About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

GAO-08-512R 1 (2008-04-25)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptawlx0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 


i=             i

       Accountability * Integrity * Reliability
United States Government Accountability Office
Washington, DC 20548




        April 25, 2008


        The Honorable James M. Inhofe
        Ranking Member
        Committee on Environment and Public Works
        United States Senate
        Subject: Highways and Environment: Transportation Agencies Are Acting to
        Involve Others in Planning and Environmental Decisions

        Dear Senator Inhofe:

        Meeting the nation's mobility needs requires constructing, improving, and repairing
        roads and bridges. However, these actions can have serious environmental
        impacts, such as harming water quality and wildlife and their habitats. The federal
        government's policy is to carry out federally funded highway projects in an
        environmentally responsible manner, as directed by the National Environmental
        Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and other environmental and natural resource
        protection laws. The environmental review of projects, as required by the act,
        involves identifying and assessing environmental impacts; evaluating alternatives;
        seeking input, and in some cases approvals, from federal and state agencies
        responsible for natural resources, environmental protection, and historic
        preservation (referred to hereafter as resource agencies); and obtaining approval
        from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). These reviews provide
        important environmental protections, yet it is generally agreed that it often takes
        too long to complete the most complex highway projects and the environmental
        review is the most time-consuming aspect.'

        In 2005, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A
        Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) made a number of changes to the planning and
        environmental review processes required of state and local transportation agencies.
        These changes were intended to facilitate more efficient reviews of transportation
        projects, allowing them to be completed more quickly without diminishing
        environmental protections. For example, since SAFETEA-LU was enacted, federal
        law has required that state departments of transportation and metropolitan



        'GAO, Highway Infrastructure: Perceptions of Stakeholders on Approaches to Reduce Highway
        Project Completion Time, G.AO43-3 (Washington, D.C.: Apr. 9, 2003).


GAO-08-512R Highways and Environment

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

profiles profiles most