Rep. Calvert Reintroduces the REBUILD Act
Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) reintroduced the Reducing Environmental Barriers to Unified Infrastructure and Land Development (REBUILD) Act, H.R. 211. The legislation, which was first introduced in the 112th Congress, builds upon the success of the NEPA Pilot Program, enacted as part of 2005 highway bill, commonly known as SAFETEA-LU.
"One of the easiest and cheapest ways we can get Americans working again is by removing unnecessary red tape," said Rep. Calvert. "The REBUILD Act will enable the construction of critical infrastructure projects at a lower cost and on a faster timetable without compromising any environmental protections."
The REBUILD Act allows any state to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with a designated federal agency, who has environmental review responsibilities under NEPA, and assume the review responsibilities of that agency. Under the REBUILD Act, states would still be required to uphold the same NEPA standards or greater, by assuming these responsibilities states could integrate NEPA compliance into their own state approval process thereby streamlining construction timelines and eliminating the need for redundant reviews at the federal level.
The streamlined process is modeled after a pilot program created in SAFETEA-LU (Section 327 -Title 23 USC) that allowed a limited number of states to take on the task of ensuring National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance for highway projects under the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). In those states that chose to assume this responsibility, the length of time to complete a project review was reduced by an average of 17 months while also ensuring the goals of the NEPA process were not compromised.
Regular audits of state NEPA programs required by this legislation would ensure states are upholding NEPA standards. Should a state be found in noncompliance, a mechanism is provided to initiate corrective action and, if necessary, revoke the state's NEPA responsibilities.
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