A bipartisan group of House members is asking the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to overhaul the environmental permitting system when they write the next surface transportation bill.
It takes an average of nearly five years to complete an environmental impact statement under the National Environmental Policy Act, and more than a fourth of EIS reports take more than six years, according to a letter from 21 House members, which was obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News.
The delays have contributed to the cost of building highways and other infrastructure and slowed economic growth around the country, the letter said, and it asks Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and ranking member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) to include a series of reforms in the next transportation bill, which is scheduled to be completed in 2026.
“Unlocking America’s economic potential can be achieved by accelerating construction, eliminating unnecessary delays, and clearing the way for smarter, faster infrastructure investment,” the members wrote.
