1. Comparison of Reauthorization Proposals
GROW
AMERICA
ACT
(Obama/U.S.
DOT)
MAP-­‐21
Reauthorization
Act
(Senate)
House
Proposal
(Not
Yet
Released)
Policy/Program
Structure
Duration
Four
Years
Six
Years
Highway
Program
Structure
• Maintains
MAP-­‐21
Core
Programs
• New
program
(FAST)
to
promote
innovation
• New
“Fix
It
First”
maintenance
program
• Maintains
MAP-­‐21
Core
Programs
• New
Transportation
Awards
Program
to
promote
innovation
with
General
Funds
• New
Projects
of
National
and
Regional
Significance
Program
Freight
• New
program,
$10
billion
over
four
years
• Half
distributed
by
formula
among
states,
other
half
grants
administered
by
U.S.
DOT
• Eligible
activities:
highways,
rail,
ports,
airports
and
intermodal
connectors
• New
program,
$6
billion
over
five
years
• All
money
distributed
to
states
by
formula
• State
may
use
up
to
10
percent
of
funds
on
multimodal
projects,
remaining
funds
highway-­‐related
Innovative
Finance
• Continues
TIFIA
Program
at
$1
billion
per
year
• Increases
cap
on
Private
Activity
Bonds
by
$4
billion
• TIFIA
Program
at
$750
million
per
year
• Allows
secretary
to
use
up
to
ten
percent
of
TIFIA
funds
to
capitalize
state
infrastructure
banks
(SIBs)
• Restores
state
ability
to
use
highway
formula
funds
for
SIBs
Tolling
Allows
tolling
existing
Interstate
System
and
variable
tolls
to
manage
congestion
No
new
tolling
provisions
Highway
Trust
Fund
Restructures
Highway
Trust
Fund
to
a
“Transportation
Trust
Fund”
that
would
support
highway,
transit,
multimodal,
and
passenger
rail
activities
• No
changes
to
Highway
Trust
Fund
• Senate
Finance
Committee
Highway
Trust
Fund
proposal
not
released
Accountability
Issue
not
addressed
Requires
DOT
to
make
available
on
its
web
site
90
day
updates
on
the
expenditure
of
highway
funds
by
state
and
project
type
Public
Transportation
Largely
maintains
current
transit
program,
with
large
investment
increases
for
transit
formula
programs
and
modest
increase
in
transit
capital
investment
Senate
Banking
Committee
public
transportation
proposal
not
released

2. Passenger
Rail
Proposes
to
continue
Amtrak
and
other
intercity
rail
programs,
plus
the
creation
of
a
high
speed
rail
program.
Highway
Trust
Funds
not
eligible
for
passenger
rail
activities
Authorization
Levels
(Four
Year
Averages)
(Six
Year
Average)
Core
Highway
Program
$39.7
B
$40.5
B
(includes
$1.0
B
per
year
freight
program)
Critical
Immediate
Investments
(“Fix
it
First”)
$3.35
B
$0.00
FAST
Program
(Innovation
Incentives)
$0.500
B
$0.00
Freight
Program
$2.5
B
Included
in
core
investment
levels
TIFIA
Program
$1.0
B
$0.75
B
Projects
of
National
&
Regional
Significance
$0.4
B
Total
Highway
Program
$49.1
B
43.7
Transit
Formula
Grants
$14.3
B
Not
Available
Transit
Capital
Grants
$2.7
B
Not
Available
FAST
Program
$0.500
B
Not
Available
Total
Transit
Program
$18.1
B
Not
Available
TIGER
Grants
$1.25
B
$0.0
Project
Delivery
Reduction
of
Duplication
in
Environmental
Reviews
• Directs
DOT
to
establish
a
process
for
concurrent
reviews
during
the
National
Environmental
Policy
Act
(NEPA)
process
• Places
an
emphasis
on
identifying
cooperating
agencies
and
coordinating
schedules
early
in
the
review
process
• Directs
DOT
to
reduce
“to
the
maximum
extent
practicable”
duplication
of
alternatives
analyses
in
the
NEPA
and
transportation
planning
processes
• Allows
alternatives
to
be
rejected
in
the
NEPA
process
if
they
have
already
been
studied
and
rejected
in
the
planning
process
• Expands
the
universe
of
planning
documents
which
may
be
used
to
satisfy
NEPA
requirements
Process
Deadlines
Allows
DOT
to
set
a
separate
schedule
with
other
agencies
which
would
supersede
the
180-­‐day
Establishes
a
45
day
deadline
for
DOT
to
respond
to
a
project
sponsor
as
to
whether

3. deadline
established
in
MAP-­‐21
for
permit
decisions.
If
no
schedule
is
set,
MAP-­‐21’s
180-­‐day
deadline
still
applies
an
environmental
review
will
be
initiated
Unreasonable
Obstruction
of
Navigation
Requires
the
Secretary
of
Homeland
Security
to
take
transportation
needs
into
account
when
determining
whether
or
not
a
bridge
project
“unreasonably
obstructs
free
navigation
of
the
waters”
Issue
not
addressed
Reform
of
Historic
Site
Review
Processes
• Directs
DOT
to
align
similar
historic
preservation
processes
• Allows
DOT
to
determine
early
in
the
process
that
“no
feasible
or
prudent”
alternative
exists.
This
is
an
optional
decision
Same
as
Administration
proposal
Exemption
of
Certain
Projects
from
Historic
Preservation
Analysis
• Exempts
certain
projects
involving
the
“improvement
to,
maintenance,
rehabilitation,
or
operation
of
railroad
or
rail
transit
lines”
from
historic
preservation
analysis
• Exempts
certain
concrete
and
steel
bridges
created
after
1945
from
historic
preservation
analysis
Issue
not
addressed
Categorical
Exclusion
(CE)
Reform
Expands
the
applicability
of
the
multimodal
CE
established
in
MAP-­‐21
• Adjusts
the
financial
limits
on
CEs
for
projects
with
limited
federal
funds
for
yearly
changes
in
the
National
Highway
Construction
Cost
Index
• Expands
the
applicability
of
the
multimodal
CE
established
under
MAP-­‐21
(same
as
GROW
AMERICA)
Increased
Public
Information
About
Environmental
Reviews
• Directs
DOT
to
develop
an
online
reporting
system
on
the
progress
and
status
of
environmental
reviews
and
permitting
on
projects
• Directs
the
establishment
of
the
“Infrastructure
Permitting
Improvement
Center”
to
be
housed
at
DOT.
The
Center
would
have
a
steering
committee
made
up
of
Issue
not
addressed

4.
deputy-­‐level
representatives
from
different
federal
agencies
Programmatic
Agreements
Issue
not
addressed
• Directs
DOT
to
establish
a
template
for
the
use
of
programmatic
agreements.
No
deadline
is
given
for
the
development
of
this
template
• Directs
that
programmatic
agreements
be
given
“substantial
weight”
for
satisfying
NEPA
requirements