Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), the ranking Republican on the Senate highway and infrastructure subcommittee, said he wants to see the highway program avoid “excessive red tape.”

MAP-21 contained a long list of regulatory provisions, some aimed at moving projects more quickly through environmental reviews. The Dept. of Transportation has been at work drafting and issuing regulations to implement those provisions.

Ruane said ARTBA would like to see “full implementation” of the MAP-21 regulations. He added, “I think the committee, the Congress made some great changes [in MAP-21]. ... It’s just a matter of implementation. They’re under way, but they could be accelerated.”

Hancock said “some tweaks” probably need to be made to MAP-21's regulatory language.

But Boxer, a staunch ally of environmental groups, made it clear the legislation she will be drafting will not include an array of further environmental changes in the transportation area.

She said, “This transportation bill … is not going to be one big environmental rider. So, let’s be clear, because we have to come together where we agree.”

Boxer added, “What we need to do is find a sweet spot. We need to speed up for sure, and we have a lot of reforms … in the last bill. We’ve got to make sure they’re working.”

In the House, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) launched the reauthorization effort with a January hearing. Shuster said he hopes to have a new bill completed by Sept. 30.