Documented Time Savings for DOTs and Resource Agencies with Programmatic Approaches
Focus Area
Wildlife & Ecosystems
Subcommittee
Natural Resources
Status
Archived
Cost
Under $99k
Timeframe
Under 1 year
Research Idea Scope
The FWS’s Landscape Energy Action Plan in Wyoming
piloted a landscape level approach to assessment of impacts to multiple species
to assist wind and transmission corridor development, an approach applicable to
linear transportation infrastructure.
The FWS study did not initially plan to assess time-savings and staff
benefits, which are essential to quantifying cost and benefit for DOTs. Likewise, the NiSource 14-state programmatic
advance mitigation approach for 43 species and BA/BO for 106 species is likely
to have time and cost implications for DOTs, as could the California Statewide
Advance Mitigation Plan. This study
would document the time savings for DOTs and resource agencies from these or
other broad scale programmatic approaches.
Urgency and Payoff
Given the anticipated number of ESA listing decisions the
USFWS is obligated to make to comply with current consent decrees, the urgency
and payoff of this research is likely to be high. Also, “before and after”
information needs to be collected from LEAP and NiSource in a timely way, on
efficiencies generated for staff, biological assessment, and interagency
consultation processes.
Submitted
10/08/2013