Transportation Permit Efficiency and Accountability Committee

Compliance, Training, and Reporting Subcommittee

Need/Purpose  |  Vision  |  Objectives  |  Authorization  |  Primary Membership  |  Products  |  Other Significant Events/Milestones  |  Results  |  Lessons Learned 

Need/Purpose:  Environmental compliance is planning, designing, building, maintaining and operating a transportation system while:

• Avoiding, minimizing, or mitigating environmental impacts;

• Meeting federal, state, and local legal requirements;

• Meeting permit conditions; and

• Being accountable for results.

The purpose of the subcommittee was to develop tools to improve on these items for WSDOT construction and hired contractors.

Vision:  Develop a compliance, training, and reporting framework that:

• meets environmental requirements;

• clarifies assignment of responsibilities; and

• protects the environment

while building, maintaining, and operating the transportation system.

Objectives:

• Improve and demonstrate impact avoidance and minimization from project scoping through construction, operation, and maintenance.

• Ensure dedicated and adequate compliance, training, and reporting funding for DOT and NR agencies.

• Establish system to develop, track and analyze environmental performance and create feedback loop using monitoring results.

• Respect the differences of missions and operational approaches of DOT and NR agencies while recognizing that all agencies need to be willing to change in order to cooperate and collaborate effectively.

• Increase accountability by using timely clear communication.  This will improve trust among all parties and the public.

• Define the roles and responsibilities of all WSDOT staff, contractors (and NR Agencies) relative to environmental compliance.

Authorization:  Sec. 9 of ESB 6188 directs WSDOT to “continue its efforts to improve training and compliance”; the subcommittee not legislatively created.

Primary Membership:

• Co-Chairs:

  • Loree Randall (Ecology); Sandra Manning (Ecology)

  • Willy O’Neil (AGC)

   

• Other members and agency staff have included:

  • WA Department of Ecology:  Mark Schuppe, Jeffree Stewart, Ann Wessel

  • WA Ferries:  Tina Stotz

  • WA Department of Transportation:  Jerry Alb, Jody Alseth, Ben Brown, Susan Camerer, Linda Healy, Rebecca Janacek, Linea Laird, Elizabeth Lanzer, Bill Leonard, Pat McCormick, Rick Singer, Virginia Stone, Bob Thomas, Beva Ubias, Steve Yach

  • WA State Legislature: Mary Fleckenstein (House Democratic Caucus), Geoffrey William Hymans (House Republican Caucus)

  • US Army Corps of Engineers:  Michael Lamprecht

  • WA Building and Construction Trades Council:  Terry Tilton

  • Shapiro and Associates: Jack D. Gouge

Products:

• Link to Products in TPEAC Library

  • Environmental Compliance Assurance Procedure for Construction Projects and Activities (12/02).

  • Statewide Environmental Training Plan and Estimated Costs (12/02).

  • Interagency Auditing Procedure for Environmental Compliance TPEAC Resolution (1/03).

  • Environmental Compliance Assurance Procedures for Maintenance and Ferries Projects and Activities (1/03).

  • Environmental Permit Overview courses for Design Engineers, Environmental Staff, and Construction Inspectors.

Other Significant Events/Milestones:

• 9/01 – 12/01: Recruited members and defined vision and scope of subcommittee.

• 1/02 - 3/02: Conducted extensive interviews of regulatory agency and WSDOT staff, as well as private sector interests using the SONDEO Rapid Reconnaissance process in order to: “Identify the existing situation, problems, constraints, costs or benefits and potential solutions from the stakeholders’ perspective” regarding environmental compliance, training and reporting.

• 6/03 WSDOT prepared a formal internal requirement called an Instructional Letter that required all staff to use the Compliance Assurance Procedures.

• Statewide compliance training and permit training for environmental and design staff was developed by WSDOT in 2005. The compliance training has been provided for all WSDOT contractors, environmental managers, and construction and maintenance supervisors and appropriate staff to highlight the compliance requirements, and provide guidance on improving compliance and permitting. Additionally, the Association of General Contractors has provided the training to contractors. Compliance training is ongoing and is offered several times a year. For more information on all WSDOT environmental training, please see WSDOT's Environmental Training website.

Results:

• Tracking for compliance has improved significantly with new WSDOT and Ecology data bases

• Notification to agencies has significantly improved for any potential or actual violations, so a more timely response and resolution has resulted.

• Communication has greatly improved between construction office and contractors with the Environmental managers for WSDOT, thus avoiding potential situation that could result in a violation (i.e. permit revisions, project re-designs, avoiding work in waters, etc.).

• The agencies have experienced a large increase in permit modifications, indicating that the compliance awareness has improved, and solutions are being completed rather than just doing the work without benefit of permit.

Lessons Learned:

• The survey worked well to really flush out the issues.

• Having the Association of General Contractors and WSDOT construction staff as part of the subcommittee was essential to get an applicants perspective.