Dive Brief:
- U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., introduced legislation this month to bring parity to the federal permitting process for transit and passenger rail projects in line with highway construction projects by allowing them to acquire property before completing the National Environmental Policy Act permitting process.
- The current process establishes distinct permitting regulations for each mode, potentially confusing sponsors who work across multiple transportation projects, Titus said in a news release.
- Titus aims to include this bill in the upcoming surface transportation legislation to provide funding and policies for highways and mass transit.
Dive Insight:
Titus is a member of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which is developing the next surface transportation bill. Brightline West is building a high-speed rail line in Titus’ district, which includes parts of Las Vegas and southern Nevada.
“When high-speed rail comes to Southern Nevada, it will support tourism, improve air quality, and ease traffic congestion,” Titus said in a statement. “The Modal Parity in Permitting Act will help ensure that the permitting process that allows these services to be built in our community is in line with the process for highway projects.”
The bill, H.R. 8315, was co-sponsored by Reps. Robert Bresnahan Jr., R-Pa., and Laura Friedman, D-Calif. “Right now, unnecessary delays in permitting are holding back critical transit projects in communities like ours,” Bresnahan said in a statement. “This [bill] is about cutting red tape, supporting smart growth, and delivering the modern, connected transportation systems our region deserves.”
The American Public Transportation Association also supports the bill. “For too long, public transit and passenger rail projects have faced a structural disadvantage in the permitting process — highway projects can acquire land before NEPA is complete, while [Federal Transit Administration] and [Federal Railroad Administration] projects cannot,” APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas said in a statement. “This bill levels the playing field and will help move critical public transit and passenger rail investments forward faster and more efficiently.”
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and The Bus Coalition, a transit advocacy group, also expressed support for the bill.
