What is a Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) Study?

A PEL study is an approach to transportation planning that is typically used to identify transportation issues, priorities, and environmental concerns.  The process is intended to integrate community planning into the transportation planning decision process.  Improvement alternatives will be developed and analyzed, and the final study report will provide a list of recommended improvements. 

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) developed the PEL process to provide a high-level approach to making informed decisions about future transportation projects that better serve the needs of the community.  The PEL study could result in the identification of more than one potential project.  Some stand-alone improvements may be recommended to advance even before the completion of the study.  Projects can be prioritized for funding and construction, and each project can then be advanced into the subsequent federal (NEPA) or state (CEPA) environmental review process. 

Watch this video from the FHWA explaining the PEL. Explore the Environmental Review Toolkit here.

Because the information and results from a PEL study can be carried forward and used in the subsequent project-level environmental reviews, PEL studies connect or link planning activities with review of environmental issues.  Pairing planning and environmental screening early on leads to projects that have undergone review by the public, agencies, and other groups that use the corridor or have an interest in the project area.  Such a method lends itself to early problem identification and the potential for creative, collaborative solutions, requiring less duplication of effort later in the NEPA/CEPA process, and potentially accelerating project delivery and minimizing overall costs.  The goal of PEL is to minimize duplication of effort, promote environmental stewardship, and reduce delays in project implementation.

The following are the range of authorities that support PEL implementation:

PEL Statute 23 U.S.C. 168

  • 23 U.S.C. 168 (c)(1) and (2) apply to planning decisions & planning analyses, including those listed in the statute.

Planning Regulations 23 CFR 450.212(a)-(c) and 450.318(a)-(d) and Guidance in Appendix A of 23 CFR part 450

  • Covers multimodal, systems-level or corridor planning studies that produce any of five enumerated planning products or other information.

Programmatic Mitigation Planning Statute 23 U.S.C. 169

  • Covers programmatic mitigation plans.

Planning Statute 23 U.S.C. 134 (i)(2)(D) and 135(f)(4)

  • Covers environmental mitigation planning.

FHWA/FTA/FRA NEPA Regulations 23 CFR 771.111(a)(2)

  • Affirms that information and results from transportation planning processes may be incorporated into environmental reviews pursuant to authorities cited in the regulation.

CEQ NEPA Regulations 40 CFR 1500.4(j) and 1502.21

  • All planning products intended to be incorporated by reference that can be “reasonably available for inspection by potentially interested persons within the time allowed for comment” during environmental reviews.

FHWA/FTA Implementing NEPA Statute 23 U.S.C. 139(f)(4)(E)

  • Covers alternatives analysis.