DOT pilots digital tools to speed highway reviews—but won't strengthen environmental protections
H.R. 3634 — Interactive Federal Review Act · Filed by Dusty Johnson (R-SD) · 6 cosponsors · Introduced May 29, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill directs the Department of Transportation to encourage and pilot the use of digital platforms and 3D digital models (called 'digital twins') to speed up environmental reviews for federally funded highway projects. The Secretary must publish guidance within 90 days, select at least 10 pilot projects, and report back within 180 days on whether these tools make the review process faster and improve public engagement—without changing the underlying environmental review requirements themselves.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to pilot digital tools for environmental review processes on federally funded highway projects. It is not a deregulation measure—NEPA requirements remain intact—but rather a technology-adoption and process-improvement initiative.
What the text implies
- The bill encourages but does not mandate digital platforms, leaving implementation discretionary. This may create a two-tier system where well-resourced projects adopt advanced tools while smaller projects continue traditional reviews, potentially widening disparities in project visibility and public engagement.
- Faster environmental reviews, even with better visualization, could reduce the time available for meaningful public comment if agencies interpret 'expedited' as a directive to compress timelines rather than improve efficiency within existing windows.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
software and cloud platform vendors (infrastructure visualization and digital twin technology provid; consulting firms specializing in environmental review and digital infrastructure modeling; highway construction and engineering firms (through faster project approvals)