US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has called for Congressional collaboration for Surface Transportation Reauthorization in the fall, emphasizing the need for rapid project delivery by delegating NEPA environmental assessements form federal to state level.
Last week (Thursday July 17, 2025) US Transportation Secretary Sean P Duffy brought together Congressional members and infrastructure stakeholders in a first-of-its-kind conference to foster collaboration on priorities ahead of Congress’s Surface Transportation Reauthorization process later this fall.
“Our mission is to build as quickly and as much as possible. So, we’re working through a historic backlog as fast as possible to make sure we can get money out the door to all of you to make sure these projects are moving and moving quickly,” said Duffy.
During his remarks, Secretary Duffy outlined President Trump’s America is Building Again agenda built on four key pillars. The first pillar focuses on enhancing transportation safety across all modes. The second pillar emphasizes accelerating project delivery for transportation projects through comprehensive reforms. This includes reforming the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and streamlining permitting processes. The third pillar centers on increasing opportunities through strategic investment in transportation infrastructure that promotes robust economic growth. The fourth pillar strengthens partnerships with states and other key stakeholders to improve transportation outcomes across the nation.
House Transportation Committee Chairman Sam Graves emphasized alignment with the administration’s priorities: “I’m hearing a lot of the same themes that we’re using in the house, which is very good news… House priorities, the top priorities – four of them. We want to go back to basics and that’s formula funding. That’s the most efficient way to get the money to the states. We want to cut the red tape. Time is money.”
Graves confirmed an aggressive timeline, stating the House will “have it off the house floor by the end of the year” after processing “11,000 requests right now” from members and stakeholders.
After his remarks, Secretary Duffy signed a final Memorandum of Understanding with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to help the state build infrastructure projects faster. The agreement allows Texas to take more ownership of environmental permitting requirements so they are started and completed faster. This Federal-State partnership will serve as a model for other states interested in implementing Secretary Duffy’s “America is Building Again” agenda.
The agreement introduces several significant changes to streamline Texas’s environmental review authority. Most notably, Texas will receive extended authority to handle NEPA responsibilities for 10 years instead of the previous five-year terms, providing greater long-term planning stability. The new agreement also removes various Biden-era requirements, including environmental justice reporting mandates and public notice requirements regarding the right to sue under civil rights provisions.
Additionally, the streamlined agreement eliminates numerous reporting requirement. Texas will no longer be required to submit monthly reports, conduct annual self-assessments, or track extensive performance measures. The new framework accelerates decision-making processes by allowing TxDOT to use its existing internal systems to document NEPA approvals, which will serve as automatic notification to FHWA of Texas’s environmental decisions.RFI-Surface-Transportation-Reauth
In a July 17, 2025 letter to all governors, Secretary Duffy urged states nationwide to assume NEPA responsibilities and take the lead on project delivery. The letter emphasizes that states are “best positioned to coordinate highway infrastructure planning and project delivery” and are “incentivized to reduce project costs, shorten project timelines, lead public engagement, and resolve administrative hurdles.”
The administration’s expansion of NEPA assignment authority represents a significant shift in environmental review responsibilities. Currently, only seven states have active NEPA assignment agreements: Texas, Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Ohio, and Utah, with Nebraska currently awaiting enrollment according to the Federal Highway Administration.
Under the NEPA Assignment Program, state departments of transportation serve as the lead federal agency for environmental reviews and approvals on assigned projects. States assuming these responsibilities become subject to the same procedural and substantive requirements that apply to the Department of Transportation, including consent to federal court jurisdiction and sole responsibility for compliance if project NEPA litigation ensues.
As part of the process to collect feedback, the Department of Transportation also announced a Request for Information titled Advancing a Surface Transportation Proposal that Focuses on America’s Most Fundamental Infrastructure Needs
Sean McMaster, senior adviser to Secretary Duffy and nominee for FHWA Administrator, emphasized the collaborative approach: “Today we’re publishing a request for information for ideas on surface transportation reauthorization… We want to hear from the states. We want to hear from the building industry. We want to hear from the trade unions. We want to hear from every citizen interested in surface transportation reauthorization.”
