Max Baucus: “Today Senator Smith, on behalf of Senator Voinovich, myself and others is introducing the Environmental Streamlining…”

“Today Senator Smith, on behalf of Senator Voinovich, myself and others is introducing the Environmental Streamlining Improvement Act. This bill ensures that the United States Department of Transportation will issue a revised rule on TEA-21 environmental streamlining regulations. This bill will give the USDOT another chance to follow the statute when issuing proposed rules on planning and the environment. The Environment and Public Works Committee has held three hearings on the subject of environmental streamlining since the passage of TEA-21 in 1998. I am sorry to say that in the 2 years it has taken the USDOT to issue this NPRM, they fall far short of what Congress has intended. TEA-21 is very specific about what the regulations should do. The proposed regulations follow neither the word nor the intent of TEA-21. I remember working with Senators Warner, Graham, Wyden and Chafee and with the House members to develop an agreement on environmental streamlining. Those provisions are now Sections 1308 and 1309 of TEA-21. I had heard from the Montana Department of Transportation and from others about how cumbersome a process it is to complete a highway project. Everyone who worked on TEA-21, in both the House and Senate, wanted to include a direction to the USDOT to streamline the planning and project development processes for the states. We were very clear--the environment and the environmental reviews should not get short shrift!”