 The RBA Group
Telephone: 973-898-0300
E-Mail: afekete@rbagroup.com
Years experience in current field: 33
Position/ Title: Associate Manger, Special Projects
EDUCATION: M.S., Soils and Crops/Ecological Sciences, 1973; Rutgers University B.A., Biological Sciences, 1971; Rutgers University Certified Public Manger, 1991
EXPERTISE: NEPA/Environmental Process Generalist and Project Management
RELATED TOPICS/EXPERIENCES: Andy is Manager of Special Projects and an Associate at The RBA Group, with over 33 years of direct and consultant experience with state government. At the RBA Group, he is responsible for environmental quality assurance and process strategy development for client proposals, multidiscipline projects, and for integration of environmental, engineering, agency coordination and public involvement processes into work plans for client projects. As former Manager of Environmental Services at NJDOT he was responsible for NEPA, permitting and general environmental compliance for hundreds of projects. He developed environmental procedures, project management paradigms and policies for agency wide implementation and managed multi-disciplined environmental services for capital project development from planning through construction. Important achievements relating to NEPA/ Environmental Processes and Project Management includes:
- Managed environmental support for successful delivery of more than 25 annual Transportation Capital Programs for NJDOT.
- Created and managed one of the earliest comprehensive environmental project management systems in the country (among State DOTs) for NJDOT, which tracked schedules and applied project management principles, greatly enhancing predictability of Capital Program delivery.
- Developed perhaps the first comprehensive system among transportation departments in the US for integrating environmental commitments made during NEPA stages through permitting and construction. The system links periodic environmental re-evaluations with check lists, culminating in environmental plan sheets and clear environmental expectations/ permit conditions for bid purposes.
- Successfully managed NEPA projects for major Interstate/ freeway projects. Quality of procedural compliance supported successful defense of all legal challenges.
- Updated NJDOT environmental process network which integrates NEPA and related processes with NJDOT’s new/ streamlined four pipeline project delivery process (2004).
- Programmatic “No-Effect” agreement among NJSHPO/ FHWA/ NJDOT.
- Programmatic agreement to engage NJDEP permitting agencies from planning stages through construction.
- One of the nation’s earliest Certified Categorical Exclusion Programmatic Agreements with FHWA.
- FHWA/ SHPO approved pilot agreement for streamlining Section 106 and Section 4(f) for Categorically Excluded projects.
- Environmental monitoring/ reporting program for construction which includes regulatory agency participation.
- Authored/ managed (FHWA) National award winning “Quality Initiative Environmental Partnership Agreement” among NJ transportation industry and NJDEP. (2000) It created a constructive problem solving framework for signatories and was re-signed in 2004.
- Assisted New Jersey’s Construction Industry Advancement Program (CIAP) production of “2002 Environmental Management Practices” Construction Field Guide.
Through professional associations, Andy has achieved a broad understanding of environmental issues and challenges faced by many State Departments of Transportation and made important contributions to advance national environmental programs and policies. Examples include:
- Current service on organizational Ad-Hoc Committee for the “Green Highway Partnership”, a USEPA/FHWA initiative to showcase/enhance innovative environmental performance and streamline projects and processes.
- Transportation Research Board – Former Natural Resources Task Force Chairman (organized National Biodiversity Workshop); member and current chairman of TRB Transportation and Environmental Analysis Subcommittee on Stewardship and Natural Resources.
- Organized Bioengineering session at 2004 TRB Annual Meeting. National experts in Bioengineering shared information on bioengineering principles for transportation project development.
- Organized Environmental Stewardship Workshops (January 2001 and January 2002) at Annual TRB meetings. Work substantially influenced AASHTO and FHWA national policy in support of environmental stewardship/ streamlining in transportation programs.
- Served as Chairman of NCHRP Research Panel which produced Report #482 “Guidelines for Selecting compensatory Wetlands Mitigation Options” (2002).
- Assisted Construction Industry Advancement Program (CIAP) production of “2002 Environmental Management Practices” Construction Field Guide and with development and implementation of environmental excellence program for NJ construction industry.
- USA delegate (1994 – 1999), Permanent International Roadway Congress (PIARC). Conducted survey on the state of the art of international environmental impact assessment and presented report at International Congress, Montreal.
- Moderated national videoconference on “New Paradigms for Transportation and Environment” at Center for Transportation and Environment, NC (2000).
- Authored several articles on environmental issues involving transportation in international and national venues such as The Permanent International Roadway Congress (PIARC) proceedings, Transportation Research Board journals/ reports and trade journals.
- Lecturer at Rowan University on Environmental Issues for Civil Engineers.
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