23 USC 171 – Wildlife crossings pilot program
(a)
(1) according to the report of the Federal Highway Administration entitled “Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Reduction Study”, there are more than 1,000,000 wildlife-vehicle collisions every year;
(2) wildlife-vehicle collisions—
(A) present a danger to—
(i) human safety; and
(ii) wildlife survival; and
(B) represent a persistent concern that results in tens of thousands of serious injuries and hundreds of fatalities on the roadways of the United States; and
(3) the total annual cost associated with wildlife-vehicle collisions has been estimated to be $8,388,000,000; and
(4) wildlife-vehicle collisions are a major threat to the survival of species, including birds, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians.
Terms Used In 23 USC 171
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
- State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 1 USC 7
(b)
(1) a reduction in the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions; and
(2) in carrying out the purpose described in paragraph (1), improved habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species.
(c)
(1) a State highway agency, or an equivalent of that agency;
(2) a metropolitan planning organization (as defined in section 134(b));
(3) a unit of local government;
(4) a regional transportation authority;
(5) a special purpose district or public authority with a transportation function, including a port authority;
(6) an Indian tribe (as defined in section 207(m)(1)), including a Native village and a Native Corporation (as those terms are defined in section 3 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602));
(7) a Federal land management agency; or
(8) a group of any of the entities described in paragraphs (1) through (7).
(d)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(e)
(1) Primarily, the extent to which the proposed project of an eligible entity is likely to protect motorists and wildlife by reducing the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species.
(2) Secondarily, the extent to which the proposed project of an eligible entity is likely to accomplish the following:
(A) Leveraging Federal investment by encouraging non-Federal contributions to the project, including projects from public-private partnerships.
(B) Supporting local economic development and improvement of visitation opportunities.
(C) Incorporation of innovative technologies, including advanced design techniques and other strategies to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and improving habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species.
(D) Provision of educational and outreach opportunities.
(E) Monitoring and research to evaluate, compare effectiveness of, and identify best practices in, selected projects.
(F) Any other criteria relevant to reducing the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions and improving habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species, as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, subject to the condition that the implementation of the pilot program shall not be delayed in the absence of action by the Secretary to identify additional criteria under this subparagraph.
(f)
(1)
(2)
(A)
(i) in the case of a grant to a Federal land management agency or an Indian tribe (as defined in section 207(m)(1), including a Native village and a Native Corporation (as those terms are defined in section 3 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602))), the Federal Highway Administration, through an agreement; and
(ii) in the case of a grant to an eligible entity other than an eligible entity described in clause (i), the State highway agency, or an equivalent of that agency, for the State in which the project is to be carried out.
(B)
(i)
(ii)
(I) a metropolitan planning organization (as defined in section 134(b));
(II) a unit of local government;
(III) a regional transportation authority;
(IV) a special purpose district or public authority with a transportation function, including a port authority;
(V) an Indian tribe (as defined in section 207(m)(1)), including a Native village and a Native Corporation (as those terms are defined in section 3 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602));
(VI) a Federal land management agency;
(VII) a foundation, nongovernmental organization, or institution of higher education;
(VIII) a Federal, Tribal, regional, or State government entity; and
(IX) a group of any of the entities described in subclauses (I) through (VIII).
(3)
(g)
(h)
(1)
(2)
(A) a detailed description of the activities carried out under the pilot program;
(B) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the pilot program in meeting the purposes described in subsection (b); and
(C) policy recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the pilot program.
(i)