• FHWA's Environmental Research Program (ERP)

Since 1990, environmental research at the FHWA has been supported and managed by the Planning and Environment Core Business Unit (formerly the Office of Environment and Planning). Through the coordinated activities of the ERP, tools are developed which will increase our understanding of how transportation facilities interact with the environment. The ERP provides updated or state-of-the-art technologies, analytical methods, and predictive models that can be used to make sound transportation decisions, and that reflect sensitivity to environmental and human needs. The research conducted during the past decade reflects the changing needs and interests of our stakeholders and customers and their requests. Many of our research topics have been selected as a direct result of requests received from them.

The FHWA ERP is organized by eight research program areas under three broad focus areas, as described in The Strategic Plan for Environmental Research 1998-2003:

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

• Air Quality and Climate
• Wetlands
• Water Quality, Habitat, and Ecosystems
• Noise1

HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

• Communities, Neighborhoods, and People
• Environmental Justice
• Cultural, Historic, Archaeological, and Scenic Resources

INTEGRATED DECISIONMAKING

• Integrated Transportation and Environmental Decisionmaking

The goals and objectives of each of the ERP’s eight program areas are detailed in its strategic plan and are summarized in Table A.

• Environmental Commitment

The commitment of the U.S. DOT and the FHWA to the environment is clearly stated within their respective strategic plans. To support the Administration’s environmental goals, the ERP is specifically guided by its own strategic plan. The Strategic Plan for Environmental Research 1998-2003 provides direction and focus for all of the ERP. It expresses our commitment to meet both the transportation and environmental needs of the country by preserving and improving the environment, providing customer service, and establishing partnerships with stakeholders to achieve our mission “to develop and disseminate innovative and effective research products and services that help FHWA and its partners implement surface transportation programs in a manner that protects and enhances the natural and human environment.”

1As a result of FHWA restructuring, the Noise program area is now a part of Natural Environment.

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