Congress should streamline the environmental permitting and funding processes for rail transit projects, Utah Transit Authority official John Inglish told the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on Friday.

Inglish spoke in Washington as part of the committee's "New Starts" symposium, a reference to the Federal Transit Administration's program for funding new transit lines. He said the process can be cumbersome and does not always reward local governments for putting up their own money.

"A national transportation system should be established as the 21st-century version of the interstate highway system, including a top-notch public transportation system with robust investments in new starts," he said, according to testimony provided by UTA.

Inglish asked that Congress require the FTA to define a time frame for review of projects to speed them up when no federal dollars are involved. He added that projects built with local dollars should count as a match toward federal dollars on future projects

Brandon Loomis