Environmental Mitigation Discussion

Discussion of Potential Environmental Mitigation Activities

Purpose

This discussion of potential environmental mitigation activities for the 2007 CLRP provides an overview of mitigation activities being considered throughout the region and explores potential elements in future environmental discussions and consultations. Federal regulations require that the TPB include:

“A discussion of types of potential environmental mitigation activities and potential areas to carry out these activities, including activities that have the greatest potential to restore and maintain the environmental functions affected by the metropolitan transportation plan. This discussion may focus on policies, programs or strategies, rather than at the project level.” (23 C.F.R. § 450.322(f)(7))

This first environmental mitigation discussion provided will likely be revised and changed as the TPB’s consultation process evolves. The discussion was developed in consultation with  environmental-related agencies, described below.

The CLRP and Environmental Consultation

As of 2007, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) is federally required to engage and consult with affected land use management, natural resources, environmental protection, conservation, and historic preservation state and local agencies regarding the development of the long-range transportation plan, called the CLRP.  In compliance with these regulations, this initial consultation established a dialogue with environmental agencies and created a foundation for ongoing consultation and knowledge sharing regarding environment issues on a regional, system-wide scale.  A part of this required consultation is a discussion of potential environmental mitigation activities and possible areas to carry out those activities. 

In March 2007, the TPB focused the consultation process on initiating contact and establishing a relationship with environmental agencies by soliciting input and comments on the draft 2007 CLRP and the draft mitigation discussion. Included in this solicitation was also a request for suggestions on potential environmental mitigation strategies that should be employed in our region, which have been incorporated into this discussion as appropriate. To review a summary of the replies, click here.

The CLRP and Project-Level Environmental Analysis

The CLRP includes projects expected to be built by 2030 and for many projects represents the earliest stages of project development.  At these early stages, even the most fundamental details of a project, such as exact alignments and dimensions are largely unknown.  Therefore, detailed environmental review through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is expressly conducted at the local, project-specific level as the improvement approaches the preliminary engineering stage, and is thus not appropriate or required for this process.  It is also important to point out that the Washington region is composed of three states: the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia; all of which have their own approach and regulations on the environment and implementing transportation projects. Currently, with exceptions for regional ambient air quality, offsetting environmental impacts during the long-range planning process is also not required.

future consultations with environmental and transportation agencies in order to explore potential mitigation locations and identify areas with the greatest environmental sensitivity in the region.  This information can then be available for use by the state and local agencies in the region involved in project-level mitigation.

Environmental Mitigation Overview

As a first step toward future discussions that are more regionally focused, such as on location identification, this initial discussion provides an overview of mitigation activities currently undertaken throughout the region at the project level.

Environmental resources and areas are generally impacted by transportation projects as a result of construction, increased traffic, stormwater runoff from paved surfaces, among others. Examples of these resources where mitigation efforts can be focused include:

• Neighborhoods and communities, homes and businesses
• Cultural resources (i.e. historic properties or archaeological sites);
• Parks and recreation areas;
• Wetlands and water resources;
• Forested and other natural areas;
• Agricultural areas;
• Endangered and threatened species; and
• Air Quality.

Environmental mitigation is the process of addressing damage to the environment caused by transportation or other public works projects.  Actions taken to avoid or minimize environmental damage are considered the most preferable method of mitigation. 

Potential environmental mitigation activities may include:

• avoiding impacts altogether;
• minimizing a proposed activity/project size or its involvement;
• rectifying impacts (restoring temporary impacts);
• precautionary and/or abatement measures to reduce construction impacts;
• employing special features or operational management measures to reduce impacts; and
• Compensating for environmental impacts by providing suitable, replacement or substitute environmental resources of equivalent or greater value, on or off-site.

Potential Mitigation Activities Identified in Environmental Studies

A review of environmental studies from five major projects in the CLRP* showed a wide range of potential activities being considered throughout the region.  A summary of those potential mitigation activities are provided here. Many studies discuss both planned strategies to prevent the environmental impact (minimization) and strategies to atone for it (mitigation).  Future environmental discussions and consultations for the CLRP could offer more information on individual mitigation efforts and a forum for regional cooperation so that these individual mitigation efforts could be considered on the regional scale and potentially be more environmentally successful. 

Table 1: Mitigation Strategies Identified in Five Major Projects in the Washington Region

*Environmental documents from the following projects were reviewed: the Corridor Cities Transitway, Capital Beltway Study, I-495, Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Project, Anacostia Corridor Demonstration project and the Intercounty Connector.

Elements to Explore in Future Environmental Discussions and Consultations

Large transportation projects are underway that have regional significance as well as potential regional environmental impacts.  However, project planning and funding for environmental mitigation comes from the state and local levels.  Since implementation of environmental mitigation is done project-by-project by state and local transportation agencies, the involvement of the TPB in this field can be the most useful if it creates a foundation where the sum of the region’s environmental mitigation efforts to add up to the most effective and beneficial environmental outcome for the region as a whole.  An example of an element of this foundation is the identification of best locations to concentrate mitigation projects. This effort must involve cooperation and further direct consultation with environmental and transportation agencies.

During the initial consultation, the TPB received several comments from environmental agencies that suggested the provision of a more specific regional context and purpose would allow the agencies to provide more meaningful comments in the future. Therefore, the TPB’s consultation efforts on the draft 2008 CLRP will explore the following specific elements with environmental and transportation agencies:

• Identifying areas with the greatest environmental sensitivity where impacts should be avoided or minimized to the greatest degree possible.  This may already occur at the state or local level; however, greater cooperation could expand these efforts regionally.
• Identifying areas with the greatest potential for environmental restoration or conservation where off-site mitigation can be directed.  By consolidating small, fragmented mitigation projects into one large contiguous site, mitigation efforts across the region can be pooled to better address the region’s top environmental priorities.

Examples of regional strategies employed or endorsed by various transportation or environmental agencies in the nation include watershed-based mitigation (on- or off-site), mitigation banking, and in lieu fees.

The TPB can offer information and a forum for regional cooperation so that individual mitigation efforts can be considered in the regional context and potentially be more environmentally successful.