The Changing Directions of the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program

Abstract

For a law of limited duration, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP‐21), made some very significant changes to the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program. The good news for program proponents is that it was reauthorized despite legislative proposals for its demise, at a modest increase over existing authorization levels. Congress authorized more than $2.2 billion for each of the two years of the law, or $4.4 billion total. While not necessarily bad news, the law’s changes to the types of eligible projects, an enhanced focus on accountability, and new priority areas signal important directional shifts for CMAQ. It is worth noting right up front that, despite some reports to the contrary, a bedrock provision of CMAQ—the prohibition against projects that add capacity for single‐occupant vehicles—remains in place under MAP‐21.