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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <atom:link href="https://rip.trb.org/Record/RSS?s=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" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
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    <language>en-us</language>
    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>SPR 781 Optimizing SCDOT’s Permitting, Mitigation, and Compliance Systems to Improve Project Delivery</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2719301</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The overarching goal of Phase III is to optimize South Carolina Department of Transportation's (SCDOT’s) permitting, mitigation, and compliance
systems by leveraging emerging technologies. The objectives are to (1) maintain the existing
applications and enhance them through feedback from SCDOT users and consultants, (2) migrate
the geographic information system (GIS) applications to Experience Builder for improved functionality, (3) update the e-permitting
app to align with upcoming regulatory changes, (4) develop standardized templates for permit
drawings, and (5) explore emerging technologies to check the permit drawings and provide
feedback on errors and required changes, predict wetland impacts for future projects, and autogenerate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) applications classified as Categorial Exclusions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:53:55 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2719301</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Practices. Topic 57-17. Wetland and Waterway Mitigation Banking for State DOTs</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2630492</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Mitigation banking is a common practice used by state departments of transportation (DOTs) throughout the United States to offset impacts to regulated wetlands and waterways. A mitigation bank is a wetland or stream area that has been restored, established, enhanced, or preserved for the purpose of providing compensation for unavoidable impacts on aquatic resources permitted under Clean Water Act Section 404 or similar state/local wetland regulations. According to the 2008 Federal Mitigation Rule, mitigation banks form one of three potential mechanisms for providing compensatory mitigation, with permittee-responsible mitigation (PRM) and in-lieu fee (ILF) programs. 

The use of mitigation banking tends to reduce permit processing times, reduce temporal lag between aquatic impacts and mitigation-site ecological function, and increase the likelihood of mitigation success. Federal regulations establish a preference for using mitigation bank credits over other compensation mechanisms; however, the utilization of mitigation banks remains varied relative to ILF programs and PRM. Understanding the proportion of mitigation achieved in each state by mitigation banking relative to ILF and PRM routes, along with the success rates and major causal factors driving these patterns, would help to guide future efforts to increase the use of banking as the most effective form of achieving mitigation.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this synthesis is to document current state DOT practices for utilizing wetland and waterway mitigation banking to offset impacts to aquatic resources.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 17:09:27 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2630492</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of a Tool to Streamline and Expedite the General Permit Application</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2507241</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) plays a vital role in developing and maintaining infrastructure projects that often intersect with environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands and rivers. These projects are governed by Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which requires permits for discharging dredged or fill material into waters of the United States. Compliance with this regulation is essential to ensure responsible stewardship of aquatic ecosystems and adherence to federal environmental standards.
Currently, the permit application process is highly labor-intensive, requiring extensive manual data entry that is both error-prone and time-consuming. Applications often demand significant input and corrections from NDOT, resulting in bottlenecks that delay approvals. The repeated back-and-forth communication between NDOT and consultants, along with the substantial effort NDOT must dedicate to guiding consultants—even after training—creates inefficiencies that strain resources for both NDOT and its consultants. These inefficiencies ripple outward, delaying infrastructure projects, inflating costs, and increasing administrative burdens on both NDOT and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which oversees the review of these applications. Modernizing the permit application process is not just an operational necessity but a strategic opportunity. Developing an electronic permitting (e-permitting) tool can transform the application workflow, ensuring timely, consistent, and compliant submissions. This initiative aligns closely with NDOT’s ongoing Nebraska Environmental Data System (NEDS) project, which provides a centralized platform for managing and analyzing environmental data. Integrating the e-permitting tool with NEDS offers the potential to enhance data sharing, streamline workflows, and create a cohesive system for tracking environmental resource reviews and compliance]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 10 Feb 2025 11:17:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2507241</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Assessing the Sensitivity of Colorado’s Mountain Landscapes to Road Salt: Guidance for Sustainable Winter Road Management</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417307</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research will investigate how road salt affects alpine or subalpine wetlands in Colorado, which occur with different bedrock type based on natural amounts of salt and other ions. It provides the opportunity to develop region-specific salt application guidelines to minimize environmental impacts.

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 14 Aug 2024 12:20:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417307</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>State Highway 5 (Mt Blue Sky Road) Summit Lake Wetland and Hydrology Study </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417292</link>
      <description><![CDATA[There is concern that the hydrologic regime of the Summit Lake Park wetland complex on Mt Blue Sky (formerly Mt. Evans) east of State Highway 5 has been significantly altered by development of the roadway. Alterations to topography, soils, and permafrost may have concentrated the formerly uniform distribution of water into discrete flow paths below culvert crossings, while areas not receiving inputs from culvert outfalls may have become drier in the decades since the road was built. The expected impacts of a changing climate could exacerbate the effects of such hydrologic modifications, and potentially damage the rare alpine wetland ecosystems downstream. 

The objectives of this study are to investigate the interaction between the natural hydrologic processes and the roadway to determine any effects of the road on downgradient hydrologic regime, soils, soil temperature and permafrost, and vegetation. Long-term goals of this research are to: (1) Identify options for road reconstruction to minimize permafrost and hydrologic impacts on such roadways; and (2) Minimize or restore impacts to alpine wetland ecosystems in the Summit Lake Park area that may be caused by the roadway. 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 Aug 2024 17:59:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417292</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluate Sources and Reduction Potential for Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Vegetated and Un-Vegetated Ditches</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2114833</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Ohio has one of the nation's largest roadway systems exceeding 121,000-miles and the Ohio Department of Transportation is responsible for ~16% (i.e., 19,470-miles) of the overall network (ODOT, 2020). In areas where right-of-way is relatively inexpensive, open channels (ditches) parallel to the road are constructed to efficiently drain the roadway and provide safe travel conditions during wet weather. They also provide for pollutant removal through sedimentation, filtration, infiltration, plant uptake, and soil processes (Winston et al. 2012). Finally, they can provide a host of other ecosystem services including carbon sequestration (Bouchard et al. 2013) and habitat (Forman et al., 1998) for species in landscapes that are highly managed (e.g. agriculture). These ditches often outfall into streams and rivers, contributing flow and transporting nutrients and other pollutants to receiving waters. 

The ability of ditches to function for efficient pollution control is largely dependent on the vegetation (or lack thereof) in the channel. However, most previous research on roadside ditches focuses on systems planted with turfgrass. Few studies have focused on ditches in low-lying areas which may develop (unintended) wetland conditions. These wetland ditches possess vegetation and processes which might remove nutrients more efficiently than standard turfgrass ditches. Further, ditch maintenance in both grassed and wetland ditches often requires highway technicians or contractors to "dip out" accumulated sediments to restore hydraulic capacity resulting in the complete removal of vegetation from the ditch. These denuded ditches can be subject to erosion until stabilizing vegetation takes root.

The overarching goal of the proposed study is to gain a better understanding of the extent to which roadside ditches impact watershed hydrology and nutrient processing, storage, and transport. The research team also seeks to develop methods and tools that could inform ditch maintenance decisions with water quality as a consideration. To achieve these goals, the team proposes the following specific objectives: (1) Utilize geospatial data and geographic information systems (GIS): (a) to determine the proportion of watersheds that drain through roadside ditches, and (b) to identify candidate watersheds and sites that span a range of land uses (i.e. forested, agricultural, and residential or developed) for further sampling, (2) Quantify the volume and physical/chemical properties of sediments deposited in ditches throughout the state and across a gradient of land use types to establish sediment and nutrient accumulation rates in ditches, (3) Evaluate a practical and low-cost method to determine if sediments captured in roadside ditches represent an environmental risk for nutrient release, (4) Conduct upstream-downstream water quality sampling in vegetated and unvegetated ditches, and  (5) Assess the potential for beneficial reuse of dredged ditch sediments as a soil amendment and fertilizer alternative in agricultural fields.
        ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 09 Feb 2023 09:13:56 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2114833</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Investigating the Efficacy of Natural and Nature-based Features to Increase the Service Life of Coastal Roadways</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1948616</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Seven of the top ten costliest U.S. natural disasters are coastal events, with hurricanes alone
causing $23.5 billion in damage annually to infrastructure. Moreover, rising sea levels will amplify
transportation infrastructure vulnerability to coastal storms, nuisance flooding, and wave actions,
especially towards pavement infrastructure which are critical based on the mileage of the
intermodal transportation network that connects communities, waterways, ports, and rail. To
protect pavement infrastructure from flooding, the state-of-practice involves hard (grey)
structures, raising roadway elevations, reinforcing infrastructure, and relocating roadways further
inland. In the last decade, federal agencies such as NOAA, FHWA, and USACE have led an
initiative to explore the design and integration of natural and nature-based features (NNBFs) in
increasing the resilience of transportation infrastructure while providing ecosystem benefits.
Natural features are existing ecosystems that include coastal marshes and wetlands, dune and
beach systems, oyster and coral reefs, forests, coastal rivers and floodplains, and barrier islands
that provide multiple benefits to communities, such as storm protection through wave attenuation
or flood storage capacity and enhanced water services and security. In recent years, the FHWA
also began exploring NNBFs as innovative green infrastructure to protect coastal highways,
starting with an implementation guide and pilot studies. Before NNBFs can be effectively
transferred into practice in Louisiana, there is an important need to establish the level of flood
protection and economic metrics to compare NNBFs and grey infrastructure; and to assess the
long-term efficacy of NNBFs to protect transportation infrastructure under a range of flooding
scenarios. The overarching objective of this research project is to establish the level of flood
protection and economic metrics to compare natural and nature-based features (NNBFs) and
grey infrastructure; and to assess the long-term efficacy of NNBFs to protect transportation
infrastructure under a range of flooding scenarios. The objectives of this research project is to (1)
evaluate the damage to transportation infrastructure after Hurricane Ida, (2) evaluate the efficacy
of grey infrastructure and NNBFs to provide hurricane surge and wave protection, and (3) quantify
the potential economic benefits of NNBFs to its resiliency towards extreme events. Hurricane Ida
case studies near Port Fourchon and Grand Isle will be used as case studies to evaluate the
performance of roadway and bridge infrastructure, along with NNBFs (beach and dunes,
wetlands, and mangroves). The findings of this research will result in a better understanding of
natural and nature-based features for protecting of coastal transportation infrastructure systems
for the states in the South Central area and all other States as they are all prone to the adverse
effects of natural disasters. A final report will detail information on the methodology used for this
research and data acquisition of pertinent information for NNB natural disasters such as the
condition of flood control structures, power lines, street level conditions of roads, rising water
levels, number of damaged homes and waste debris piles, among many other.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 06 May 2022 11:20:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1948616</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Stream &amp; Wetland Mitigation Forecasting: Developing a Predictive Model for Faster Project Delivery and Cost-Savings

</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1723551</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Stream and wetland mitigation is required for projects that exceed specified thresholds, as outlined in Sections 404 and 401 of the Clean Water Act and the Ohio Isolated Wetlands Law. Delivering surface water mitigation for Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) projects is time-consuming and expensive. A more precise, geographic information system (GIS)-based forecasting model is needed to facilitate budgeting and consider advanced credit purchases in watersheds with large mitigation needs. 
The goal of this project is to develop a GIS-based model that assists ODOT in forecasting future stream and wetland mitigation needs for projects outlined in the 4-year plan and potentially beyond. This could result in process improvement by enhancing mitigation forecasting strategies; cost savings from more accurate project budgeting; time savings by securing mitigation earlier in the Project Development Process; and improved minimization and avoidance of aquatic resource impacts.
                            ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 23 Jul 2020 14:48:34 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1723551</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Fusing multi-source UAS-derived data to improve project planning and the NCDOT Wetlands Prediction Model</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1651039</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Since the UNCW Socio-Environmental Analysis Lab (SEAL) directed by Dr. Pricope has acquired the professional mapping drone SenseFly eBee Plus RTK at the end of 2016, we have been developing various unmanned aerial systems (UAS) applications and data collection protocols, processing workflows and UAS-based remotely acquired data integration using multiple types of sensors, including very high resolution visual/RGB, multispectral and thermal. Since then, we have additionally acquired off-the-shelf multi-rotor quadcopters (various DJI models) that have been used in combination with multispectral sensors (specifically, the SEAL lab owns the high-end multispectral camera Parrot Sequoia with green, red, red edge and near-infrared sensors) for challenging missions that require vertical take-off and landings (closed canopies, edge of water bodies, very heterogeneous vegetation cover). More recently, under the umbrella of a newly-created UNCW Geospatial Service Group, in partnership with UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, we have been conducting extensive UAS-based research and
development centered on: establishing field data collection, sampling and calibration and validation protocols for effective UAS data collection and processing using the three different types of drone sensors (plus a proposed drone-borne LiDAR sensor if the request should be approved); implementing processing workflows to create validated, ortho-photogrammetrically and planimetrically correct UAS20
derived products (orthomosaics, reflectance maps, indices, 3D digital surface and digital terrain models, 3D models and visualizations, derived metrics such as canopy texture, heights, sizes); and applying and developing geospatial analysis and UAS to satellite imagery fusion techniques. In this proposal, we highlight our capabilities and present methods in which UNCW’s expertise in designing and collecting UAS
data, remote sensing fusion and image processing techniques to derive vegetation characteristics, and geospatial analysis techniques to classify and derive wetland and other sensitive habitats will be seamlessly utilized to provide additional support in the development of habitat mapping for NC DOT. Specifically, we propose to leverage our extensive field methods and UAS data processing experience to
demonstrate the utility of incorporating 1) hyper-resolution RGB, 2) LiDAR (with derived metrics), 3) multispectral, and 4) thermal imagery. Imagery/data will be collected with either a fixed wing or a quadcopter drone along with ancillary data such as RTK GPS ground control points (GCPs) and spectral curves derived from a field Spectroradiometer. Incorporating the field data and UAS data enables us to
create highly-resolved models for sampling sites selected throughout the three ecoregions in North Carolina (Figure 1). At selected sites in the three ecoregions (chosen in collaboration with NC DOT), using our established data collection protocols that include GCPs and vegetation species spectral curve recordings, our team will collect four sets of imagery (RGB, multispectral, thermal and LiDAR). Data will be processed using the high-end Pix4D software into various derived indices and metrics and then classified into land cover objects based on spectral, textural, elevation and other measures using object-based classifications in eCognition. After UAS-based classifications have been completed, accuracy assessments
will be conducted utilizing field collected GPS data points and randomly generated points in the larger NC DOT project sites. Next, we will use the objects derived from the drone imagery along with the reference samples collected in the field (including species spectra) to train satellite imagery to classify vegetation species over larger, regional scales using several advanced classification algorithms, ancillary geospatial
datasets and R statistical modeling software. This will establish spatial extents for various vegetation (wetlands and other habitats) species in the three representative ecoregions and allow us to derive very high resolution land cover maps to be used as input into the Wetland Predictive Modeling software currently being used at NC DOT, thus leading to significant time and cost savings for NC DOT projects.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 16 Sep 2019 14:26:08 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1651039</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The Effectiveness of Amendments in Promoting Hydric Soil Conditions in Mitigation Wetlands – Phase II</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1641756</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Wetland mitigation is required by Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to offset wetland losses due to development. Wetland creation or restoration can also be initiated to promote beneficial hydrological, biogeochemical, and biological functions or ecosystem services. In order to determine if wetland has been successfully established, hydrologic, vegetation and hydric soil indicators must be met. The three methods to demonstrate hydric soils (α,α’-dipyridyl, IRIS tubes, and redox potential) are all measures of microbially mediated iron-reducing conditions. Iron may be a key process in wetland carbon sequestration (Shimizu et al. 2013) and controlling unwanted nitrous oxide and methane emissions (Huang, Yu, and Gambrell 2009).

In fiscal year 2019, the research team plans to carry out the field experiment that was originally scheduled for 2018. The general approach in field and laboratory experimentation will be to test the effectiveness of four organic matter amendments: #1 wood mulch that meets the MDOT SHA criteria for Type C compost, # 2 cow manure that meets the MDOT SHA criteria for Type A compost, #3 BLOOM a class A biosolid sourced from DC water, and # 4 switchgrass hay. The research team has obtained samples of #1 and #2 from a local contractor. The switchgrass was harvested in October 2018 from the Central Maryland Research and Education Center in Clarksville, Maryland.  After addition of the amendments in field plots, the research team will be monitoring hydric soil indictors (iron-reducing conditions) using the three standard methods listed previously. Additionally, groundwater levels will be monitored in all plots. The research team will also measure microbial growth and respiration to determine the fate of carbon and nitrogen.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 01 Aug 2019 09:21:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1641756</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Water Wetlands Vegetation Wildlife Habitat and Brownfields
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1371005</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Providing support to continue incorporating natural environment protection and enhancement into the transportation decision making process.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2015 15:31:13 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1371005</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Wetland Mitigation--A Guidebook for Airports</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1363705</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Current and planned airport construction, expansion, and safety improvements often result in the unavoidable loss of wetlands, as many airports were constructed in or adjacent to wetlands. In addition, the size and scale of airports and supporting infrastructure is extensive, which has made it difficult to completely avoid impacting wetlands. Passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 led to the regulation of impacts on wetland resources; and Executive Order 11990, issued in 1977, required federal agencies to avoid and minimize wetland impacts where possible. In 1989, the United States government established a “no net loss” policy (Army-EPA Memorandum of Agreement on Mitigation Under the § 404 Program). The goal of the policy is to compensate for the loss of wetland resources through mitigation.  In 2008 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) jointly issued the “Compensatory Mitigation for Losses of Aquatic Resources; Final Rule.” This rule established the national policy on compensatory wetland mitigation; however, the implementation of this rule continues to be affected by varying regional interpretation and by differing state laws. In addition, meeting the regulatory requirements for wetland mitigation while maintaining safe airport operations can be challenging because of the link to potential wildlife hazards. More detailed information on the techniques and strategies of wetland mitigation compatible with aviation operations would benefit both airports and appropriate federal and state agencies in implementing effective forms of mitigation. 

The objective of this research was to prepare a Guidebook to facilitate implementation of effective wetland mitigation in support of airport expansion and development, including safety-related improvements. In preparing the Guidebook, the research addressed a broad range of issues: (1) Concerns over the creation of potential wildlife hazards; (2) Existing requirements, which may or may not be conflicting; (3) Impact to existing and future airport development; and (4) Airport considerations of cost and logistics in developing mitigation and related life-cycle obligations.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 01 Aug 2015 01:30:17 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1363705</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA )Watershed Resource Registry (WRR)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1234788</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Watershed Resource Registry (WRR), a collection of data and information, including an evaluation of watershed and wetland conditions and a database of mitigation opportunities needed to address future Clean Water Act requirements. The proposed pilot would provide State Department of Transportations (DOTs) with much needed regulatory streamlining and predictability with relation to cost and delivery of transportation projects. The tasks below outline the proposed actions under this proposal.  It should be noted that as a part of these tasks,the  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides a technical and administrative role in coordinating the TAC Meetings and the overall project management for the WRR. Support for these functions should be recognized as part of the following tasks. (1) Demonstrate how the watershed resource registry (WRR) can streamline the regulatory process on real projects by cutting the permitting time and provide accountability to the regulators. Benchmark the times savings and process efficiencies. (2) Demonstrate how WRR can target implementation on the ground - identify locations and the best design using higher performance/lower cost type best management practices (BMPs). Monitor and measure the effectiveness for storm water treatment and management.  (3) Develop a watershed resource accounting/monitoring system using a WRR to account for watershed wide mitigation measures. (4) Coordination with FHWA - Provide status of tasks and deliverables through quarterly conference calls with progress reports.  The EPA should provide progress reports on their specified tasks and deliverables on a quarterly basis with copy to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:19:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1234788</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Interagency Agreement between U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and U.S. Department of the Army, Army Corps of Engineers</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1234783</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This Interagency Agreement (IAA) is entered into by and between the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the U.S. Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers (Corps) for the delivery of improved data tracking and analysis specifically for State Department of Transportation (DOT) wetland and stream mitigation projects in the Corps Regulatory In-Lieu Fee and Banking Information Tracking System (RIBITS). The goals of this program are as follows: (1) Develop methods and procedures for FHWA and State DOT transportation projects to expedite environmental review through the use of web based tools, including those for wetland and stream mitigation and conservation banking. (2) Improve collaboration, coordination and communication among and between FHWA, State DOTs, and the Corps. (3) Provide a source of mitigation and conservation bank and in-lieu fee program information that is accessible via the internet to facilitate FHWA and State DOT planning processes and improve project development and delivery.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:19:17 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1234783</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>National Wetlands Awards Program</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1234019</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) will develop and present the multi-agency sponsored "National Wetlands Awards Program" in 2012. ELI presented the same program in 2011. Each year the awards program culminates with an awards ceremony during National Wetlands Week, which is typically in May. The Federal Highway Administration is one of six Federal agencies contributing to the awards program since 2005.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:05:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1234019</guid>
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