Rail permitting parity bill introduced in House

Permitting parity for rail projects is at the center of legislation introduced this week in the House of Representatives. The measure would align federal rail permitting rules with the process used for highway projects. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

What the permitting parity for rail projects bill would do?

On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) introduced the Modal Parity in Permitting Act, as reported by Railway Supply. The bill would allow sponsors of transit and passenger rail projects to acquire property needed for those projects before completing environmental permitting. That is already permitted for highway construction.

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“When high-speed rail comes to Southern Nevada, it will support tourism, improve air quality, and ease traffic congestion,” Titus said in a press release. “The Modal Parity in Permitting Act will help ensure that the permitting process that allows these services to be built in our community is in line with the process for highway projects.”

Sponsors and supporters of the Modal Parity in Permitting Act

The measure has two cosponsors. They are U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.) and U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Calif.). That detail appears in a press release from Titus’s office.

Bresnahan said the bill is “a commonsense fix that allows local projects to move forward without waiting on Washington every step of the way.” Friedman said it will allow the country to “build critical infrastructure faster and more affordably.”

Also, the American Public Transportation Association is among the organizations that have endorsed the bill. Its CEO, Paul P. Skoutelas, said it “levels the playing field and will help move critical public transit and passenger rail investments forward faster and more efficiently.”

Separately, Brightline West President Sara Watterson praised the bill. She thanked the three sponsors “for their leadership on this important issue and urges Congress to advance this commonsense bill as part of any upcoming surface transportation reauthorization package.”

The full text of the bill was not immediately available.

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