A draft of the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act, or INVEST in America, which would allocate $494 billion over five years, was recently released by Peter DeFazio (D-OR), the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

 

The proposed bill will facilitate the completion of critical infrastructure projects including a backlog of roads, bridges and transit systems in need of repair and replacement. Also, it will emphasize that new projects can withstand the impacts of climate change and extreme weather, are safer for all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, and put the U.S. on a path toward zero emissions from the transportation sector by, among other things, prioritizing carbon pollution reduction, investing in public transit and Amtrak, especially the in the Northeast Corridor, and building out fueling infrastructure for low- and zero-emission vehicles.

"Investing in our nation's infrastructure benefits all Americans and has enjoyed strong support by members of Congress from both sides of the aisle," said Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. "The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's release of its draft surface transportation bill is an important step in the reauthorization process, as were efforts by the U.S. Senate last summer. We strongly encourage the U.S. House to maintain this bipartisan momentum. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic recession have severely impacted equipment manufacturers and the 2.8 million men and women of our industry. Infrastructure investment is the bipartisan solution that will help us out of this sluggish economic pace, rebuilding our economy and our aging roads, bridges, and highways."

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