Public involvement is an important and necessary step in informing transportation decisions. But the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has dramatically altered how the public can make their opinions known. TRB will host a webinar on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 from 1:00-2:30 PM Eastern that will address how states can encourage virtual public involvement, including NEPA required hearings. Presenters will provide practices for getting started with virtual outreach and continuing to do so beyond the social distancing requirements. They will discuss the Virtual Public Involvement (VPI) program.

This webinar is sponsored by the TRB Standing Committee on Environmental Analysis and Ecology.

Some registrants will need to pay $95 to attend this webinar. Sign into MyTRB.org to view registration information.

Webinar agenda and presenters

1. How to use VPI for public outreach: Carolyn Nelson, Federal Highway Administration
2. How to begin a VPI program in your state: Jacque Annarino, Ohio Department of Transportation
3. How to reach underserved communities with VPI: Jamille Robbins, North Carolina Department of Transportation
4. Question and answer session: Bob Washington, Federal Highway Administration

The first 60 minutes of the webinar will be for presentations and the final 30 minutes will be reserved for audience questions.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Determine how to institutionalize VPI for all public outreach programs
2. Identify federal and state regulatory guidance for virtual public outreach

Professional Development Hour Information

Professional engineers (PEs) who register and attend the entire webinar as an individual will be awarded 1.5 Professional Development Hours (PDHs). TRBs webinar program awards PDH credits only to the registered individual, and not to other members of a group that view the webinar together. To be eligible for the credits, individuals must remain signed in for the entire webinar, including for any question and answer session following the presentations.

Please check with your licensing board to ensure that TRB webinar PDHs are approved by your board.

TRB will report credits earned to the Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP). Complaints about registered providers may be sent to RCEP, 1015 15th Street, NW, 8th Floor, Washington, D.C., 20005.

Registration questions? Contact Reggie Gillum.