The American Planning Association has issued a call for entries for its 2009 National Planning Excellence, Leadership, and Achievement Awards program. The annual awards program recognizes “outstanding efforts in planning and environmental leadership, including cutting-edge achievements and planning under difficult or adverse circumstances.’’ Multiple award categories are available; nominations are due Sept. 10, 2008. For more information on submitting nominations, eligibility criteria, and the awards ceremony, link to the 2009 National Planning Excellence, Leadership, and Achievement Awards. (8-1-08)

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The Transportation Research Board will host a conference Sept. 3-5, 2008, in Atlanta on meeting the requirements of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) in statewide and metropolitan transportation planning. The conference will include workshops and sessions including an overview of planning issues in SAFETEA-LU, incorporating safety into the planning process, congestion management, statewide travel demand forecasting, environmental considerations, fiscal issues in planning, and emerging issues such as climate change. For more information, link to the conference webpage. (7-23-08)

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The Federal Highway Administration has released a report that offers case studies on how geographic information systems (GIS) have been used to implement the agency’s Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) approach to integrating environmental considerations into transportation planning. The report, which was prepared by the U.S. DOT’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, identifies effective uses of GIS in support of the goals of PEL. The case studies selected are Colorado’s GeoMap2, North Carolina’s NC OneMap, and Oregon’s Regional Land Information System. For more information, link to Key Practices for Implementing Geospatial Technologies for a Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) Approach and FHWA’s GIS in Transportation website. (7-23-08)

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Guidelines for the development and implementation of environmental performance measures for state departments of transportation are provided in final report on research conducted under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 25-25, Task 23. The project, which was requested by the AASHTO Standing Committee on the Environment, analyzed existing literature, research, and agency practice to identify procedures for integrating environmental measurements into state DOT practice and decisionmaking. For more information, link to Guidelines for Environmental Performance Measurements Final Report, NCHRP Project 25-25, Task 23. (June 2008)

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The Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO will provide training on ways to better link planning and environmental processes for transportation projects during a webcast to be held Sept. 23, 2008. The webcast, produced in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, will feature presentations on transportation planning; NEPA decision-making; how transportation planning and NEPA decision-making can be mutually supportive; and case studies demonstrating successful integration. It also will include panel responses to audience questions submitted via e-mail during the webcast. The training webcast will be broadcast live from 1 pm to 4 pm Eastern Time; registration is free. For more information, link to Integrating Transportation Planning and NEPA Decision-Making Webcast. (7-10-08)

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The Federal Highway Administration’s Resource Center Planning Team has published the Spring 2008 edition of the Transportation Planning Update newsletter. The issue includes highlights of the SAFETEA-LU technical corrections bill, a U.S. Government Accountability Office report on involving outside groups in the transportation planning and environmental process, a metropolitan planning organization peer workshop on planning and climate change, and current events. For more information, link to Transportation Planning Update, Spring Edition 2008. (6-25-08)

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The Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration have announced the winners of the 2008 Transportation Planning Excellence Awards. The biennial wards program recognizes “outstanding initiatives across the country to develop, plan and implement innovative transportation planning practices”. The program is co-sponsored by the American Planning Association. The award categories for 2008 focused on 12 areas: transportation asset management; education and training; freight planning; homeland and personal security; linking planning and operations; modeling and technology applications; planning leadership; public involvement and outreach; safety planning; transportation and land use integration; transportation planning and the environment; and tribal transportation planning. For more information, link to 2008 Transportation Planning Excellence Awards. (6-17-08)

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A memorandum from Federal Highway Administration headquarters to its division offices clarifies when a final NEPA approval can be made "in relation to specific transportation planning and air quality conformity regulations, with a particular emphasis on fiscal constraint." It addresses requirements related to the metropolitan transportation plan, the statewide long range transportation plan, the statewide transportation improvement program, and transportation conformity. The memo also includes a separate document with project examples regarding fiscal constraint and NEPA approvals. For more information, link to the FHWA e-mail memo, Transportation Planning Requirements and Their Relationship to NEPA, and Project Examples Regarding Fiscal Constraint and NEPA Approvals. (January 2008)

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The National Highway Institute (NHI) has developed a new course on Advanced Freight Planning (NHI Course 139003) for transportation professionals involved in multimodal planning and program management. The two-day course presents techniques and strategies for individuals directly involved in planning, programming, and allocating transportation resources to identify, prioritize, develop, and implement freight-supportive projects and plans. For more information about the course and scheduling, link to the NHI Training website. (3-6-08)

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The Federal Highway Administration’s Resource Center Planning Team has published the Winter 2008 edition of the Transportation Planning Update newsletter. Highlights include climate change impacts on transportation planning, the final transportation conformity rule to implement SAFETEA-LU, changes to the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program, selection of 2007 Exemplary Human Environment Initiatives, FHWA’s plan to award $1.4 million toward Eco-Logical Pilot Projects, and current events. For more information, link to Transportation Planning Update, Winter Edition 2008. (2-13-08)

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The Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration have posted an updated version of “The Transportation Planning Process: Key Issues” document, also known as the “briefing book.” The publication provides an overview of transportation planning issues for government officials, planning board members, and transportation service providers. For more information, link to The Transportation Planning Process: Key Issues - A Briefing Book for Transportation Decisionmakers, Officials, and Staff on the Transportation Planning Capacity Building Program website. (November 2007)

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The Federal Highway Administration published a case study of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments’ (SEMCOG) integration of environmental issues in the transportation planning process. The case study provides information on the council’s process for incorporating environmental analysis in their 2030 Regional Transportation Plan for Southeast Michigan. For more information, link to SEMCOG Integrates Environmental Issues in the Transportation Planning Process. (July 2007)

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The Federal Highway Administration has requested applications for a new grant program to fund pilot projects that integrate transportation and resource planning to develop ecosystem based approaches for transportation projects. The grant program has available at least $1.05 million intended to support the multi-agency initiative and guide, Eco-Logical: an Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects. Applications are June 22, 2007. For more information, link to the grant announcement. (5-9-07)

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