State House considers bill to speed environmental process

Could bias review agencies?

Steve Hawley, Apr 28, 09.

The Texas House of Representatives Transportation Committee will consider a bill to expedite the environmental review process for transportation projects on Tuesday afternoon. House Bill 4203 would allow the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), counties, and certain toll entities to pay state and federal agencies to hire extra staffers to speed the process.

One group, Texans United for Reform and Freedom, are concerned that the bill could jeopardize the federal environmental process and bias the agencies in favor of the project. Others say giving the agencies some extra money to do the process work might produce better quality reports and decisions.

The Senate unanimously passed its version of the bill (Senate Bill 502) on April 2.