The Colorado Department of Transportation (DOT) is using a new template for their Environmental Assessments (EAs) in hopes to reduce the overall size of the documents and increase readability. This new template relies on tables, rather than many lines of text to present information. The new template may appear different than other EAs: instead of using the standard portrait view, the template uses landscape format, designed to accommodate tables and ease of reading on computer screens. We are excited to see new ideas for modernizing how NEPA is implemented. 

Check out some of the recent projects that have used this template:

• State Highway 9 Iron Springs Alignment
• Federal Boulevard Improvements Project Between West 7th Avenue and West Howard Place

Their new template is intended to be used for small, simple projects. The template is available for download at the Colorado DOT website. Will the DOT’s new template help to decrease environmental review times? Time will tell. Let us know what you think in the comments section.

If you are interested in learning more about the effect of document templates on environmental permitting timeframes, check out a presentation Panorama gave at an AEP Workshop earlier this year.