The Build Green Infrastructure and Jobs Act was introduced in the Senate on March 18, 2021 by Senator Elizabeth Warren [D-MA] on behalf of herself and Senators Edward Markey [D-MA], Jeff Merkley [D-OR], Bernard Sanders [D-VT], Alex Padilla [D-CA], Cory Booker [D-NJ], and Richard Blumenthal [D-CT]. The Bill was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was very involved with writing this bill, so a similar bill in the House may be proposed soon.
THE BILL: S.874 “The climate crisis is an existential threat to our planet, but it’s also a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, create a million good new jobs, and unleash the best of American innovations” --Elizabeth Warren, press release What does the Bill do? The goal of this Bill is to provide a first step in catalyzing transportation electrification across the country, as a direct effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. This supports the Nation’s overall goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The transportation system developments that could result from this bill would address both the climate crisis and degrading infrastructure across the US. The Bill was modeled after the Department of Transportation's BUILD (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) program, which provides funding in the form of grants through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program, to support equitable infrastructure projects (1). Individual projects will be funded through grants, which will be awarded each fiscal year by the Department of Transportation through an application process. Eligible entities will be selected based on sustainability and cost savings criteria including: the extent to which the proposed project promotes electrification, contributes to climate resilience and pollution mitigation, and reduces energy usage compared to other eligible projects. Priority will be given to projects that are in vulnerable or disadvantaged communities, have disproportionately high human health impacts on minority and low-income communities, or require federal funds in order to be able to complete a project. At least 40% of the funds each year will go directly to frontline, vulnerable, and disadvantaged communities to promote environmentally just solutions. The Bill would invest $500 billion over the course of 10 years ($50 billion each fiscal year) in state, local and tribal green projects (2) geared towards transitioning entirely to electric transportation. This includes the electrification on public buses, school buses, railcars, and fleet vehicles, as well as modernizing existing roads, bridges and rails. Grants will be provided in an equitable way geographically, and priority will be given to eligible projects that are located in communities facing environmental injustice, low-income or communities of color, and frontline or otherwise vulnerable communities. Any project that receives funding with the program must not increase usage of nonrenewable electrical energy sources. As an example, this can be achieved by buying renewable energy credits for the project or generating renewable energy. The grants will be provided in a way to balance urban and rural area needs. Each fiscal year, 35-40% of funds would be dedicated to projects in rural areas. Why was it proposed? It is impossible to tackle the climate crisis without addressing the United States’ public transportation infrastructure. At 29%, the transportation sector is the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States (3). Electric engines are much more efficient than combustion engines, and have the potential to reduce the amount of energy needed for transportation by ~⅔. Therefore, there is huge potential for lowering greenhouse gas emissions by electrifying transportation. Additionally, in the wake of COVID-19, this Bill would help provide immediate economic recovery by creating ~1 million jobs at a minimum wage of $15 per hour. To protect workers, contractors and subcontractors working on an accepted project must have neutral policy around employee labor organizations, a policy about paid family and medical leave, and a policy about fair employee scheduling with opportunities for the employee’s own adjustment. This bill is part of a larger effort in the United States to transition towards renewable energy sources and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. This is also part of a larger effort to increase job availability in the United States. Benefits Benefits to this bill include leveraging investment in climate action and overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through greener infrastructure projects. This bill coincides with a similar bill introduced in the 117th Congress, the Green Vehicles, Green Spaces Act (4). Additionally, a study showed that by supporting and prioritizing vulnerable communities and those experiencing environmental injustice, these infrastructure projects will work toward correcting health disparities in vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, and avert ~$100 billion in health care costs (5). By creating less emissions and averting health care costs, ~4,200 deaths will be prevented annually (5). This bill will reduce carbon emissions by ~21.5 metric tons which is the equivalent of taking ~4.5 million combustion engine cars off the road (5). This will not only help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but will also create a wealth of new jobs with strong labor protections, which is directly inline with the President’s American Jobs Plan. Challenges Challenges to this bill include the upfront costs associated with planning and getting projects approved as well as initiating the projects. Investing $500 billion over 10 years ($50 billion each fiscal year) will require additional income to offset the budget in order to have a neutral effect on the current national debt. Additionally, it will take time to award and implement these projects, which will delay the overall reduction in transportation sector emissions. Another challenge is creating a more circular economy, where components of the retired vehicles that are no longer reaching emissions standards are broken down into many parts and reused or recycled for other purposes. Even if these parts are recycled or reused, there may still be waste streams of components that are more difficult to reuse. The United States will need a plan to sustainably dispose and redirect them from landfills. Additionally, the proposed legislation has been endorsed by many progressive advocacy groups including Data for Progress as well as Sunrise Movement, League of Conservation Voters, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, 350.org, Greenpeace, Public Citizen, Friends of the Earth, Center for Progressive Reform, GreenLatinos, Rewiring America, New Consensus, Zero Hour, and WE ACT for Environmental Justice. It has not been promoted by many conservative advocacy groups and will need bipartisan support to pass through Congress. Want to advocate? Does this bill resonate with you? Do you want to see it become a law? Have concerns or thoughts you would like to discuss? There are currently 7 co-sponsors of this bill in the Senate: Elizabeth Warren [D-MA], Edward Markey [D-MA], Jeff Merkley [D-OR], Bernard Sanders [D-VT], Alex Padilla [D-CA], Cory Booker [D-NJ], Richard Blumenthal [D-CT], and Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI]. Do you see your Congresspeople listed above? If not, you can email your policymakers by finding their emails at https://www.congress.gov/members?searchResultViewType=expanded or call their offices to voice your thoughts. Remember to use our Resources page for more information and guidance when reaching out! If you are looking for an easy way to support this Bill, you could join the letter signing campaign through act350. If you enter your name, email address, and zip code, a letter will be sent on your behalf to your Congress People. Check it out at: https://act.350.org/letter/buildgreenact/ Note Policy for the Planet is not affiliated with act350 or any other group and their views do not necessarily reflect our own. We strive to provide bipartisan information, provide facts backed up by reliable sources, and provide ways to get involved with issues you care about. To that end, we are highlighting just one quick advocacy opportunity of many you can get involved with and encourage you to look for others that interest you and coincide with your values. Footnotes
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