Planning and Environmental Linkage Glossary of Terms

Air Quality

Air quality is regulated under the 1970 Clean Air Act (CAA) (42 USC 74010 et seq.), as amended in 1977 and 1990. The purpose of the CAA is to protect and enhance air quality to promote public health, welfare, and the productive capacity of the nation. The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) establishes air quality standards, dictates monitoring procedures and data handling protocols, and defines non-attainment area boundaries for locations which historically have violated federal air quality standards. CDOT conducts project-level conformity analysis in non-attainment or attainment/maintenance areas for proposed projects included in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).

Alternatives

This is a NEPA term that can be applied to planning studies. It refers to everything from major modal alternatives and location alternatives to minor design changes that would mitigate adverse impacts, to a No-Action alternative as a baseline if no improvements are made. At the planning level, alternatives may also be referred to generically as concepts, strategies, or solutions.

Categorical Exclusion

Categorical exclusion refers to a category of actions that do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment. These actions: do not induce significant impacts to planned growth or land use for the area; do not require the relocation of significant numbers of people; do not have a significant impact on any natural, cultural, recreational, historic or other resource; do not involve significant air, noise, or water quality impacts; do not have significant impacts on travel patterns; or do not otherwise, either individually or cumulatively, have any significant environmental impacts. Some Categorical Exclusions may be completed using CDOT's standard Form 128 (PDF - Get Adobe Reader).

Charter Agreement

This is an agreement between resource agencies (local, state and Federal) and the project sponsor during a PEL study that sets expectations for the level of involvement and actions necessary during a PEL study.

Coordination Point

This term refers to a step in the corridor planning process in which the study team should consider gathering input from stakeholders identified at the beginning of the process. At a minimum, coordination should occur with FHWA’s Division office to obtain comments on the decision-making process to date and the details of the specific step during planning. Input from other resource agencies or the public is also desirable, but the frequency and timing of coordination with agencies and the public will vary depending on the complexity of the study.

Corridor Planning Process (CPP)

Corridor planning process is the name given to the steps undertaken for transportation projects following the identification of a corridor need during the development of a regional transportation plan, but before the initiation of a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) study. In practice, by following this process, the project sponsor would be conducting a PEL Study. CDOT’s previously named studies have attempted to accomplish this same goal (for example, feasibility studies, Environmental Overview Studies, and Corridor Optimization Studies). However, the CPP integrates tasks from each of these previous plans, replacing them with an improved process to accomplish CDOT’s PEL objectives.

Cultural Properties

Cultural properties are defined as any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, object, or archaeological resource included in, or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

Hazardous Materials

The term hazardous materials is an all-inclusive term for materials that are regulated as a solid waste, hazardous waste, and other wastes contaminated with hazardous substances, radioactive materials, petroleum fuels, and pollutants. Petroleum contamination from adjacent properties is the most likely hazardous substance that will be encountered. Non-petroleum contamination is found less often, but may be more costly and time consuming to address, such as asbestos and lead paint.

Environmental Justice

A 1994 Presidential Executive Order 12898 directed every Federal agency to make environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing the effects of all programs, policies, and activities on "minority populations and low-income populations." There are three fundamental environmental justice principles: 1) to avoid, minimize, or mitigate disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental effects, including social and economic effects, on minority populations and low-income populations; 2) to ensure the full and fair participation by all potentially affected communities in the transportation decision-making process; and 3) to prevent the denial of, reduction in, or significant delay in the receipt of benefits by minority and low-income populations.

Federal Action

any action authorized, funded or undertaken by a Federal agency.

Fiscally Constrained

The term fiscally constrained refers to financial limitation, usually in reference to a long range transportation plan. Fiscally constrained plans are a subset of a region or statewide need for improvements that include projects that have identified funding sources and have a relative schedule for when these funds would be encumbered and the project constructed.

Metropolitan Planning Organization

A Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is a transportation policy-making organization made up of representatives from local government and transportation authorities. In 1962, the United States Congress passed legislation that required the formation of an MPO for urbanized areas with a population greater than 50,000. Congress created MPOs in order to ensure that existing and future expenditures for transportation projects and programs are based on a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive (“3-C”) planning process. Federal funding for transportation projects and programs are channeled through this planning process.

Mitigation

This is a NEPA term than can be applied to planning studies. In NEPA, mitigation refers to actions taken to protect, restore and enhance the environmental consequences of a Federal, State, or local action that involves CDOT.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies and project sponsors using Federal funding to integrate environmental values into their decision making processes by considering the environmental impacts of their proposed actions and reasonable alternatives to those actions. To meet this requirement, federal agencies prepare documents known as an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

PEL Study

A PEL Study is the interim step of evaluation for a transportation need or project that has been identified in the regional transportation plan, yet has not entered a formal NEPA-level analysis. The purpose of a PEL Study is to perform preliminary analysis and make decisions not completed as a part of traditional regional level planning that will make NEPA level evaluation and decision-making more transparent to resource agencies and the public. PEL Studies may also be conducted for transportation corridors to more clearly identify the problem and develop potential solutions for future inclusion on the regional transportation plan.

Performance Measures

Performance measures represent quantifiable evaluation criteria derived from goals and objectives developed during a study’s purpose and need.

Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL)

represents an approach to transportation decision-making that considers environmental, community, and economic goals early in the planning stage and carries them through project development, design, and construction. This can lead to a seamless decision-making process that minimizes duplication of effort, promotes environmental stewardship, and reduces delays in project implementation.

Purpose and Need

A purpose and need developed for a PEL study describes why a transportation improvement is justified, based on a data-driven need. A well crafted purpose and need statement forms the basis for developing alternatives that can solve the transportation need. In addition, it aids in the determination of what alternatives are reasonable and which ones should be screened out. Goals and objectives are often developed in concert with a purpose and need. The goals and objectives are structured around the data that justifies the need.

Regional Transportation Plan

The Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is a long-term blueprint of a region’s transportation system. Usually RTPs are conducted every five years and are plans for twenty to thirty years into the future. The plan identifies and analyzes transportation needs of the metropolitan region and creates a framework for project priorities. These plans are normally the product of recommendations and studies carried out and put forth by a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

Study Area

The project study area is defined as the transportation elements and defined geographic limits where a defined need has been demonstrated including the surrounding area where direct social, physical, or natural resource impacts may occur from proposed transportation improvements.

Transportation Planning Region

CDOT coordinates the multi-modal planning efforts of 15 Transportation Planning Regions (TPRs) in Colorado consisting of five metropolitan planning areas (MPOs) and 10 non-metropolitan regional TPRs. For the purpose of this PEL Decision Tool, the TPR refers to non-metropolitan regions.

Transportation Need

Typical transportation needs are based on congested conditions, high accident rates, roadway deficiencies, poor connectivity between major destinations, and lack of different modal options.