FHWA Grant for Operating a Center for Environmental Excellence

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The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to solicit applications for award of one cooperative agreement for the operation of a Center for Environmental Excellence (CEE). Under the planned award, the selected cooperative agreement Recipient shall manage, operate and maintain a CEE, for the purpose of providing a wide range of products and services to assist transportation agencies and industry in achieving environmental excellence in delivering their transportation programs, projects, and policies.  Through information-sharing, technical assistance, partnership-building and training resources, the CEE shall help transportation agencies achieve environmental compliance and adopt transformative approaches to ensure transportation planning, project development, construction, maintenance, and operations serve all transportation system users.

The goal of the cooperative agreement is to operate a CEE to assist the transportation industry in achieving environmental excellence in delivering their transportation programs, projects and policies. 

The objectives of the CEE are to:

·      Promote environmental stewardship through development of resources that provide innovative ways to achieve environmental excellence in delivering transportation programs, projects, and policies, including the acceleration of the project delivery process;

·      Serve as a resource for transportation professionals seeking technical assistance, training, information exchange, partnership-building opportunities, and quick and easy access to environmental and sustainability tools; and

·      Provide a wide range of products and services to help transportation agencies incorporate environmental compliance, multimodalism, equity, environmental justice, context sensitive design solutions, complete streets, sustainability, climate resiliency, greenhouse gas emission reductions, and stewardship into transportation planning, project development, construction, maintenance, and operations.

In 2016, FHWA awarded a competitively solicited cooperative agreement to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to establish the CEE. A goal of the CEE is to facilitate information sharing and technical assistance to the State DOTs.  This cooperative agreement is scheduled to expire in 2022, and FHWA intends to award – on a competitive basis – a new agreement to establish and operate a CEE for a period of five years.