Associate Administrator for Planning and Environment

The Associate Administrator for Planning and Environment is responsible for providing executive direction to all Federal Transit Administration (FTA) activities relating to transit and transportation planning and environmental enhancement. The office is responsible for administering a national program of metropolitan and statewide planning assistance by managing financial and technical resources and by directing program implementation to provide procedural and expert support for required environmental, planning, and capital development processes; to advance the state-of-the-art in transportation planning, environmental analysis and enhancement, and capital development; and to serve as the principal advisor to the Administrator and Deputy Administrator and provides executive direction pertaining to planning and environmental issues.

Directs, carries out, or oversees administration of delegated grant-in-aid programs; conduct of special studies; provision of information about office programs and activities; management of systems for control of fiscal, human, or physical resources to assure timely and responsive accomplishment of assigned objectives; and a variety of representational or liaison duties. As the Associate Administrator for Planning and Environment, the incumbent performs the following duties:

Directs and coordinates the activities of component offices which are multi-disciplinary in nature and responsible for the following programs:

• Preparation and presentation of material for the budget proposal for both planning and major new transit capital projects. Answering related congressional questions and performing needed analyses.
• Development of annual resource allocation plans (national and regional program plans) for the planning and technical studies grant programs including allocations for metropolitan and state-wide planning in each state and subprograms for special studies including major investment analyses, environmental impact assessments and financial planning, etc.
• Resource management and accountability activities involved in implementation of approved regional program plans for planning and technical studies grants, including operation of a grant management information system.
• Development of technical studies program budget to process information for FTA and DOT budget offices, OMB, and the Congress.
• Development of FTA planning policy, and technical and procedural guidance. Policy development may take the form of guidance to the FTA field planning staff or grantees, new revised Federal regulations, or legislative or budget proposals. Technical and procedural guidance is developed for FTA field staff and for state and local planning agencies and transit operators and is intended to amplify or interpret planning policy or to describe planning methodologies or procedures.
• Evaluation of the financial capacity of project sponsors of major public transportation capital investments and development of procedures for the evaluation of such projects.
• Development of procedures and policies to implement the environmental enhancement and protection requirements of the FTA program.
• Preparation of policy and procedures for the implementation of the Protection of Public Lands, Section 4(f), dealing with historic preservation and provision of advice to the FTA field offices in their application.
• Ensuring that financial planning is conducted as part of the overall planning and project development processes.
• Directing the development of policy statements and guidelines for incorporation in appropriate manuals and directives for the identification and analysis of environmental factors during the planning, design, construction, and operation of transit projects in the areas of responsibility assigned to the office.
• Ensuring that FTA environmental policies and actions are consistent with the objective and requirements of NEPA, CEQ Guidance, the DOT Order on the Environment, the joint FTA/FHW A Regulation on NEPA and Related Procedures for Transportation Decision making, the joint FTA/FHWA Regulation on Statewide/Metropolitan Transportation Planning, and other related laws and regulations.
• Oversees evaluation of national program effectiveness of FTA Headquarters' and Regional Offices in the protection and enhancement of the human and natural environment during the administration of the transit program.
• Directs the development, evaluation, and promotion of enhanced approaches for integrating environmental decision making in transportation planning, programming, and-projects. Disseminates information on improved processes for NEPA and transportation decision making to regional offices and other interested parties.
• Executive direction of a diverse multi-disciplinary team of planners, economists, engineers, environmental specialists, and support personnel carrying out the office’s mission.