Decision Maker - The agency or agencies that either acts as the lead agency or is required to take legal action in the decision-making process. This partner has the ability to stop the process if agency interests are not being met at this decision.
Advisor - A decision-making partner who provides feedback as to whether the decision is supported or opposed and whether there are particular issues of concern. While this partner cannot stop the process at the key decision, their feedback may be crucial input for future key decisions.
Observer - A decision-making partner with limited involvement in a decision. This partner is kept updated but does not provide direction.
No Role - A decision-making partner is completely uninvolved at the decision because the resulting action is outside of their agency's involvement in the process.
Transportation for Communities - Advancing Projects Through Partnerships
- User Portal
Are you a Partner or Stakeholder?
Partner Portal
Partners are the four groups who make decisions affecting transportation: FHWA, DOTs, MPOs, and resource agencies.
Stakeholder Portal
Stakeholders are anyone with an interest in transportation but without the authority to make decisions.
- Applications
Transportation Phases
- Long Range Transportation Planning
- Integrated Programming and Fiscal Constraint
- Corridor Planning
- Environmental Review Merged with Permitting
Agency View - Resource Agency
Transportation for Communities recognizes four partner agencies (FHWA, state DOT, MPO, and resource agency) within transportation decision making. Each partner has specific interests related to their organization's mission, and their individual role in the transportation process is based primarily on these interests. The identified interests of each decision making partner provide the basis for much of the information available in the Decision Guide.
The involvement of federal and state resource agencies such as EPA, US Fish and Wildlife, Historic Preservation, US Forest Service, and others in transportation decision making has increased significantly. Resource agencies have been a part of the decision making partnership during environmental review for many years through NEPA and the Clean Water Act. Transportation agencies now recognize the need for resource agency involvement so significantly that many state DOTs provide funding for positions within these agencies to support transportation needs. Efforts to create greater efficiency in transportation decision making have expanded the role for resource agencies into the planning processes so that decisions made early that include consideration of the environment can move more quickly through environmental review.
The interest of the resource agency is always to include conservation planning and environmental protection in transportation decision making. Outside of the NEPA process the role is often that of advisor or observer. In several instances they have no role in key decisions. However, the resource agency role as a decision maker during the environmental review phase highlights the need for early involvement and consideration of the information these agencies can provide. This involvement has strong potential for streamlining transportation decision making. A summary of the resource agency interests in each phase of transportation decision making is provided in the table below.
There are four possible partner roles in Transportation for Communities. The specific partner role can change from one key decision to the next throughout the phases, and multiple partners can have the same role.
The appropriate role for resource agencies participating in transportation decision making is available within the Decision Guide. Each key decision contains a summary of the partner roles in the Basics tab. The graphic below provides the specific role of the resource agency as you roll over each key decision. When you click on the key decision, you will have access to all of the data available to support that decision. Understanding partner roles and how they change throughout the transportation decision making process is essential to ensuring collaboration.
To get a snapshot of each Key Decision, roll over the Decision Guide graphic below. Click on any individual Key Decision to access detailed information including: purpose and anticipated outcomes; partner roles; integration with external planning processes; linkages across phases; questions to assist decision makers; and data, tools, technologies that support the decision.
LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING
Advisor - ensures conservation planning and protected resource data is included in the development of the LRTP
Advisor - ensures protection of the natural and human environment is considered in the development of the regional vision and goals
Advisor - ensures the evaluation methodology includes criteria that applies to environmental protection
No Role - no action in the identification of transportation deficiencies
No Role - no action in the consideration of financial assumptions
Advisor - ensures that strategies are sufficiently broad to consider indirect and cumulative impacts as well as avoidance and advance mitigation
Advisor - provides information on protected resources and/or mitigation potential relevant to individual scenarios
Advisor - ensures the adopted preferred scenario is consistent with conservation planning in the region and is well documented in this regard
Advisor - US EPA participates in air quality conformity partnership
Decision Maker - USEPA approves the conformity analysis for the LRTP
PROGRAMMING
Observer - observes the project cost and revenue allocation methodology development
Observer - observes the project list drawn from the adopted plan scenario to inform conservation planning of future potential projects
Observer - observes project prioritization to inform conservation planning
No Role - no action on TIP incorporation into the STIP
Decision Maker - USEPA approves STIP with respect to air quality conformity
CORRIDOR PLANNING
Advisor - ensures incorporation of conservation planning and protected resource data from the LRTP specific to the corridor
Advisor - ensures problem statements and opportunities are sufficiently broad to incorporate environmental considerations and options
Advisor - ensures goals for the corridor consider environmental impacts
Decision Maker - ensures the scope of the environmental review in corridor planning provides a clear understanding of what may be transferred to the environmental review process
Advisor - provides information to support the evaluation of environmental impacts along with transportation solutions
Observer - observes selection of solution sets for consideration
Advisor - ensures documentation of environmental considerations for transfer to environmental review
Advisor - provides information to support prioritization of solutions as needed
Observer - observes the adoption of priorities for implementation
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW/NEPA MERGED WITH PERMITTING
Decision Maker - ensures scope of environmental review is inclusive, built on planning in the LRTP/corridor process, and sufficiently broad to consider all options
Decision Maker - ensures the approved purpose and need represents the true need for the project and is supported by all partners
Decision Maker - ensures initial study area is sufficiently broad to include all options as well as consideration of indirect and cumulative impacts
Advisor - ensures evaluation methodology is adequate to consider environmental impacts and considerations
Decision Maker - ensures the selection of the full range of alternatives meets NEPA requirements and alternatives eliminated are documented
Decision Maker - ensures the selection of alternatives to be carried forward meets NEPA requirements and is supported by all partners
Advisor - ensures the Draft EIS is adequate for public review
Decision Maker - USACE ensures purpose and need meets Section 404 requirements
Advisor - ensures the selection of the preferred alternative meets NEPA requirements
LEDPA
Decision Maker - agreement on jurisdictional determination with action by USACE. EPA has veto authority.
Following selection of the preferred alternative/LEDPA, partners reach consensus on additional avoidance and minimization measures not included in the preliminary design.
Advisor - ensures final NEPA document fully represents the process followed and agreement of all partners
At this step in the environmental review phase, the Record of Decision is issued.
At this final step in the environmental review phase, the final permit decision is rendered.
| Long Range Transportation Planning | |
|---|---|
| Role Summary | Advisors throughout most of the phase, but have no role in several key decisions. EPA has final authority on all air quality conformity decisions. |
| Interests | Resource agencies want to ensure that:
|
| Corridor Planning | |
| Role Summary | Advisors throughout most of the process |
| Interests | Aspects of the process/resulting plan resource agencies have an interest in are:
|
| Programming/Fiscal Constraint | |
| Role Summary | Resource agencies generally observe or have no role throughout programming; however, EPA approves the STIP conformity analysis. |
| Interests | Resource agencies are interested in whether programming and the resulting TIP/STIP:
|
| Environmental Review | |
| Role Summary | Decision makers throughout most of the environmental review/permitting process. USACE approves the public notice and works with other partners to reach consensus on jurisdictional determination. EPA has final authority on all air quality conformity decisions. |
| Interests | Resource agencies are interested in whether the environmental review process/environmental document:
|