PLANNING TOPICS

PEL represents a collaborative and integrated approach to transportation decision-making that considers the benefits and impacts of proposed transportation system improvements to the environment, community, and economy during the transportation planning process. When environmental considerations are integral to the early stages of the planning process, planners see two major benefits:

The PEL approach is encouraged by FHWA and FTA, but it is not a federal requirement. The agencies issued optional PEL guidance in 2007 as Appendix A of the joint FHWA and FTA statewide and metropolitan transportation planning and programming regulations. This guidance clarified how and when transportation planning can be adopted or incorporated by reference into NEPA.

The FAST ACT of 2015 is designed to accelerate the environmental review process for surface transportation projects. The Act provides sections for "Efficient environmental reviews for project decision-making" (section 1304), "Integration of planning and environmental review " (section 1305), and "Development of programmatic mitigation plans" (section 1306); these sections contain language for approaches to implement efficient environmental reviews and to integrate environmental reviews into the transportation planning process in order to accelerate project delivery.

• Planning and environment linkages application
• Planning and environment linkages website
• Planning and environment linkages fact sheet
• Planning and environment linkages Q&A

• FHWA Planning and Environment Linkages National Framework
• Tools, Resources, and Notable Practices to Apply the National Planning and Environment Linkages Framework
• Technical Assistance Report: FHWA National Planning and Environment Linkages Framework
• Application of the Planning and Environment Linkages Framework to the Transportation Planning and Decision Making Process