Climate Change to Dominate Highway Policy, Top Transportation Lawmakers Say

Transport Topics By Eugene Mulero

February 24, 2021

This year’s update of the nation’s premier highway policy law will focus heavily on climate change initiatives, two congressional lawmakers central to passing that legislation told state officials Feb. 24.

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the U.S. House, and his Senate counterpart, Environment and Public Works Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.), said they intend to kick off consideration of a new highway bill in the coming weeks. They outlined their policy visions during a virtual conference hosted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

They affirmed that incorporating a climate change-centric framework to all-things surface transportation policy will guide the consideration of the Democrats’ yet-to-be-unveiled bill. The highway bill would reauthorize a 2015 law, known as the FAST Act, which expires in September.

View the full article: TTNews.com