WebEx meeting
The District staff has knowledge in a broad range of areas including environmental analysis, threatened and endangered species, traffic noise, air quality, stormwater, wetlands mitigation, and permitting. They work directly with local, state, and federal agencies, along with the public in avoiding or minimizing project impacts. The planners prepare and coordinate environmental documents in compliance with NEPA.
Below are the Environmental specialists located at the six ITD districts within Idaho.
| DISTRICT 1 • North Idaho | Coeur d’Alene Office | Mike Hartz Sr. Environmental Planner | 208-772-8018 |
| DISTRICT 2 • North-Central Idaho | Lewiston Office | Shawn Smith Sr. Environmental Planner | 208-799-4268 |
| • North-Central Idaho | Lewiston Office | Neal Scott Environmental Planner | 208-799-4250 |
| DISTRICT 3 • Southwest Idaho | Boise Office, 8150 Chinden Blvd. | Greg Vitley Sr. Environmental Planner | 208-334-8952 |
| • Southwest Idaho | Boise Office, 8150 Chinden Blvd. | Chris Branstetter Environmental Planner | 208-332-7192 |
| • Southwest Idaho | Boise Office, 8150 Chinden Blvd. | Scott Rudel Environmental Planner | 208-334-8329 |
| DISTRICT 4 • South-Central Idaho | Shoshone Office | Connie Jones Sr. Environmental Planner | 208-886-7824 |
| • South-Central Idaho | Shoshone Office | Brett Sergenian Environmental Planner | 208-886-7832 |
| DISTRICT 5 • Southeast Idaho | Pocatello Office | Alissa Salmore Sr. Environmental Planner | 208-239-3312 |
| • Southeast Idaho | Pocatello Office | Chuck Heisler Environmental Planner | 208-239-3609 |
| DISTRICT 6 • East Idaho | Rigby Office | Chad Jensen Sr. Environmental Planner | 208-745-5602 |
Transportation Committee for Environmental Consistency (TCEC) Forum is for environmental personnel from ITD, FHWA and the consulting community regarding transportation, environmental, procedural, and technical subjects. The group will host an informational coffee with predetermined discussion topics as listed in the schedule below.
These meetings foster communication between ITD environmental staff and consultants working on (or potentially working on) ITD projects. It is a way for the environmental professionals at ITD, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Ada County Highway District, Local Highway Technical Assistance Council, Army Corps of Engineers, and other partnering agencies to give updates on policies, regulations, processes, issues, statutes, work plans, etc.
Participants should bring discussion items related to the topic. Coffee and snacks will be supplied by presenters.
| Date | Topics | Location | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2022 | Julie will present the updated Programmatic Biological Assessment (PBA), including what has changed. She will provide an overview of the PBA Project Pre-Notification (ITD 0289) “smart” form and discuss a variety of tools that will be available to assist the districts and consultants through the process. • PBA Training Presentation **Please see the Natural Environment tab on this webpage for: • Personnel Qualifications • PBA and Appendices • PBA Biological Opinions • PBA Commitments Crosswalk Table | 9-10:30 a.m. TEAMS meeting | Presenters: Julie Hausknecht and Melinda Lowe, ITD Headquarters Senior Environmental Planners |
| February 24, 2022 | US Army Corps of Engineers | Recent and upcoming changes to Waters of the United States, 2022 Nationwide Permits renewal, and stream mitigation process. • Additional information: 2019 NWW Delineation Guidance • PowerPoint slide presentation • Play Meeting Recording (Microsoft Teams Meeting) | 1-3 p.m. TEAMS meeting | Shane Skaar, USACE Boise Regulatory Office |
| October 28, 2021 | Rocky Point Wildlife Crossing project | Bio-Engineering - Incorporating salmonid habitat into roadside streambank stabilization designs • Play Meeting Recording (1 hr. 20 min. - WebEx) | 9 AM WebEx meeting | Matt Pieron, ID Fish and Game Alissa Salmore, ITD District 5 Katie Salsbury, Intermountain Aquatics |
| August 26, 2021 | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) jurisdiction based on the Navigable Water Protection Rule (NWPR), the implementation of the NWPR for common transportation projects, changes within the 2020 Nationwide Permit Program (NWP) applicable to transportation projects, and USACE Walla Walla District updates to Wetland and Stream Mitigation. | 9 AM WebEx meeting | Shane Skaar, US Army Corps of Engineers |
| July 1, 2021 | DEQ Primacy Transfer and PEL • Play Meeting Recording (61 min. - WebEx) • Idaho DEQ Primacy Presentation • Idaho DEQ Primacy Construction General Permit (CGP) |
DEQ Primacy Transfer - Idaho Department of Environmental Quality’s (IDEQ) primacy transfer, the Construction General Permit (CGP), and its implications for ITD. Administration of the EPA CGP transferred to IDEQ on July 1, 2021. What is changing, what stays the same, and looking forward to the 2022 CGP.
Jacobs Digital Solutions for Improved Efficiency and Accuracy for Environmental Data Collection
Play Meeting Recording (52 min. - WebEx)
Presentation on custom digital tools developed by Jacobs programming and biology staff to improve efficiencies in delineation, surveys, and vegetation monitoring.
ITD and IDFG working together on wildlife vehicle conflict data
Play Meeting Recording (1 hr. & 12 min. - WebEx)
Wildlife vehicle conflict (WVC) data in combination vehicle crash data and migration data from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) helps the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) determine where wildlife mitigation could be placed within a highway project to protect the traveling public.