compensatory mitigation
Compensating for the impact by replacing or providing substitute
resources or environments.
cumulative impact
The impact on the environment that results from the incremental
impact of the action when added to other past, present, and reasonably
foreseeable future actions regardless of what agency (federal
or non-federal) or person undertakes such other actions. Cumulative
impacts can result from individually minor but collectively significant
actions taking place over a period of time.
mitigation
Mitigation includes, in order of proper consideration:
- Avoiding the impact altogether by not taking a certain
action or parts of an action
- Minimizing impacts by limiting the degree or magnitude
of the action and its implementation
- Rectifying the impact by repairing, rehabilitating,
or restoring the affected environment
- Reducing or eliminating the impact over time by preservation
and maintenance operations during the life of the action.
- Compensating
for the impact by replacing or providing substitute resources
or environments
This ordered approach to mitigation is known as "sequencing" and
involves understanding the affected environment and assessing
transportation effects throughout project development. Effective
mitigation starts at the beginning of the NEPA process, not
at the end. Mitigation must be included as an integral part
of the alternatives development and analysis process.
