House Panel Clears 'Streamlining' Bill for Airport Work
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has approved legislation that aims to speed environmental and planning reviews for runway projects at major U.S. airports. The measure was cleared by voice vote on April 24.
"Streamlining" regulatory approvals gained substantial attention early last year, with Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta endorsing the idea of concurrent, rather than sequential, reviews by multiple federal agencies. But after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, streamlining became less of a priority as security became the major airport issue. In addition, a decline in airline traffic caused many airports to postpone capital projects.