Sponsors (4)
The bill speeds and lowers the cost of many state and local infrastructure projects by expanding categorical exclusions, but does so by reducing environmental review and public input—raising the risk of overlooked harms and potential litigation.
State and local governments can use categorical exclusions for much larger projects (up to $70M), allowing faster environmental permitting and quicker project delivery.
Smaller projects under a $2M threshold can avoid lengthy NEPA review, lowering administrative costs and speeding implementation of local and state projects.
Faster project delivery from expanded exclusions can reduce construction delays and related disruptions for commuters, transportation workers, and local businesses.
Allowing projects up to $70M to bypass detailed NEPA review increases the risk that significant environmental harms and community impacts will be overlooked.
Lowering the small-project threshold to $2M expands categorical exclusions to projects that may still have meaningful environmental effects, reducing public review and oversight.
Streamlining review and reducing opportunities for public input could increase community pushback or litigation, which may ultimately delay projects and raise costs for taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Changes the dollar thresholds used to decide which federally assisted transportation projects can receive categorical exclusion treatment under MAP-21 (a streamlined environmental review category). One threshold is lowered from $6,000,000 to $2,000,000 and another is raised from $35,000,000 to $70,000,000. The change only updates those monetary amounts in the statute; it does not add new duties, create funding, or set deadlines.
Introduced May 22, 2025 by Cynthia M. Lummis · Last progress May 22, 2025