The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is seeking permission from the federal government to maintain its authority to approve its own environmental reviews, a process aimed at expediting highway project timelines, as reported by KVUE. Critics, however, argue that this self-certification does not live up to the standards set by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), raising concerns about the accountability and rigor of TxDOT's evaluations of potential impacts on air and water quality.
This call for extended authority comes a decade after TxDOT's original agreement with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), enabling the state to carry out these checks internally, TxDOT claims this process allows for quicker project approvals and Adam Greenfield of the transit advocacy group Rethink35, asserts this autonomy has enabled TxDOT to dole out "the least rigorous environmental reviews" for pivotal projects, including segmenting major projects into smaller parts to sidestep more extensive evaluations, according to a statement Greenfield made to KVUE.
Challenging the status quo, Rethink35 filed a lawsuit earlier this January, highlighting deficiencies in TxDOT's approach to environmental scrutiny, specifically in their assessments of air quality and noise pollution; TxDOT however, defends its practice stating through a spokesperson that its reviews comply with NEPA regulations and are supported by thorough expertise, as communicated to KVUE.
Further criticism arises from groups like Reconnect Austin, through Addie Walker who mentioned to Houston Public Media that giving TxDOT such control—allows for an expedited process with little incentive to slow down for community, local, or regional concerns, evidenced by an FHWA report citing TxDOT's violation regarding traffic noise barriers showing some failure to adhere to federal requirements; the report also noted TxDOT's actions to align with those requirements.
The current Memorandum of Understanding between TxDOT and the FHWA is subject to renewal every five years and this cycle, opponents of the NEPA assignment have sought to incite public discourse, creating guides to facilitate community feedback which resulted in over 80 comments, largely expressing opposition to TxDOT's NEPA assignment, the public has until December 9 at 10:59 p.m. CST to submit their comments in the Federal Register, as indicated by Houston Public Media.
