Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) are part the Environmental Office’s process that occur at a program level and at multiple points during a project. QA is utilized to proactively focus on the prevention of issues and manage the quality of the process. QC is utilized to verify the quality of the project process and documentation. MaineDOT Environmental Office Director, NEPA Manager, and staff conduct annual NEPA quality reviews. These reviews will consist of selecting various projects.

Several laws and Executive Orders (including Clean Water Act, Rivers and Harbor Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, Floodplain Management) require that all proposed federally funded projects undergo assessments to determine the impacts on the natural environment resulting from projects.

MaineDOT considers the impacts a proposed project may have on minority and low-income populations. MaineDOT complies with the existing Executive Orders (EO), Environmental Justice requirements, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Transportation decision-making involves properly addressing the needs of different socio-economic groups. A process which involves diverse populations in the development of a project may result in greater equity.

The Environmental Office assesses impacts of projects with a federal nexus on properties, sites, buildings, structures and places that are listed on, or may be eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

Several laws (including the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act) require that all proposed actions with a federal nexus undergo assessment to determine the impacts projects have on fisheries and wildlife.

The Clean Air Act established National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for six priority pollutants to protect public health and the environment. Transportation conformity, as required by the CAA, ensures that Federally-funded or approved transportation plans, programs, and projects conform to the air quality objectives established in the State Implementation Plan (SIP).

Procedures for abatement of highway traffic noise and construction noise under 23 CFR 772 and MaineDOT’s Highway Traffic Noise Policy apply to MaineDOT Type I and Type II projects.

A major goal of NEPA is that state and federal transportation agencies develop a process that provides an opportunity for stakeholders and the public to actively participate in transportation decision-making. MaineDOT is required to consider and assess the social, natural, cultural, and economic impacts a project may have on a community. The overall goal is to gain meaningful input from stakeholders, the public, and interested parties. MaineDOT’s Public Involvement Plan and NEPA Public Involvement Plan guide projects through the public process.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a federal procedural law that establishes a national environmental policy. NEPA provides a framework for environmental planning and decision-making for projects that receive federal funds or require federal approvals. NEPA requires federal agencies (or states that have assumed responsibility under 23 U.S.C. 326 or 23 U.S.C. 327) when planning projects to conduct environmental reviews to consider the potential impacts on the environment by their proposed actions.