Witnesses tell House subcommittee NEPA and grant rules slow rail projects; call for pre-award authority and state role

Witnesses at a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee hearing on rail said federal permitting and grant-administration processes are adding years to rail projects and driving up costs.

"This work could be avoided if the FRA would accept other modal agencies' standards and processes, especially when it comes to NEPA," said Matthew Dietrich, executive director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission. Dietrich told the subcommittee that providing pre-award authority letters with award notifications and creating a tiered grant-administration approach would let states advance project development while federal paperwork proceeds.

Garrett Yukolito, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation and president of the…