Environment Topics

• Air Quality
• Alternative Fuel Corridors
• Bicycle & Pedestrian
• Brownfields
• Environmental Excellence Awards
• Environmental Justice
• Exemplary Human Environment Initiatives
• Livability
• National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program
• Noise
• Recreational Trails Program
• Safe Routes to School
• Smart Growth
• Sustainability
• Traffic Calming
• Transportation Alternatives
• Transportation Enhancements

Environment

Transportation planning and project development must reflect the desires of communities, and take into account the impacts on both the natural and human environments. Transportation projects are closely looked at to see how they might impact the community, the natural environment, and our health and welfare. Before any project can move forward to construction, the FHWA must address and comply with laws related to the environment. These laws cover social, economic, and environmental concerns ranging from community cohesion to threatened and endangered species. To get through this detailed process, FHWA and FTA use the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to evaluate impacts associated with each individual project.

Three offices within the Federal Highway Administration focus on environmental protection and enhancement. The offices of Natural Environment and Human Environment primarily focus on environmental programs associated with air quality, climate change, sustainability, noise, and on programs associated with the built environment, including transportation enhancements, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The Office of Project Development and Environmental Review focuses on NEPA project development process as a balanced and streamlined approach to transportation decisionmaking that takes into account the potential impacts on both human and natural resources and the public's need for safe and efficient transportation improvements. Information regarding the full range of FHWA environmental programs can be found on this website. If you don't see the topic you are looking for, check our Subject Index.

Upcoming Events

2023

• Urban Mobility & Equity Center's Investigating Walking and Biking Activities among Low-Income African Americans and Investigating the Traffic Behavior of Bicyclists in Interaction with Car Users on Shared Bike Lanes Without Physical Barriers (February 3)
• Smart Growth America's Equity Summit (There is a fee) (February 7 - 9, 2023)
• Institute of Transportation Engineers' McTrans Course: Transportation Equity Fundamentals I (There is a fee) (February 8 - 9, 2023)
• FHWA's Value Capture Strategies as Economic Development Tools: Tapping Value Capture Strategies to Improve Aging Infrastructure and Spur Economic Development (February 9)
• Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals' Strengthening Community Connections Through Bike Infrastructure, Transit Integration, and Local Tourism (There is a fee for some) (February 15)
• FHWA's Value Capture Strategies: Innovative Finance and Project Bundling (February 22)
• The International Association for Public Participation's Digital Discovery Workshop 3: Enhancing Digital Accessibility - Sight, Sound, And More (There is a fee) (February 22)
• Sustainable Transportation Course (INVEST) webinar (February 23)
• Public Lands Alliance's Annual Convention and Trade Show (There is a fee) (February 26 - 2, 2023)
• The Corps Network 2023 National Conference (There is a fee) (March 7 - 9, 2023)
• FHWA's Value Capture Strategies: Developer Impact Fees and Other Fee-Based Development Charges – The Primer (March 15)
• Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals' Data Storytelling for Multimodal Pathways (There is a fee for some) (March 15)
• American Trails' Using a Digital Platform to Connect Trails to Tourism (March 16)
• American Trails' Activating the Trail Community in Conservation Issues (March 23)
• The League of American Bicyclists 2023 National Bike Summit (There is a fee) (March 26 - 29, 2023)
• American Planning Association's 2023 National Planning Conference (There is a fee) (April 1 - 4, 2023)
• FHWA's Value Capture Strategies: Transportation Utility Fees/Roadway Maintenance Fees - The Primer. (April 5)
• American Trails and the Professional TrailBuilders Association's International Trails Summit (There is a fee) (April 17 - 20, 2023)
• Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals' Give Your Bus a BOOST! (There is a fee for some) (April 19)
• Intelligent Transportation Society of America's ITS America Conference and Expo 2023 (There is a fee) (April 24 - 27, 2023)
• American Planning Association's 2023 National Planning Conference Online (There is a fee) (April 26 - 28, 2023)
• University of Oregon Sustainable Cities Institute's 2023 Urbanism Next Conference (There is a fee) (April 26 - 28, 2023)
• FHWA's Value Capture Strategies: Transportation Reinvestment Zones - The Primer. (April 26)