Sponsors (4)
The bill speeds approvals and reduces paperwork for many transportation projects, but expands exemptions that could reduce environmental review and public input, raising environmental risks and imposing potential cost/delay trade-offs for some mid-size projects.
State and local transportation agencies can treat projects up to $70 million as categorical exclusions, letting approvals proceed faster and projects begin sooner.
State and local governments will face reduced paperwork for very small transportation actions because the bill lowers the $6M threshold to $2M, concentrating environmental review on smaller projects under tightened criteria.
Local communities and environments (including residents near projects and rural areas) may face increased exposure to pollution, habitat loss, or other harms because many projects up to $70 million could avoid detailed environmental review.
Taxpayers and local residents could have reduced opportunities for public input and less transparency on significant highway and infrastructure projects due to expanded categorical exclusions.
State and local governments and taxpayers may face higher costs and delays because lowering the small-project threshold from $6M to $2M will push more mid-size projects into full environmental review.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adjusts two federal highway categorical-exclusion dollar limits: lowers one from $6M to $2M and raises another from $35M to $70M, changing which projects qualify for streamlined review.
Introduced May 22, 2025 by Cynthia M. Lummis · Last progress May 22, 2025
Amends federal highway categorical-exclusion dollar thresholds that determine which projects can skip more extensive environmental review. One threshold is lowered from $6,000,000 to $2,000,000, narrowing eligibility for smaller projects under that category, while another threshold is raised from $35,000,000 to $70,000,000, expanding eligibility for larger projects under the other category. The change does not appropriate money or create new programs; it only changes numeric limits in existing categorical-exclusion rules that affect how some transportation projects are reviewed and delivered.