Environmental Review
Streetsblog Basics
New Layer of Red Tape From FHWA Threatens to Delay NYC Bike Projects
The Federal Highway Administration is seeking to impose a new layer of bureaucratic review on New York City bike projects, which could significantly delay the implementation of street redesigns that have proven to reduce traffic injuries and deaths.
December 20, 2013
Vitter Seeks to Cut Environmental Reviews for Massive Road Projects
Bridges are getting a lot of attention as senators add their two cents to the upper chamber’s transportation budget proposal for next year. The Senate transportation appropriations bill includes $500 million for "bridges in critical corridors" (BRICC), designed as a response to the recent bridge collapse along I-5 in Washington state -- home of Senator Patty Murray, the chair of the Transportation and HUD Appropriations Committee. And in the amendment process, Republican senators have been lining up to mold the BRICC program to their liking.
July 30, 2013
Denise Richardson on Highway Tolls, the TZB, and Why Projects Cost So Much
Earlier this week Streetsblog sat down with General Contractors Association Managing Director Denise Richardson for a wide-ranging discussion on the financial state of New York's transportation systems. In the first installment of the interview, we discussed the MTA's capital program, which is moving forward with important repair work but saddling transit riders with huge amounts of debt, and the inability of the federal government to pass a new transportation bill.
April 6, 2012
Advocates: Tappan Zee Plans Violate State, Federal Environmental Laws
Governor Andrew Cuomo's rushed plans for a transit-free Tappan Zee Bridge are shortsighted and increasingly unpopular. They may also be illegal.
April 3, 2012
Oddo: Bike Lanes Were Just to Grab Attention for Loosening Enviro Review
City Council Minority Leader James Oddo has a surprising message for Streetsblog and its commenters: "Thank you."
January 28, 2011
Enviro Law Experts: Review For Bike Lanes a Waste of Taxpayer Money
You know something's amiss when you hear Republicans calling for more red tape and government bureaucracy, as Staten Island Council Members James Oddo and Vincent Ignizio did earlier this week with their call to require environmental review for all new bike lanes. But let's indulge Oddo and Ignizio and take their proposal seriously for a moment. Does it have any merit?
January 26, 2011
Council Mem James Oddo: Require Enviro Review for All New Bike Lanes
Last week's release of "before" and "after" stats on the Prospect Park West bike lane tells an increasingly familiar story: A DOT redesign has increased cycling while making the street safer for pedestrians and drivers. Since safer streets make it easier for New Yorkers to get around without a car, and since biking and walking are emissions-free modes, it's safe to say that this is good news for the environment.
January 24, 2011
Land Use Process Likely Safe in Charter Revision, But Major Issues Simmer
Former Staten Island Council Member Stephen Fiala defends the role of borough presidents in land use decision-making. Image: SI Advance. The city’s Charter Revision Commission held its fifth issue forum last night, discussing the city’s complex land use process. Based on the commentary of a panel of expert witnesses, a major revision of the city’s … Continued
June 25, 2010
New GOP Bill Would Bar Enviro Reviews From Considering Climate
Republicans on the Senate environment committee, who months ago began criticizing the Obama administration for evaluating federally funded infrastructure projects for their impact on climate change, today introduced legislation that would bar the White House from making climate a factor in environmental reviews.
April 20, 2010
New San Francisco Bike Lanes: Feel the Ecstasy
These are heady days for San Francisco cyclists. After three years that saw the addition of pretty much zero bike infrastructure, this week the city hailed the arrival of its first new bike lane since 2006 and its first-ever physically protected bikeway. Thanks to a partial dismantling of Rob Anderson's crowning achievement -- the legal injunction banning bike lanes under the guise of environmental review -- more projects are on the way. The atmosphere is fairly giddy.
December 4, 2009