May 5, 2007 AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways

CENTER WEB SITE  Transportation Environmental Research Ideas Database  Environmental Stewardship Practices in Construction and Maintenance  Programmatic Agreements Library

TRAINING: PRACTITIONERS HANDBOOKS  Maintaining A Project File and Preparing an Administrative Record for a NEPA Study  Responding to Comments on an Environmental Impact Statement  Managing the NEPA Process for Toll Lanes and Toll Roads  Tracking Compliance with Environmental Commitments/Use of Environmental Monitors  Utilizing Community Advisory Committees for NEPA Studies  Consulting under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act  Under development:  Defining the Purpose and Need and Determining the Range of Alternatives for Transportation Projects  Developing and Implementing an Environmental Management System in a State DOT  Considering Environmental Issues in Statewide and Metropolitan Transportation Planning  Achieving Environmental Streamlining through the SAFETEA-LU Environmental Review Process

TRAINING  AASHTO/ACEC/FHWA effort to Improve the Quality of Environmental Documents  Quality and Clarity of Environmental Documents and Legal Sufficiency Report  Webinar May 17 th  Peer Exchanges/Meetings  Problem Solving Meetings

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE  Topics Covered:  Air Quality Conformity/Air Toxics,  Community Impacts,  Context Sensitive Solutions,  Endangered Species/Ecosystem Management,  Environmental Justice,  Environmental Management Systems,  Hazardous Waste/Waste Management,  Historic and Cultural Resources,  Indirect and Cumulative Impacts,  Land Use,  Legal,  NEPA/Environmental Process Generalist,  Project Management,  Public Involvement/Agency Coordination and  Wetlands/Water Resources.  Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Technical Assistance Program

MAJOR INITIATIVES CONTEXT SENSITIVE SOLUTIONS National AASHTO/FHWA Context Sensitive Solutions Peer Exchange National AASHTO/FHWA Context Sensitive Solutions Peer Exchange 2005 and 2006 Best Practices Competitions 2005 and 2006 Best Practices Competitions

MAJOR INITIATIVES  Taking the High Road, The Environmental and Social Contributions of America’s Highway Programs Report Update:  Transportation Enhancements,  Historic Preservation and Cultural Resources, Including Tribal Consultation,  Recycling and Waste Management,  Air Quality,  Context Sensitive Solutions,  Brownfields Redevelopment and Smart Growth/Land Use,  Bicycle and Pedestrian,  Wetlands and Water Quality,  Wildlife and Ecosystems,  Noise Abatement,  Scenic Byways and  Vegetation Management

Future Activities  Improve Planning and Environmental Processes to Achieve Better Results and Timeliness  Advance Awareness of SAFETEA-LU Environmental Provisions and Good Practices  Advance Use of Technology, Geospatial Tools, and Decision Support Tools to Support Integrated Decision Making  Integrate Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) Throughout all Aspects of Planning, Project Development, Construction, Maintenance and Operations  Advance Environmental Review Process Innovation to Support Congestion Relief and Public Private Partnerships  Promote Commitment Tracking Methods and Environmental Management Systems  Advance and Showcase Exemplary Ecosystem and Human Environmental Initiatives  Increase Availability and Access to Information-Sharing/Problem Solving Activities  Build Partnerships to Leverage and Coordinate the Center’s Activities and Other Related Research Efforts  Advance National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Cost Estimating and Project Oversight Tools

COMMENTS/INFORMATION Shannon Eggleston (202)