The federal government this week gave the Green Line Extension an enironmental stamp of approval, according to an announcement from the state's Green Line Extension team.

According to the announcement, the Federal Transit Administration released a "finding of no significant impact" for the project, which means the Green Line Extension received "full federal environmental approval."

Here's what the announcement said:

MassDOT and the MBTA this week received full federal environmental approval for the Green Line Extension project. The Federal Transit Administration released a Finding of No Significant Impact for the project, reaffirming its myriad environmental, mobility, economic development, and community-building benefits. Federal environmental clearance is the culmination of several years of technical work done by MassDOT and the MBTA with close cooperation from the Cities of Cambridge, Somerville, and Medford, as well as the participation of hundreds of individuals and local organizations. The Finding of No Significant Impact will be available on the Green Line Extension project website at http://www.greenlineextension.org/docs_EnvAssess.html.

The announcement also noted the Green Line Extension was recently admitted to the first phase of the Federal Transit Administration's "New Starts" program, which is a necessary step in terms of applying for federal funds to construct the project.

"Reaching these milestones represents a significant commitment of staff and financial resources by the Patrick-Murray Administration, and bespeaks the many public benefits promised by the Green Line Extension project," the announcement said.