noise, vibration, and air quality. Finally, the Office of Planning supports FTA Regional Offices in the review of projects by providing in-house and contractor expertise on technical issues.
New! Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration Environmental Impact and Related Procedures
On March 24, 2009, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration issued a final rule that modified our regulations to make certain changes mandated by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation, Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). SAFETEA-LU prescribed additional requirements for environmental review and project decisionmaking that were not appropriately reflected in the prior FHWA-FTA joint NEPA procedures. The final rule also created new categorical exclusions allowing proposed actions to proceed without an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement, and made other minor changes to the joint procedures in order to improve the description of the procedures or to provide clarification with respect to the interpretation of certain provisions. This rule became effective April 23, 2009.
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A beautful night shot of LYNX Central Station in downtown Orlando, Florida. Learn more about LYNX on the web at http://www.golynx.com/.
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