TERC & Partnerships

Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Partnering Agreement

In the spirit of cooperation and collaboration, and acknowledging the critical role that a number of agencies play in achieving the goals of the transportation industry, the Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Partnering Agreement (Agreement) was developed to foster proactive working relationships among Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Regional Transportation District (RTD), other federal and state resource agencies, regional organizations/agencies and regulatory and land management agencies.  

The purpose of the Agreement is to encourage the use of an integration of the planning and environmental requirements approach in an effort to meet agency needs while expediting transportation project delivery and to formalize the working relationship among the Transportation Environmental Resource Council (TERC) members.

As members of the TERC and signatories to the Agreement, the state and federal agencies participating are committed to partner together in efforts to develop a process that encourages:  

• Early communication, coordination, and collaboration with and input by the agencies in the transportation planning process
• Better informed and strategic transportation decisions
• Transportation options that include multi-modal components when feasible
• Efficient and cost-effective solutions

To that end, the Agreement was signed by all of the participants on June 11, 2009. The agreement conceptualizes the process for agencies to collaborate and cooperate to create the best transportation system for the state of Colorado.