Domestic Scan:

Environmental Commitment Implementation
Innovative and Successful Approaches

CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The Domestic Scan's objective was to collect, synthesize, and distribute information that assists in environmental commitment implementation. The variety of successful and innovative State best practices presented in this report demonstrate that by adopting environmental stewardship and actively communicating environmental commitments, State DOTs can streamline and improve the transportation decisionmaking and environmental review processes. While many of these best practices are not new, they do rely on an innovative methodology or technique that assures successful commitment implementation. Inherent in all the best practices are good communication techniques and the principles of environmental stewardship.

Whether embodied in tracking systems, staff coordinators, or guidance materials, these essential elements help ensure commitment follow-through. The States that participated in the Domestic Scan should be congratulated for their efforts in demonstrating successful commitment compliance implementation and for their hospitality and assistance in developing the Domestic Scan Report. The Domestic Scan Team recognizes that successful implementation of environmental commitments is a demanding and challenging task that often depends on staffing and fiscal situations that are unavailable to some States. However, several of the techniques described in this report are not resource intensive and can be effectively and easily implemented once environmental stewardship is incorporated as a standard practice at all levels. The recommended approaches that follow summarize the lessons learned from successful compliance.

• Proactive efforts at all levels of an agency are imperative for effective compliance. Instilling environmental stewardship in an agency requires both top-down and bottom-up approaches. By adopting an environmental ethic, State DOT leadership encourages staff from all of its divisions to demonstrate the same environmental awareness. Stewardship requires agencies to go beyond compliance and to become both proactive and innovative. Such awareness creates a feeling of ownership in staff that leads them to develop innovative and successful approaches to commitment compliance. When staff understand environmental impacts and their consequences, they adopt an increased sense of responsibility for a project's environmental impacts.
• Cradle-to-grave communication (from planning through maintenance/operations) is a valuable mechanism for achieving successful commitment compliance. Beginning in project development and design and continuing through construction and maintenance, commitments should be clearly communicated among all project staff. The circle of communication must remain unbroken. One way to assure good communication is to create an environmental coordinator position that is responsible for commitment compliance throughout the entire project development process. Other communication tools may include specific documentation, agency initiatives, and tracking mechanisms that help flag constructability issues.
• Education and training are critical elements in promoting environmental stewardship and commitment assurance within an agency. State DOT staff must first understand and believe in the importance of environmental compliance before they can demonstrate an environmental ethic. Through education and training, staff can become more aware of environmental impacts associated with projects. Training will also help staff recognize, avoid, and mitigate environmental impacts. Agencies can use accessible and updated documentation (e.g., manuals and guides) to address specific issues efficiently.
• Strong stakeholder relationships are crucial to developing transportation projects that are in harmony with the environment. For a project to be successful, DOTs should strive to gain consensus on the project's development and implementation with resource agencies and concerned citizens. Communication with resource agencies, citizens groups, and others must be a priority for State DOTs. Shared goals and objectives provide opportunities for State DOTs, resource agencies, and citizens to develop undertakings that benefit everyone. State DOTs should also share their accomplishments with the public and continue to build upon their relationships with constituents. Such efforts enable projects to run efficiently and effectively.
• Learning from past experiences encourages future implementation successes. The best practices showcased in this report are the products of time, energy, and a strong commitment to the environment. Not all of the featured best practices are new techniques. Many have been in place for years but continue to evolve and become more effective as they are fully embraced by agencies. Many State DOTs that have the fiscal means and staff to expand their practices have created innovative implementation methods based on their past successes and failures. State DOTs are encouraged to learn from failures and to build upon successes in order to develop successful implementation methods.

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