Thursday, February 27, 2003
DOT 15d-03
Contact: Leonardo Alcivar
Telephone: 202-366-5580
U.S. Transportation
Secretary Mineta Places TransAmerica Corridor on Priority List
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today placed
the TransAmerica Corridor, future I-66, from Somerset to London, KY on a project
priority list to help facilitate environmental reviews and balance regional
mobility and economic opportunity with environmental stewardship.
Projects on the priority list receive accelerated environmental reviews
under President Bush’s executive order on environmental stewardship.
"President
Bush asked that we facilitate the environmental review process for
transportation investments so that they could be completed more quickly, at less
cost, and without damaging the environment,” said Secretary Mineta.
“The President's initiative on environmental stewardship is a
pioneering effort in transportation that will benefit the people of Kentucky and
help build a better future for Americans. That
pioneering effort will translate into unique opportunities for context sensitive
solutions in the Daniel Boone National Forest and biological impacts to
endangered species."
“As pioneers in transportation, we must find new ways to
do business,” said FHWA Administrator Mary Peters. “This project gives us the opportunity to improve
economic conditions in the Kentucky portions of Appalachia and the Lower
Mississippi Delta region. When completed, I-66 will improve accessibility
throughout southern Kentucky to jobs, industry, urban centers, educational
facilities, tourism and recreational facilities.”
The TransAmerica Corridor is one of six projects on the
project priority list created as a result of the President’s September 18
executive order, “Environmental Stewardship and Transportation Infrastructure
Project Reviews.” The executive
order called for a Cabinet-level task force to ensure projects are not
unnecessarily held up by inefficient review procedures.
The TransAmerica Corridor was one of 70 transportation construction
projects nominated for expedited environmental review by governors from around
the country, with input from metropolitan planning organizations.
The Cabinet-level task force, which is chaired by Secretary
Mineta, will review projects on the priority project list and work to expedite
environmental reviews. In addition
to Secretary Mineta, the task force members include the U.S. Secretaries of
Agriculture, Commerce, the Interior and Defense, as well as the Administrator of
the Environmental Protection Agency, Chair of the Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation and the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality.
Administrator Peters said that the priority project review
process reflects the Administration’s commitment to the environmental
stewardship. All projects on the
list will be required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and
all other environmental statutes.
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