Howard's Daily: Let's Build, America

No economic fruit is larger, or lower hanging, than rebuilding America's decrepit infrastructure. Several million jobs could be added. American competitiveness would be enhanced. Public and private investors would be repaid handsomely ($1.59 on each $1). America's environmental footprint would be greener. All that's needed to get all this is... end legal paralysis.

Other "greener" countries approve large projects in a year, two years at most. In America the time frame can stretch into decades. (Read my recent Wall Street Journal op-ed, "Why It Takes So Long to Build a Bridge in America".)

Once again President Obama highlighted this gargantuan opportunity, saying in Tuesday's State of the Union address: "I will act on my own to slash bureaucracy and streamline the permitting process for key projects, so we can get more construction workers on the job as fast as possible." But this has been his priority for five years. Every effort to cut through the process has been replaced by new models of more process.

There's a missing link: Some environmental official needs to have the job of deciding when there's been enough environmental review. Don't trust him? Give another official or committee the job of second-guessing him. Otherwise the process goes round and round forever. Then it's litigated for years by whoever doesn't like the project. We'll never build anything on a timely basis until we scrap this headless system.

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