{
  "id": "RL32057",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL32057",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101713,
      "date": "2004-06-21",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T20:13:39.868244",
      "title": "Highway and Transit Program Reauthorization: An Analysis of Environmental Protection Issues",
      "summary": "Balancing public needs for surface transportation infrastructure with protecting the environment\nhas\nbeen a long-standing issue among states and local communities. These two objectives can often\nconflict due to the rise in pollution that typically results when new highways or roadways are\nconstructed, or a highway is expanded, to provide greater traffic capacity. Expanding highway\ncapacity can be especially challenging for states, if the resulting rise in pollution would be great\nenough to make compliance with federal air quality standards more difficult. In order to receive\nfederal highway funds, the Clean Air Act requires states with air quality problems to demonstrate\nthat their transportation plans conform to their plans to control emissions, referred to as\n\"transportation conformity.\"\n  To help reduce potential conflicts between highway capacity needs and environmental\nrequirements, Congress has authorized the use of federal highway funds to alleviate some of the\npollution resulting from highway construction and travel. The most recent multi-year funding\nauthorization for these activities was provided in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century\n(TEA-21,  P.L. 105-178 ), which expired at the end of FY2003. How to meet state needs for highway\ninfrastructure, while ensuring compliance with environmental requirements, is among the key issues\nfor reauthorization.\n  TEA-21 authorized a total of $218 billion for federal highway and transit programs from\nFY1998 to FY2003. It set aside $9 billion for air quality projects, including $8 billion for the\nCongestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) to offset some of the\nemissions from highway travel, as a means to assist states in complying with federal air quality\nstandards. The other $1 billion was authorized for the purchase of clean fuel transit buses. TEA-21\nalso expanded funding eligibility to allow states to use federal highway funds for mitigating water\npollution from highway runoff. The law also authorized funding for environmental research and the\ndevelopment of advanced vehicle technologies, and it included several other provisions related to\nenvironmental protection. \n  The use of federal highway funds to address environmental needs has focused mostly on air\nquality projects, due primarily to requirements for states to demonstrate conformity as a condition\nfor receiving federal highway funds. Most of this funding has been provided under the CMAQ\nprogram. While the program's effectiveness has been questioned, there is broad support for\nincreasing its funding in response to an upcoming rise in air quality needs among the states. Other\nair quality issues involve the use of transit funding for the purchase of clean fuel buses, offering tax\nbenefits for cleaner-burning alcohol-based fuels, and exempting certain low-emission vehicles from\nHigh Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane requirements. The extent to which water pollution mitigation\nprojects and environmental research and development activities should be eligible for federal\nhighway funds are issues as well.\n  This report provides background information and analysis of key issues to serve as a resource\ndocument for the reauthorization debate. It will not be updated.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Environmental Policy"
  ]
}