Newson6.com
Posted: May 04, 2011 8:11 PM
Updated: May 05, 2011 8:37 AM
Amy Lester, Oklahoma Impact Team
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Too cumbersome, wasteful and troublesome-- that's how some city and state leaders described rules and regulations put in place by the federal government.
"It just seems somewhat ridiculous to us," said Gary Ridley, director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
Ridley is talking about federal requirements that can delay projects for months, or longer. Often times the federal government does not provide additional money to handle the requirements. For example, if ODOT wants to resurface a road or rebuild a bridge, in the exact same spot, there are 12 required environmental studies or reports. Ridley understands the rules for new construction but doesn't agree when it comes to working with existing right of way. ODOT uses money out of its general allotment from the federal government for this, but Ridley said he'd rather use the money on something else.
"We need to lessen the burdensome bureaucracy of the federal government whenever we are just trying to keep things in a state of good repair," Ridley said... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Thu, May 5, 2011
by John Cox