An Ounce of Prevention: Environmental Training for Linear Projects

Daniel C. Pearson and Richard D. Williams

Today’s regulatory climate along with the ever increasing number of environmental sensitivities makes environmental training an important component of any successful construction project. This is especially true for construction of linear right-of-way projects which tend to traverse long distances and may encounter large numbers of sensitive resources. Use of environmental training for operation and maintenance activities is also becoming a necessary component of a company’s training regimen as agencies and the public are becoming increasingly concerned about sensitive environmental resources. A successful environmental training program can avoid project delays, civil or criminal fines and penalties and can be used to demonstrate corporate environmental responsibility. Avoiding impacts to sensitive resources can generally be successfully avoided with a well-designed and executed environmental training program.

Keywords: Environmental training, environmental impact, sensitive resources, rights-of-way, linear facilities, construction, environmental laws, environmental awareness, environmental compliance