Transportation bill provisions are a first step for enabling lower-carbon transportation

(ACEEE blog, 3 Jun 2020) A transportation bill released Wednesday by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, includes key provisions that would help steer some federal funding toward projects enabling lower-carbon transportation and better mobility. The INVEST in America Act would provide $494 billion in federal funding for transportation projects over five years.

“The federal government previously gave money to transportation projects with little consideration of their impact on the climate or on creating an efficient, resilient transportation system. This bill includes a new carbon reduction program that’s a good first step for steering funding toward more efficient, cleaner transportation. It holds states and metropolitan planning organizations accountable for the climate impacts of their transportation projects, incentivizing them to measure greenhouse gas impacts and prioritize efforts that have the greatest carbon reduction potential,” said Shruti Vaidyanathan, transportation program director at ACEEE.

“Of course, policymakers still have a long way to go to invest in a transportation network that dramatically reduces our greenhouse gas emissions at the rate needed while giving people better transportation options.”

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ACEEE blog, 3 Jun 2020: Transportation bill provisions are a first step for enabling lower-carbon transportation