Steps taken at federal level to speed up infrastructure projects

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

The White House Office of Management and Budget, Council on Environmental Quality and U.S. Department of Transportation says the Obama Administration will take steps to accelerate critical infrastructure projects, including an enhanced Federal Infrastructure Permitting Dashboard, new guidance to federal agencies establishing metrics for the permitting and environmental review of infrastructure projects.

 

In addition, the Synchronizing Environmental Reviews for Transportation and Other Infrastructure Projects handbook (known as the Red Book) will receive its first update in 30 years – an interagency effort spearheaded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Federal agencies previously expedited the review and permitting of more than 50 major infrastructure projects, including bridges, transit, railways, waterways, roads and renewable energy projects, employing common sense practices, such as running different reviews concurrently rather than sequentially and using the administration’s online Dashboard to promote accountability for a shared schedule. Over half of those projects have completed the permitting process.

“To deliver infrastructure projects that achieve real impacts for the American people, we need to act with urgency and recognize that every day counts,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Today’s actions help us get there. We are pushing ourselves to improve efficiency, coordination and collaboration, so that federal permitting becomes a sprint rather than a relay race.”

“The Army Corps of Engineers is proud of partnering with other federal agencies to update the Synchronizing Environmental Reviews for Transportation and Other Infrastructure Projects, also known as the Red Book,” said Assistant Secretary of the Army Jo-Ellen Darcy. “The Red Book supports more timely permit decisions, allowing a diverse set of infrastructure projects to advance through the permitting process in a more transparent and efficient manner. Infrastructure projects will be evaluated and permitted faster.”

 

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