A $1.8-billion transportation project backlog has prompted Gov. Gray Davis to order state officials to speed up the environmental review process that often keeps freeway and transit projects on hold for years.
After doubling the state's transportation budget, Governor Davis is worried that badly needed projects will become stuck in environomental review gridlock. Environmentalist say that accelerated reviews increase the risk of destroying more of California's environment. "Many transportation projects are delayed by funding shortages and community opposition. But the environmental review--encompassing everything from plants and animals to views, aesthetics and noise--is the only element that consistently delays construction five or more years. It is also one of the few elements that government officials can control."
Thanks to Christian Peralta
FULL STORY: Roads Mired in Review Gridlock
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
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