Post-National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) phase tracking tools have been developed and applied successfully to monitor changes in environmental impacts and mitigation commitments identified during the NEPA process as transportation projects advance and are refined through the highway final design process. The tools have been used effectively on two Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) expansion projects currently under development in the Monongahela River Valley region of southwestern Pennsylvania. The tools include a set of computerized spreadsheet/database tracking tables that identify the environmental impacts and mitigation commitments contained in the final environmental impact statement (FEIS), the memorandum of agreement for cultural resources, the FHWA record of decision, and the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Condemnation Approval Board adjudication. As refinements were made to the project and its right-of-way requirements during final design, any associated changes to environmental impacts were recorded. The tables provided the PTC, state, and federal agencies with a means to efficiently evaluate the resulting environmental impacts for the projects and assess the applicability of the mitigation commitments as defined in the FEIS. Any refinements needed in the mitigation commitment were incorporated into the final design plans. The rationale behind the development of these tools in conjunction with their functional value to the NEPA process is presented.
Retroactive Laws: Environmental Law: Retroactive Application of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969