Update from our friends at Transportation for America:
Exciting news: The climate and clean energy legislation unveiled in the Senate today puts a strong emphasis on planning for and investing in clean transportation options. We applaud the authors of The American Power Act, John Kerry and Joe Lieberman, for advancing this critical piece of legislation that invests in our transportation infrastructure while delivering a win both for energy independence and climate protection.
The bill sets national goals for reducing oil use and greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, provides tools and resources for states and regions to measure current and projected future oil use and greenhouse emissions from transportation plans/projects, and requires that states and metro areas set emissions targets for reducing greenhouse gases and make plans to meet those targets.
It also provides $6.25 billion a year in clean-energy funding for states and regions to help them plan for a low-carbon future and build clean transportation projects. This funding is split three ways:
- $1.875
billion toward the TIGER grant program, a popular competitive grant program started in the stimulus bill
- $1.875 billion toward a new program to fund transportation projects that reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions; and
- $2.5 billion to the Highway Trust Fund, eligibility for which is determined by emissions-reduction plans.
This is encouraging news for anyone who thinks that we need to invest transportation money from a climate bill into the kinds of cleaner options that will lower emissions, but the special interests that oppose clean transportation are going to pull out all the stops. Make sure your senators know that you support these investments in clean transportation options that reduce emissions from the transportation sector.