Obama Proposes Faster Infrastructure Permitting Process
President Obama pressed for larger federal investments for infrastructure and announced the administration would streamline the permitting process for new roads, bridges and other major infrastructure projects.
Obama made the comments during a visit to the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York on May 14, and a White House plan unveiled during his visit said the administration will look to use multi-agency reviews and other means to speed up decision-making times, and expand an online tracking system so the public can learn the status of permitting reviews.
Obama noted the administration pressed for a faster approval process to replace the 60-year-old Tappan Zee Bridge, which crosses the Hudson River north of New York City.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation approved a $1.6 billion loan to cover more than a third of the cost to replace the bridge, making it the largest loan DOT has ever approved through its Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, or TIFIA, program.
Obama also urged federal lawmakers to “do a better job of rebuilding our roads, rebuilding our bridges, upgrading our ports, unclogging commute times.
“The alternative,” he said, “is to do nothing and watch businesses go to places that have outstanding infrastructure.”
Last month, the administration offered Congress a proposal for a $302 billion, four-year highway bill that would fund federal highway programs through corporate tax reform.
The president’s remarks came a day before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is scheduled to consider its own transportation bill that would renew funding for federal-aid highway programs through fiscal 2020.
Vice President Joe Biden was in Cleveland on May 14, also calling for infrastructure investments.
