One of the Most Vital Infrastructure Projects in the Nation Advances

New York, NY – May 28, 2021 – The Campaign for Common Good today praised the Biden administration for approving the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Gateway Rail Tunnel Project. The existing rail lines between New York and New Jersey are 110 years old and on the verge of failure. Their closure would devastate the regional economy, unleashing “Carmageddon” on the surrounding area – with 25 miles of traffic jams daily in New Jersey alone. 

Common Good has been a leading champion of streamlining approvals for the Gateway Project and calculating the cost of delay, as reflected in its 2016 report “Billions for Red Tape: Focusing on the Approval Process for the Gateway Rail Tunnel Project” and subsequent commentaries. Through advocacy and analyses, Common Good encouraged the agencies to complete their review in near-record time. Yet final approval of the EIS was held up by the Trump administration for three years as political leverage against Senators Chuck Schumer and Cory Booker. Today Philip K. Howard, Chair of the Campaign for Common Good, issued the following statement: 

Hurray that the Biden administration has put the vital Gateway Rail Tunnel Project back on track. This project is critical to the Northeast economy, 20% of the nation’s GDP.

The Campaign for Common Good is a nonpartisan initiative to overhaul legacy bureaucracies. Its petition for “spring cleaning commissions” has been signed by more than 100 prominent citizens, led by Mitch Daniels, Bill Bradley, Al Simpson, and leading experts in different fields.

To speak with Philip Howard, contact Emma McKinstry at emckinstry@highimpactpartnering.com.

Common Good (www.commongood.org) is a nonpartisan reform coalition to simplify government and restore the ability of officials and citizens alike to use common sense in daily decisions. The Founder and Chair of Common Good is Philip K. Howard, a lawyer and author, most recently, of Try Common Sense (W. W. Norton, 2019).