Domestic Scan:

Environmental Commitment Implementation
Innovative and Successful Approaches

APPENDIX A: Domestic Scan Questionniare

In preparation of the Domestic Scan Team's visit, a questionnaire was provided to both the State DOT and FHWA Division Office of each participating State. The following list of questions was developed to give the States an idea of the type of information the Domestic Scan Team was seeking. The questionnaire was not intended to be formally answered, nor returned. Instead, these amplifying questions served as a starting point for discussion during the visits. States were encouraged to elaborate on any additional areas that more effectively illustrate their practices and successes.

Project Development Process

1. Are routine project (monthly/quarterly) meetings held? What is the intention of these meetings and who generally attends? Are resource agencies invited? Do design, construction, and/or maintenance attend?
2. How and at what stage in project development are design, construction, and maintenance engaged in project discussions related to conceptual environmental commitments? How do you ensure that the environmental commitments are feasible from a design and constructability point of view?
3. How and when are resource agencies involved in the planning and development of mitigation measures?
4. What documents other than standard NEPA documents, if any, are used to summarize environmental commitments?
5. For local projects, if applicable, how are environmental commitments reviewed and implemented?
6. Is there a primary contact person assigned for each project? Is this a State DOT employee or consultant?
7. Is funding included in the project's budget for the construction and maintenance of environmental commitments? How is this estimated and who is involved? Is cost ever a determining factor in commitment decisions?
8. Have you ever considered the opportunities for mitigation provided by an existing or planned State or local Conservation Plan for any project?
9. Are wetland or habitat conservation banks used in your State?
10. Are inventories of environmental resources available for your State for use during project development? Do you use a GIS database in project development?

Design/Construction/Maintenance

11. What, if any, formal process is in place to assist in ensuring that environmental commitments made in the NEPA documents are transmitted to design, construction, and maintenance? How was this process developed? Who were the major players?
12. If a formal process does not exist, how are design, construction, and maintenance made aware of the environmental commitments made in the NEPA documents?
13. How are comments transmitted from design, construction, and/or maintenance back to environment?
14. Are special provisions routinely included in the construction contracts?
15. What guidance or instruction is available or provided to design, construction, and maintenance on environmental commitment compliance?
16. Are design, construction, and maintenance engineers and managers trained and instructed in the importance of environmental commitments? Is there training for other personnel in this area?
17. Who is ultimately responsible for checking that commitments are incorporated into the final design?
18. Are environmental commitments discussed in pre-construction meetings with contractors? Are permit conditions discussed at this time?
19. Who is ultimately responsible for assuring commitments are implemented into construction? How frequently are these commitments monitored in the field?
20. How are all types of commitments managed and monitored in the field?
21. Who is responsible for maintaining the mitigation features? For how long, generally?
22. How is the monitoring of environmental commitments recorded? Is there a tracking system in place? How does it work?
23. Is a process in place to distribute follow-up reports on mitigation commitment compliance within the DOT and other resource agencies?
24. How is the contractor responsibility and compliance of the environmental commitments handled?
25. What are the means to ensure and enforce that environmental commitments are completed?
26. Do resource agencies review the mitigation work in design and construction in the field? Are they invited to do so?
27. Since there are different methods for reviewing and monitoring different types of mitigation commitments, are some areas monitored or implemented better than others? Are there some types of commitments that are particularly difficult to monitor? Why?

Lessons Learned

28. Is there a mechanism for transmitting lessons learned from one project to another project? Are achievements in this area recognized in the department?
29. Do you have any suggestions for improving the existing procedures with regard to implementing environmental commitments?
30. Are there any examples of mitigation practices that have not worked? What was the result?
31. Have you used any procedures that you find successful when working with resource agencies to ensure that project delivery is not delayed when meeting environmental requirements and commitments? Do you believe consistency in meeting environmental commitments will help improve your relationships with resource and permitting agencies?
32. Why does your plan work so well in your State? Are there unique State conditions that make it work? What makes your State effort distinct from others?
33. Do you think your projects or efforts could have national transferability? Why?
34. Are there exemplary projects (in any stage of development) that you would like the Domestic Scan Team to observe that illustrate how compliance of environmental commitments are carried out in your State?

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