04/29/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/29/2024 12:20
Biden-Harris Administration advances climate goals through recent infrastructure projects.
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Tel: (202) 366-0660
WASHINGTON - In recognition of Earth Month 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) celebrated several recent actions of the Biden-Harris Administration to advance climate goals through historic investments in infrastructure. FHWA is taking an active role in combatting climate change by reducing transportation-related emissions, funding resiliency projects to protect communities from climate impacts, and promoting healthy environments.
"While the transportation sector has been a major contributor to carbon emissions in the past, under the Biden-Harris Administration, the Federal Highway Administration is committed to reducing emissions and advancing sustainability goals through innovative infrastructure investments," said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. "As climate change continues to threaten our transportation systems and the people who rely on them every day, we're working to future-proof our infrastructure to be more resilient in the face of a changing climate."
Thanks to funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, FHWA is providing billions to States, Tribes, territories, and local governments for projects that will decrease air pollution and build more resilient infrastructure while supporting healthy communities. Recent FHWA announcements to combat climate change and support sustainability include:
Reducing Pollution:
Promoting Resilience:
In April, FHWA announced nearly $830 million in grants from the PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program for 80 projects nationwide to help communities strengthen transportation infrastructure to make it more resilient to natural hazards, including climate change, extreme weather, and other disasters. The first-of-its-kind program will help ensure infrastructure can withstand more frequent and extreme weather, which reduces future maintenance and reconstruction costs and protects people, homes, businesses, and supply chains from climate impacts.
In April, FHWA also announced the first funding opportunity for the Roadside Pollinator Program which makes available up to $10 million over the next five years to help promote the creation and protection of roadside habitats for pollinators, like bees and butterflies. Such habitats sustain the pollinator populations that are critical to supporting the nation's food systems, agricultural economy, and natural ecosystems.
These recent announcements build upon FHWA's continued work with states as they access more than $27 billion in formula funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law aimed directly at reducing transportation-related air pollution, including $7.5 billion from the NEVI and CFI grant programs; $7.2 billion from the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside; $6.4 billion from the Carbon Reduction Program; and additional funding for public transportation and multimodal travel options to reduce congestion and air pollution in some of the most congested metropolitan areas of the U.S.
For more information about President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, please visit FHWA's BIL website. For more information about the Inflation Reduction Act, please visit FHWA's IRA website.
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