An official website of the POLICY 33: Protect natural systems
This policy states:
Use existing transportation rights-of-way and transportation project development to protect and restore natural systems.
Actions
- Investment Priority (IP): Actions tagged with (IP) provide direction to regional investment processes directed by the plan. This includes the Regional Solicitation, which will complete an evaluation to determine the appropriate framework and application of these actions to the Regional Solicitation. Actions could be applied in the Regional Solicitation in a variety of ways including qualifying requirements, application categories, or scoring measures. These actions can also apply to other regional highway and transit funding programs. Investment priorities targeted exclusively at local governments are tagged as local planning (see below).
- Local Planning (LP): Actions tagged with (LP) are requirements or guidance for agencies to incorporate into the transportation element of their Comprehensive Plans, corridor plans, transit provider plans, and other plans that are not regional or statewide. Major items are noted but this is not intended to be a comprehensive list. Local planning tag may also indicate actions with potential local investment priorities that would help support regional goals and objectives that are not tied to regional or statewide investment programs.
- Technical Capacity Building (CB): Actions tagged with (CB) are technical assistance and support activities to provide guidance and best practices to agencies that builds regional technical capacity.
- Partner (P): Actions tagged with (P) are activities that support the regional goals and transportation objectives where the plan is directing partners to take a direct lead. This tag applies primarily to regional or state partners; the local planning tag provides direction to local partners.
- Work Program (WP): Actions tagged with (WP) are work program activities, including staff time and consultant studies, to be worked on until the next scheduled update of the plan in five years. These items are necessary to further research and policy guidance to support the region in achieving its goals and transportation objectives. Work program items are listed at the end of each policy. More complete descriptions of work program items are provided in the Imagine 2050 TPP Work Program.
| = Lead agency = Supporting agency |
Met Council | MnDOT | Counties | Cities | Transit | Other |
| 33A. When planning and designing transportation projects, explore and prioritize green stormwater infrastructure before expanding gray stormwater infrastructure. This could include incorporating natural features into projects, stream or riverbank stabilization, tree cover, permeable pavements, native plantings, onsite stormwater infiltration, or others. Action types: Investment Priority Local Planning |
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| 33B. Incorporate habitat and natural areas into stormwater management strategies or implement stormwater prevention or treatment elements that mitigate pollution beyond municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permit requirements. Action types: Local Planning Partner |
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| 33C. Maintain or expand plantings within the right-of-way including trees, bushes, grasses, and planted buffers. When selecting plantings, consider the variety of plant species, health and suitability in the right-of-way, and potential impacts to infrastructure. (See 13D and 13F for related actions.) Action type: Investment Priority |
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| 33D. Reduce negative environmental impacts from operations and maintenance activities. Provide research on environmentally responsible and best management practices for activities. Track agencies that are implementing best practices. Action types: Technical Capacity Building Partner |
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| 33E. Increase native plantings and pollinators in landscaping as part of transportation projects. (See 13D for related action.) Action type: Local Planning |
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| 33F. Consider opportunities for retrofitting projects to add or improve stormwater infrastructure within the right-of-way, even if they do not have corresponding transportation elements. Action type: Local Planning |
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| 33G. Avoid or minimize negative impacts to natural systems before considering mitigation (in other words, compensating for the loss of wetlands or other ecological features) or provide mitigation above and beyond project impacts. Action type: Local Planning |
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| 33H. Identify and coordinate a better understanding of transportation system impacts on wildlife and opportunities to mitigate those impacts. Incorporate ongoing and future research and findings to aid planning efforts in the region. Action types: Local Planning Technical Capacity Building Partner |
(DNR) |
DNR is the Department of Natural Resources.
