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Planning and Environment Linkages: Review of Statutory Authority and Case Law (2023) / Chapter Skim
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III. VARIOUS APPROACHES TO PEL
Pages 17-19

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From page 17...
... § 168, the planning pro- FHWA and FTA have identified a few common considerations cess must include public notice that the planning products may that guide states and planning organizations as they initiate be adopted during a subsequent environmental review pro- planning work for later use in environmental reviews conducted cess.137 During the environmental review process, the relevant under NEPA.141 Specifically, these "General Considerations" are: agency must make the planning documents available for public • Development of planning products through a statewide or review and comment to members of the general public in addi metropolitan transportation planning process conducted tion to federal, state, local, and tribal governments that might in compliance with FHWA or FTA planning laws and have an interest in the proposed project.138 These requirements regulations; are in addition to public involvement requirements generally applicable to transportation planning and the environmental • Participation by federal and state resource agencies and review process. tribes; Significantly, PEL under 23 U.S.C.
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From page 18...
... Additionally, although not a required practice, states to its NEPA implementing regulations152 and has acknowledged also use FHWA's 2011 PEL Questionnaire as a method for sum- that state rail plans may be included as an element of a state's marizing their PEL process for a given project.142 Because this long-range transportation plan.153 Moreover, FRA encourages practice has become commonplace, the responses to the PEL early integration of environmental reviews into the overall planQuestionnaire provide a ready avenue for comparison of state ning process, conducting early and well-defined scoping activipractices.143 ties, and the use of adoption and incorporation by reference to Although an increasing number of states have begun to use a coordinate NEPA with reviews and documents prepared under PEL approach to accelerate transportation project delivery, not other applicable laws. all states have yet done so.
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From page 19...
... The IPD process has led to institutional changes to supPartnering Agreement, and training webinars.154 CDOT's PEL port PEL implementation, such as the organizational integraHandbook provides practitioners with step-by-step guide- tion of planning staff and project delivery environmental review lines for how to conduct a PEL study,155 including examples of staff. The PEL approach is now part of NCDOT's organizational ­projects, processes, and scopes of work.
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Key Terms

  • transportation planning
  • project delivery
  • accelerate project
  • federal highway
  • highway administration

  • pel authorities
  • pel implementation
  • project development
  • planning products
  • metropolitan transportation

  • pel program
  • robust pel
  • environmental reviews
  • environmental linkages
  • proposed project

  • state rail
  • pel process
  • pel approach
  • corridor planning
  • planning organizations

  • subsequent environmental
  • nepa process
  • etdm process
  • public involvement
  • ipd process

  • rail plans
  • federal pel
  • various pel
  • implementing pel
  • pel federal


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