Our goals
- Change how tax dollars are spent, allowing investment in a multimodal transportation system.
- Require accurate modeling to create and analyze data that informs planning and budget decisions.
- Align projects with local development plans.
- Protect Texan’s health and safety by considering the context of project-adjacent communities and environments.
NEPA Assignment is Failing Texans! Read our report.
TxDOT’s NEPA Assignment expires this December, 2024 and we call on the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to revoke TxDOT’s NEPA Assignment. A new version of the NEPA Assignment Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is now being drafted. This draft will be posted to the Federal Register — perhaps in November — and be open for public comment for 30 days.
The 1970 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) serves as an umbrella for relevant laws, executive orders, and regulations for any project using federal funding or property. For transportation, this falls under the jurisdiction of USDOT, and for highways, FHWA. The process – where potential project impacts must be analyzed and mitigations explained – intends to balance transportation needs with people’s social, economic, and environmental needs.
In 2014, TxDOT joined the NEPA Assignment program, which allows the department to approve their own environmental reviews and annually self-audit their compliance. It is no surprise that TxDOT’s self evaluation finds continued success. Yet the experience of Texans in proximity to TxDOT projects tells a much different story.
Modeling inaccuracies, including traffic and safety; and air quality, GHG, and climate.
Process fallacies, including strategic goals and budgeting.
Submitted on TxDOT’s Connecting Texas 2050 Statewide Long Range Transportation Plan Austin’s I-35 Central Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), and the Unified Transportation Plan.