Environmental Stewardship and Transportation Infrastructure Project Reviews

Latest Developments

President Bush Issues Order to Expedite Columbia River Crossing

On August 5, 2008, President Bush designated the Columbia River Crossing, also known as the Interstate 5 Bridge between Portland, OR, and Vancouver, WA, as a priority project under E.O. 13274. This designation was requested jointly by the Oregon and Washington Departments of Transportation. For more information, visit the Priority Project section of this website or view the U.S. DOT press release.

Army Corps and EPA Issue New Compensatory Mitigation Rule for Wetlands

On April 10, 2008, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency issued a new rule to clarify how to provide compensatory mitigation for unavoidable impacts to the nation’s wetlands and streams. The rule will enable the agencies to promote greater consistency, predictability, and ecological success of mitigation projects under the Clean Water Act. More information on the rule is available at the Army Corps and EPA websites.

FHWA and FTA Issue New Section 4(f) Rule

On March 12, 2008, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) published a final rule to clarify the application of Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966. This provision was designed to protect publicly owned parks, recreational areas, wildlife and waterfowl refuges, and public and private historical sites from use by transportation projects. For more information, read the March 2008 issue of the FHWA Successes in Stewardship newsletter.

Work Group Highlights Six Examples of Successful Integrated Planning

The Integrated Planning Work Group, created by the E.O. 13274 Task Force, has developed six case studies of effective integrated planning activities currently underway in the U.S. These case studies show how transportation planners are encouraging early interagency consultation and incorporating natural resource concerns into the planning process.

GAO Sees Progress in Implementing Planning & Environmental Provisions of SAFETEA-LU
 
An April 2008 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) shows some progress by state transportation agencies in implementing streamlined planning and environmental review processes enacted as part of the August 2005 law known as SAFETEA-LU. The report is available from the GAO website.
 
Progress Made on Reviews of High-Priority Projects

Since August 2007, final environmental impact statements have been completed for high-priority projects in Connecticut, Georgia, and Montana. In addition, a Tier1 Draft EIS has been issued for the I-69 corridor project in Texas, and a Record of Decision has been signed for the priority project in Montana.