Environmental Impacts of a Modal Shift

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Environmental Impacts of a Modal Shift

Concern for the environmental impacts of any activity on or in Minnesota's waterways has generated a great number of studies and will likely continue to cause study. Commercial navigation is often the focal point of these analyses. Navigation has, in the majority of the studies, been viewed as a major contributor to environmental degradation of the waterways as a precondition to the study. Historically, environmental assessments have confined their transportation related reviews to the possible impacts from operations of vessels and shore side support activities. The possible environmental impacts of not developing a waterways projects or not maintaining or improving an existing operation are never included in the environmental analysis. Continued concern about the impacts on commercial navigation from such an approach caused the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) to undertake this study. This analysis will examine the type and extent of environmental impacts which could result from a shift waterborne carriage of certain commodities to other modes of transportation.