Senate EPW Committee Leadership, Industry Groups Talk Effect of Government Shutdown

Led by Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA), some Democratic members of that committee discussed Tuesday the effects of the government shutdown on the environment and other communities and industries, including transportation, in an effort to end the shutdown.

Boxer was joined by fellow committee members Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), who is also chair of the EPW Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife; Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL); and others to highlight the impact of the shutdown. An industry representative was American Road and Transportation Builders Association President and CEO Pete Ruane, who made the connection between the environment and transportation construction. Ruane said that while transportation is largely unaffected by the government shutdown financially, transportation construction relies on other aspects of government to get projects moving.

“Non-transportation agencies that play major roles in the review process for transportation projects include the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Fish and Wildlife Service,” Ruane said at the news conference. “To put this in context, the Federal Highway Administration states that as of Aug. 22, there are 129 projects from 35 states currently undergoing the Environmental Impact Statement process.”

Ruane said that the furloughs of those environmental staffers have greatly impacted transportation construction, and that stalling projects eliminates the progress made in the nation’s current surface transportation bill, MAP-21.

“Due to furloughs in the environmental and resource agencies, the approval process for transportation projects is encountering more obstacles. This outcome is the exact opposite of the goals of MAP-21’s streamlining provisions,” Ruane continued. “There are two things that the construction industry needs to deliver the transportation network that moves our economy—adequate and reliable funding and approved projects. The fact remains that if environmental regulators can’t do their job, we can’t do ours.”

Ruane’s full statement from the news conference is available here.