The Nebraska Department of Transportation is moving forward with an effort to take on additional environmental review responsibilities for infrastructure projects; ones currently assigned to the Federal Highway Administration.
[Above photo by Nebraska DOT]
That effort stems from a letter of intent signed in July 2025 by Governor Jim Pillen (R) to pursue an agreement with the federal government to allow Nebraska DOT to assume more environmental review duties for federally funded transportation projects.
Under the National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA, FHWA can assign environmental review and compliance responsibilities to individual states.
As a result of the governor’s letter, Nebraska DOT – which currently has limited NEPA review authority – has now formally initiated the process of seeking full NEPA assignment duties.
The agency said full NEPA assignment would remove unnecessary bureaucracy and administrative burdens, while strengthening project-delivery consistency.
“Governor Pillen has made it clear that state agency leaders must continue to find more efficiency in government,” said Vicki Kramer, Nebraska DOT director, in a statement.
“For Nebraska DOT, this means looking for new ways to streamline and expedite the delivery of key transportation projects,” she added. “Full NEPA assignment will allow Nebraska highway users to see a better return on investment, while federal environmental standards will continue to be upheld.”
As of September 2025, states with a full NEPA assignment program with the FHWA include Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Ohio, Texas, and Utah – and those states report “significant benefits” from having full NEPA duties, Nebraska DOT said; including faster project delivery and cost savings.
States
Illinois Unveils Historic $50B Infrastructure Program
October 10, 2025
States
