White House fast-tracks environmental review of 14 infrastructure projects

The White House said Tuesday it will fast-track the permitting and environmental review process for 14 infrastructure projects.
 
The move is part of a broader effort by the administration to streamline the permitting process for high-priority projects like roads and bridges that the White House says will create new jobs and boost the economy. Republicans and others have long criticized the federal permitting process for burdening projects with red tape.  
 
“[T]he Obama administration is committed to reforming the federal permitting and environmental review process to ensure that it runs as efficiently as possible while continuing to protect the health and safety of all Americans, and to preserve opportunities for public participation in federal decisionmaking,” the White House said Tuesday in a statement.
 
The announcement comes as President Obama’s jobs bill, which includes billions in infrastructure investments, faces resistance in Congress. But Tuesday’s announcement is an example of something the White House can do without having to rely on congressional approval.

The fast-tracked projects include the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York, a new rail line in Baltimore, a market in Washington, D.C., and a wind generation facility in California, among others.
 
Obama signed a memorandum in August instructing various federal agencies to identify high-priority projects that have already secured funding and can be moved quickly through the permitting process.
 
“[I]mproving the efficiency and effectiveness of federal permit decisions and environmental reviews is one critical step the federal government can take to accelerate job creation,” the White House said Tuesday.