Interactive Federal Review Act

The "Interactive Federal Review Act" seeks to significantly improve and expedite the environmental review process for highway projects by leveraging modern digital technologies. Its core purpose is to facilitate interactive public stakeholder engagement and enhance understanding of environmental impacts. The bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to encourage recipients of federal funds to utilize interactive, digital, cloud-based platforms and high fidelity, 3-dimensional digital models , such as digital twins , for environmental impact analysis and community engagement, and to publish best practice guidance within 90 days. To implement this, the Secretary must select at least 10 "covered projects" to demonstrate the use of these digital tools, giving priority to applications that plan to incorporate them. The bill also mandates a report on the efficacy of these platforms within 180 days, including metrics and examples of digital workflows. Additionally, the Secretary must publish at least five examples of environmental documents developed using these advanced digital methods within one year.