WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer issued the following press release:
WASHINGTON, D.C. - As North Dakotans know, the summer construction season means infrastructure projects are well underway across the state. Many of these projects are federally funded, but the permitting requirements differ depending on the transportation mode. One notable example is highway projects, which are allowed to use formula funding to purchase offsite buildings, such as maintenance yards or operations facilities, prior to completing a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review. The same type of project for passenger rail and transit projects must complete the entire NEPA review before acquiring those same facilities. These disparate rules add to the...