The following words and terms, when used in this subchapter,
or in documents prepared by TxDOT or TPWD pursuant to this subchapter,
have the following meanings.
(1) Best or Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs)--Measures
provided by TPWD that will result in avoidance and minimization of
potential impacts to natural resources.
(2) Categorical Exclusion (CE)--A category of actions
that have been found to have no significant effect on the environment,
individually or cumulatively, and are excluded from the requirement
to prepare an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement
as defined in §2.81 of this chapter (relating to Categorical
Exclusions).
(3) Environmental Assessment (EA)--Environmental documentation
required for a transportation project that TxDOT has not classified
as a categorical exclusion and that does not clearly require the preparation
of an EIS, or if TxDOT believes that an EA would assist in determining
the need for an EIS, as defined in §2.83 of this chapter (relating
to Environmental Assessments).
(4) Environmental decision--The official record created
after coordination, analysis, and reviews are completed concluding
that an action and its environmental impacts have been adequately
identified and assessed. A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
is the environmental decision document for an EA and a Record of Decision
(ROD) is the environmental decision document for an EIS.
(5) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)--Environmental
documentation required for a transportation project if there are likely
to be significant environmental impacts, as defined in §2.84
of this chapter (relating to Environmental Impact Statements).
(6) Interagency Team (IAT)--As defined in §2.206
of this subchapter (relating to Interagency Team), TPWD and TxDOT
staff identified to communicate on behalf of TPWD and TxDOT to carry
out the MOU.
(7) Qualified biologist--A qualified biologist must
have, at a minimum, a successful completion of a full 4-year course
of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's
or higher degree with a major in biological sciences, natural resource
management, wildlife science or management, ecology, zoology, botany,
conservation biology, or a closely related field and have experience
relevant to the species, habitat, or ecosystems that are being studied
or described.
(8) Reevaluation--The review and determination of the
validity of the environmental decision under certain circumstances
involving changes or delays subsequent to the environmental decision
as defined in §2.85 of this chapter (relating to Reevaluations).
(9) Riparian habitat--The area of interface between
land and a waterway (e.g., river or stream). River or creekdependent
habitats which rely on periodic flooding or flushing, subirrigated
substrates, and other influences of the ephemeral or perennial rivers
or creeks to which they are adjacent, including floodplains, wet woodlands,
gallery riverine forests, oxbows, swamps, and vegetated islands.
(10) Texas Natural Diversity Database (TXNDD)--A TPWD-owned
and maintained database of natural resource records, including species
of greatest conservation need (SGCN) and other tracked species, important
remnant native vegetation, and other features of Texas natural history.
(11) TPWD--Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
(12) TPWD Transportation Staff--The qualified biologist
at TPWD that is assigned to work solely on transportation projects
and related matters.
(13) TxDOT--Texas Department of Transportation.
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