The INVEST in America Act Addresses Climate Change Through Resilient, Clean Infrastructure

On June 3, 2020, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) released the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act (H.R.2), a 5-year, $494 billion surface transportation bill that is central to the House Democrats’ Moving Forward Framework. The INVEST in America Act aims to transform America’s aging infrastructure by funding projects that increase the safety, reliability, and resilience of surface transportation while mitigating climate change.

The INVEST in America Act would allocate $319 billion to highway investments, $105 billion to transit investments, $10 billion to passenger vehicle and commercial motor vehicle safety investments, and $60 billion to rail investments. In a press release, Chair DeFazio emphasized the need for this legislation, saying “We’re still running our economy on an inefficient, 1950s-era system that costs Americans increasingly more time and money while making the transportation sector the nation’s biggest source of carbon pollution. That all changes with the INVEST in America Act.”

The bill would introduce measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector—currently responsible for 28.2 percent of U.S. emissions, more than any other sector. One provision grants $8.35 billion for fiscal year 2022-2025 to a program that would measure states’ annual emissions and require low-performing states to invest in projects that reduce greenhouse gas pollution. Another $1.4 billion would fund the construction of charging and fueling stations for electric and zero-emissions vehicles. The bill also encourages a shift away from single-occupant car transportation by increasing investments in zero-emission buses, tripling funding to Amtrak to expand travel routes and develop equipment, and requiring states with high pedestrian and bicyclist deaths to fund construction of safe transportation networks.

The INVEST in America Act further demonstrates a commitment to addressing climate change through investments in resilient infrastructure. The bill apportions $6.25 billion to a disaster mitigation program that would focus on resilience and emergency evacuation. The bill would also double funding for green materials research and green construction, and follow a “fix it first” philosophy—repairing existing roads and bridges before expanding capacity.

Furthermore, the INVEST in America Act prioritizes recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. In fiscal year (FY) 2021, the bill would provide $83.1 billion to “ensure States, cities, tribes, territories, and transit agencies can administer programs, advance projects, and preserve jobs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis.” The recent focus in Congress has been on the importance of infrastructure funding to spur economic recovery in the aftermath of COVID-19, and this bill emphasizes clean infrastructure as central to that effort.

Republicans in the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure criticized the climate considerations of the INVEST in America Act, as well as their exclusion from the drafting of the bill. In a joint press release, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Ranking Member Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), and Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Ranking Member Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) stated that “today’s partisan bill lacks critical flexibility for the states, its outsized funding increases for urban areas will leave rural America even further behind, and numerous new green mandates and extreme progressive goals are woven throughout the fabric of new and existing core programs…We believe a rapid seismic shift in our transportation programs will add to the already considerable uncertainty in an industry struggling for its survival.”

Others, however, praised the bill for its commitment to equitable clean infrastructure development. In a press release, Stephanie Gidigbi, director of policy and partnerships for the Natural Resources Defense Council's Healthy People & Thriving Communities Program, said, “For too many years, funding from Washington has built roads and highways that divided low-income communities and communities of color without offering the transportation alternatives all of us can use. The INVEST Act offers a different path, one that leads to a more just, equitable, and climate-resilient future. Crucially, this bill ensures all communities have access to pedestrian, biking and transit options. It also will help us slash carbon pollution by investing in electric-vehicle charging stations, while ensuring that roads, bridges and transit lines are able to withstand the stronger storms and floods we must prepare for because of climate change.”

The National Safety Council endorsed the bill’s attention to safety: “The National Safety Council applauds House lawmakers for the INVEST in America Act, the reauthorization of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. For too long, the United States has consistently avoided the hard choices needed to save lives on the roadways. This proposal is an opportunity for us to start making the right choices so we can save lives, because we know that all traffic deaths are preventable.”

On Wednesday, June 17, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure considered the INVEST in America Act at a Committee markup. The current surface transportation authorization, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, is set to expire on September 30, 2020.

Author: Maeve Arthur