2001 Environmental Excellence Awards
Categories and Criteria

These awards have been designed to recognize outstanding transportation projects, processes, and people who incorporate environmental stewardship into the planning and project development processes using FHWA funding sources.

Awards are for the following CATEGORIES (with the Specific Criteria for each Category):

Environmental Streamlining

• Reduces project and process delays
• Increases amount and range of public involvement
• Protects and enhances the environment
• Integrates and enhances interagency coordination

Environmental Research

• Creates a product that is immediately useful Advances state-of-the-art knowledge of transportation and its effects on the natural environment, neighborhoods, and communities
• Is recognized by social science, planning, and/or the science community
• Benefits society and saves money
• Presented to the public in a creative understandable manner

Environmental Leadership

• Is a person, group, or organization
• Demonstrates a commitment to integrating environmental considerations into their organization's culture
• Seeks clear commitment of staff, budget, and/or personnel
• Creates initiatives that enhance the environment

Wetlands, Water Quality & Ecosystems

• Enhances the natural environment
• Fits harmoniously into surrounding environment
• Builds partnerships and public outreach
• Promotes innovative and emerging techniques for stormwater quality improvement
• Integrates environmental concerns with planning and project development

Nonmotorized Transportation

• Increases the amount of pedestrian and/or bicycle use
• Promotes access for people with disabilities
• Promotes livable communities and builds partnerships
• Integrates environmental concern into overall transportation plans
• Meets environmental challenges creatively and is cost effective

Cultural Resources

• Provides economic opportunities and supports tourism development
• Displays innovative opportunities with planning and project development
• Enhances our understanding of our heritage
• Builds partnerships and makes communities more liveable
• Enhances our natural environment and fits with surrounding features

Vegetation Management

• Seeks proactive public involvement
• Integrates environmental concern into planning and project development
• Makes livable communities
• Provides economic opportunities and is cost effective
• Benefits all segments of society

Noise Abatement

• Provides cost-effective noise abatement measures
• Provides a substantial reduction of highway traffic noise
• Uses noise abatement measures which are positively received by people
• Abates highway traffic noise, while preserving the character and aesthetics of the community
• Demonstrates a sharing of the responsibilities to abate highway traffic noise
• Utilizes new, innovative technology to abate highway traffic noise

Air Quality Improvement

• Reduce emissions of air pollutants and/or greenhouse gasses from mobile sources
• Integrate environmental concerns into regional planning and/or project development
• Builds interagency partnerships and creates proactive public involvement
• Meets environmental challenges creatively
• Benefits all segments of society

Livable Communities

• Promotes community cohesion
• Benefits all segments of society (Environmental Justice)
• Uses flexible (context sensitive) design concepts
• Incorporates innovative mitigation and enhancement measures
• Demonstrates effective assessment of community impacts
• Seeks proactive public involvement and builds partnerships

Scenic Byways

• Protects or enhances one or more byway intrinsic qualities: scenic, historic, natural, cultural, recreational, archaeological
• Provides a unique travel experience through the interpretation of a byway's intrinsic qualities
• Balances the preservation, protection, and promotion of a byways' intrinsic qualities
• Enhances the quality of life for local citizens along the byway
• Demonstrates "best practices" that the national byway community can implement
• Reflects leadership of byway organizations and local communities

Recycling

• Innovative use of recycled or by-product materials
• Reduction in institutional barriers to the use of recycled or by-product materials
• Demonstrates cost effective and beneficial use of recycled or by-product materials
• Demonstrates a potential for a large use of a recycled or by-product material

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