Washington, DC - The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, led by Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR), today advanced legislation in a vote of 37-29 to invest nearly $60 billion to make America’s infrastructure more sustainable, resilient, and equitable, and to reduce carbon pollution from the transportation sector—the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
“From tackling climate change, to addressing racial and environmental injustices, to building back better after the COVID-19 pandemic, our nation faces big challenges. By advancing this legislation, we’re taking a key step forward in addressing those challenges,” Chair DeFazio said. “With this legislation, we can reduce carbon pollution from the transportation sector that’s driving the climate crisis and make communities more resilient to extreme weather events; connect people with good-paying jobs and affordable housing; address the planning mistakes of the past by reconnecting communities; make meaningful investments to plan for and develop high-speed rail projects; provide more people access to clean water; and make our aviation and maritime sectors greener. I look forward to seeing Congress pass this once-in-a-generation legislation because we can’t afford to squander this opportunity.”
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s portion of the budget reconciliation bill includes the following key investments:
- $10 billion to support access to affordable housing and enhance mobility for low-income individuals and residents of disadvantaged or persistent poverty communities.
- $4 billion for reduction of carbon pollution in the surface transportation sector—addressing the largest source of transportation greenhouse gas emissions.
- $4 billion to support neighborhood equity, safety, and affordable transportation access, including reconnecting communities divided by existing infrastructure barriers.
- $6 billion to advance local surface transportation projects.
- $1 billion to the Department of Transportation to support projects that develop, demonstrate, or apply low-emission technologies or produce, transport, blend, or store sustainable aviation fuels.
- $500 million to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) hazard mitigation revolving loan fund program.
- $425 million for grants for the construction, retrofit, technological enhancement, and updated planning requirements of state, local Tribal, and territorial emergency operation centers.
- $9.5 billion to the Economic Development Administration to provide investments in persistently distressed communities, provide assistance to energy and industrial transition communities, invest in public works projects, and create regional hubs.
- $1 billion to the General Services Administration to invest in high-performance green buildings.
- $1 billion for climate resilient Coast Guard infrastructure.
- $2.5 billion to the Maritime Administration to support more sustainable port infrastructure and supply chain resilience.
- $2 billion to invest in sewer overflow and stormwater reuse projects, as well as a greater federal coast share for projects that serve financially distressed communities.
- $500 million in grant assistance to invest in the backlog of wastewater projects on Tribal lands.
For more information on the committee’s markup, click here.
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