Program

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00 – 9:10 Welcome

Frank Pafko, Director, Office of Environmental Services, Mn/DOT

9:10 –9:30 Opening Remarks

Tom Sorel, Minnesota Division Administrator, FHWA, Minnesota
Rick Arnebeck, Director, Engineering Services Division, Mn/DOT

9:30 – 10:30 Integrating Environmental Stewardship and Management into the Culture of an Organization — [view presentation (128 KB PDF)]

Debra Brisk, HDR Engineering, Inc.
Marjorie M. Mauldin, Executive Forum, Colorado
James “Skip” Spensley, Spensley & Associates, Colorado

Moderator:

Frank Pafko, Mn/DOT

This session will focus on Arizona DOT’s success in shifting the culture of the agency to integrate environmental stewardship and management into the organization. The controversial Arizona Highway 179 project in Sedona will be used to exemplify the paradigm shift that occurred in Arizona DOT.

10:30 – 10:45 Break

10:45 – 11:45 Keeping Your Project Out of Court – and Winning When You Get Dragged In — [view presentation (416 KB PDF)]

Walter Rockenstein, Faegre and Bensen, LLP

Moderator:

Jeanne Witzig, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.

In this session, Mr. Rockenstein will present proven techniques to keep projects moving forward in the decision making process. Through his case studies, he will outline techniques that should be applied in the process, the analysis and the documentation to ensure a defensible and credible decision. In short, keeping projects out of trouble. He will focus on practical applications that can be used each day on your project.

11:45 – 12:45 p.m. Lunch

12:45 – 2:15 Municipal Approval/Consent

Steve Ryan, Mn/DOT (Decision Process) — [view presentation (96 KB PDF)]
Lezlie Vermillion, Scott County (Case Study – Belle Plaine) — [view presentation (640 KB PDF)]
Tom O’Keefe, Mn/DOT Metro Division (Case Study – Crosstown) — [view presentation (196 KB PDF)]
John Rodeberg, SEH, Inc. (Case Study – Belle Plaine) — [view presentation (412 KB PDF)]

Moderator:

Gerry Larson, Mn/DOT

Municipal consent legislation has clarified the process and expectations for project approval and dispute resolution. This session will summarize the municipal approval process, and panel members will explore case studies providing insight into how the process works and lessons learned.

2:15 – 2:25 Break

2:25 – 3:25 Concurrent Sessions

Resolving Conflicts with Cultural Resources — [view presentation (1.6 MB PDF)]

MaryAnn Naber, FHWA Preservation Officer, Washington DC

Moderator:

Jackie Sluss, Mn/DOT

Resolving conflicts around cultural resources can be difficult for engineers and cultural resource specialists alike. Federal Highway Administration’s Historic Preservation Officer MaryAnn Naber will share her insights on what divides these interests and what it takes to bring opposing parties together. Her years of experience working on FHWA projects for the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in Washington D.C., and now as Preservation Officer with FHWA, make her a national expert on historic preservation issues.

Emerald Ash Borer Early Detection Effort

Mark Abrahamson, Minnesota Department of Agriculture — [view presentation (5.9 MB PDF)]

Moderator:

Dan Gullickson, Mn/DOT

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has killed more than 20 million ash trees in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. This pest has infected an area over 40,000 square miles in these states.
Hear what the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Mn/DOT is doing to monitor for this insect pest in Minnesota by creating early detection trap trees along our trunk highways.

Cumulative Impacts - State of the Art Guidance

Panel:

Dave Gamble, FHWA Resource Center, Baltimore — [view presentation (128 KB PDF)]
Walter Rockenstein, Faegre and Bensen, LLP

Moderator:

Bob Roche, Attorney General’s Office

One of the most difficult areas in the environmental arena today centers on effectively defining what cumulative impacts are and how to adequately assess their impacts. This session will provide an overview on what is “required” from a federal and state perspective, and then dive into recent decisions that shed light on what the future holds in this gray area of the environmental regulations.

3:30-4:30 Concurrent Sessions

Emerging Cultural Resource Issues: Traditional Cultural Properties (TCPs) and Cultural Landscapes

Carol Zellie, Landscape Research
Kristen Zschlomer, Mn/DOT — [view presentation (4.2 MB PDF)]

Moderator:

Jackie Sluss, Mn/DOT

Few TCPs or cultural landscapes have been identified in Minnesota, so it can be difficult to define, treat, and assess impacts to them. This session looks at the TCPs and cultural landscapes identified in the state (including the central Minnesota campus of St. Benedict’s College which includes both a TCP and a rural landscape), how they are defined, and how their presence can affect a project.

404 Permits – New Jurisdictional Determination Guidance

Tim Smith, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District — [view presentation (2 MB PDF)]

Moderator:

Frank Pafko, Mn/DOT

As a result of the Supreme Court decisions in United States v. Rapanos and United States v. Carabell, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency are developing a policy that will clarify the methods that describe and document jurisdictional determinations pursuant to the Clean Water Act. This session will focus on the status of this guidance.

Section 4(f) – Updates under SAFETEA-LU

Dave Gamble, FHWA Resource Center, Baltimore — [view presentation (716 KB PDF)]

Moderator:

Cheryl Martin, FHWA

This session will cover recent developments in the area of Section 4(f) with the passage of SAFETEA-LU.

4:30 – 6:00 Social Hour (Sponsored by Consultants)

Thursday, March 29, 2007

7:15 – 8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast

8:00 – 9:00 Community Bypasses

Gerry Larson, Mn/DOT — [view presentation (1.1 MB PDF)]
Dave Solsrud, Mn/DOT District 8

Moderator:

Jeanne Witzig, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.

Gerry Larson will discuss bypass research findings through 30 years, and their applicability to present circumstances. Dave Solsrud will discuss his experience as project manager on a difficult but now completed bypass project. Dave will discuss lessons learned which will be of use to current and future project managers confronting this issue.

9:00 – 9:10 Break

9:10 – 10:05 Concurrent Sessions

Community Impact Assessment

Gerry Larson, Mn/DOT — [view presentation (526 KB PDF) ]

Moderator:

Jeanne Witzig, Kimley- Horn and Associates, Inc.

Environmental regulation and guidance require social and community impact analysis for transportation projects. This session will review such regulatory guidance and review state of the art practice in several other states. Appropriate methods and techniques for Minnesota transportation project managers will be discussed.

Documenting Project Purpose and Need

James “Skip” Spensley, Spensley & Associates, Colorado — [view presentation (80 KB PDF)]

Moderator:

Cheryl Martin, FHWA

Clearly identifying and documenting the purpose of and need for a proposed transportation project is a critical factor in assessing project alternatives and attaining concurrence for action from the public and agencies. This session will focus on best practices for developing and describing the purpose of and need for transportation projects in NEPA documents.

Mobile Source Air Toxics Analysis for FHWA Projects

Jeff Houk, FHWA Resource Center, Colorado — [view presentation (476 KB PDF)]

Moderator:

Marilyn Jordahl-Larson, Mn/DOT

The analysis of Mobile Source Air Toxics (MSATs) is an emerging field! FHWA issued “Interim Guidance on Air Toxic Analysis in NEPA Documents” on February 3, 2006. In this session, you will learn how that guidance applies to a federally funded project, how to address it in your NEPA document, what level of analysis is required, and where to look for help if needed.

10:05 – 10:15 Break

10:15 – 11:00 Concurrent Sessions

Predicting Highway Construction Impacts on a Community

Jon Chiglo, Mn/DOT Metro Division — [view presentation (1.3 MB PDF)]

Moderator:

Dan Gullickson, Mn/DOT

The design build project manager for ROC 52 and TH 212 will describe the techniques used to address environmental community impacts during construction.

NEPA/MEPA 101

Dave Gamble, FHWA Resource Center, Baltimore — [view presentation (488 KB PDF)]
Gerry Larson, Mn/DOT

Moderator:

Cheryl Martin, FHWA

This session provides a basic understanding for the application of the FHWA NEPA project development and decision-making process. The requirements of the Minnesota Environmental Policy Act and differences with NEPA will also be discussed.

MS4 Permit Compliance

Beth Neuendorf, Mn/DOT Metro Division — [view presentation (1.3 MB PDF)]
Barb Loida, Mn/DOT Metro Division

Moderator:

Lori Belz, Mn/DOT

This session presents an overview of Mn/DOT Metro’s MS4 program aimed at
reducing pollution to rivers, lakes, and streams.

11:00 – 11:10 Break

11:10 – 12:20 p.m. Reader Friendly Environmental Documents— [view presentation (892 KB PDF)]

Carol Lee Roalkvam, Washington State DOT

Moderator:

Frank Pafko, Mn/DOT

Washington State DOT is improving the quality and clarity of its publications throughout the agency. In their project level environmental review documents, they are changing how the results of technical analysis are communicated and making them much easier to read. They are training writers to tell the story about the proposed project and how it meets a transportation need, while protecting and enhancing the surrounding land, water, and communities. This session will focus on Washington State DOT’s new reader friendly environmental assessments and impact statements. These documents have helped build public trust and have reduced frustration with oversized and overly complex documents. Project teams have also benefited from faster reviews, and more constructive and concise public comments because the public has a better grasp of the project.

12:20 – 1:20 Lunch

1:20 – 2:20 Awards Presentation

Frank Pafko, Director of Environmental Services, Mn/DOT

2:20 – 2:50 Why We Do What We Do When It’s Difficult – Mn/DOT’s Philosophy

Lisa Freese, Deputy Commissioner, Mn/DOT

2:50 – 3:00 Closing Remarks & Adjourn

Frank Pafko, Director of Environmental Services, Mn/DOT