National Environmental Streamlining Initiatives

REPORT TO CONGRESS
ON FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION ENVIRONMENTAL STREAMLINING
ACTIVITIES DURING 2002

Federal Highway Administration

April 2003

Executive Summary

This report responds to the Congressional direction contained in the report accompanying the Consolidated Resolutions Appropriations, 2003, P.L. 108-7, Division I, the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations, 2003. The conference report language is contained at page 1262 of House Report 108-10.  It states, "FHWA streamlining - The conferees direct the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to provide the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations a report, not later than April 15, 2003, summarizing FHWA's streamlining efforts, as proposed by the House.  The report should include specific examples of FHWA activities that help streamline the environmental process."

The Federal Highway Administration pursued a multi-faceted strategy for implementing environmental streamlining during 2002.  This report summarizes accomplishments in the following areas:

• Raising visibility and creating a sense of urgency
• Solidifying interagency partnerships
• Reengineering the environmental review process
• Issuing guidance to enhance process predictability
• Evaluating the performance of environmental streamlining
• Institutionalizing dispute resolution
• Supporting State environmental streamlining efforts
• Sharing information on best practices
• Rulemaking

A particularly important development during 2002 was President Bush's issuing Executive Order 13274, "Environmental Stewardship and Transportation Infrastructure Review."  This executive order and the follow-up implementation efforts have created a new energy among the Federal agencies involved in environmental streamlining for transportation projects.  The Federal Highway Administration has taken a major role in the interagency task force created by the executive order.  This new venue promises to be an effective tool for forging ahead together on a broad agenda of environmental streamlining and environmental stewardship initiatives.

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