This paper was presented at the session titled `Reducing the environmental effects of transportation through technology'. The PEI Department of Transportation and Public Works (TPW) has been challenged to provide comprehensive environmental management throughout all aspects of their construction and maintenance activities. PEI has a higher concentration of roadways than all other Provinces in the country. The natural soil conditions in our Province, combined with usage rates of our roadways and bridges, results in a continued need for their maintenance and repair. Coincidentally, our Province has an extremely high concentration of watercourses, wetlands and other sensitive environments. The public has also become increasingly concerned and aware of relevant environmental issues. It is for these reasons that PTW's Environmental Management Division (EMD) has assumed a lead environmental stewardship role in the provincial transportation industry. The key objective then would be the EMD's development and implementation of a comprehensive Environmental Management System (EMS) to ensure proper environmental management during construction and maintenance works performed by the Department, by others on behalf of the Department, or by others within the Province's right-of-way. Our Department has successfully answered this environmental management challenge through development and successful implementation of a comprehensive EMS which meets the above noted objective. This paper details our overall EMS which involves several key elements that, once implemented on an individual basis, act to direct, guide and monitor the Department's actions in fulfilling its commitment to environmental protection. (A)
Samenvatting