Transportation For America » Climate bill includes $6 billion for transportation; tell your Senator to support these provisions

Climate bill includes $6 billion for transportation; tell your Senator to support these provisions

May 12, 2010
By Stephen Lee Davis

Exciting news: The climate and clean energy legislation unveiled in the Senate today puts a strong emphasis on planning for and investing in clean transportation options. We applaud the authors of The American Power Act, John Kerry and Joe Lieberman, for advancing this critical piece of legislation that invests in our transportation infrastructure while delivering a win both for energy independence and climate protection.

The bill sets national goals for reducing oil use and greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, provides tools and resources for states and regions to measure current and projected future oil use and greenhouse emissions from transportation plans/projects, and requires that states and metro areas set emissions targets for reducing greenhouse gases and make plans to meet those targets.

It also provides $6.25 billion a year in clean-energy funding for states and regions to help them plan for a low-carbon future and build clean transportation projects. This funding is split three ways:

$1.875 billion toward the TIGER grant program, a popular competitive grant program started in the stimulus bill
$1.875 billion toward a new program to fund transportation projects that reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions; and
$2.5 billion to the Highway Trust Fund, eligibility for which is determined by emissions-reduction plans.

This is encouraging news for anyone who thinks that we need to invest transportation money from a climate bill into the kinds of cleaner options that will lower emissions, but the special interests that oppose clean transportation are going to pull out all the stops.

Please pick up the phone right now and make sure your senators know that you support these transportation provisions because they will help us invest in clean transportation options, reduce oil use and reduce emissions from the transportation sector. It will only take a few minutes, but your call could make a huge difference.

Call your senators right now by dialing the Senate Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Tell the operator where you’re calling from to be connected to either of your senators.
Let the staff person answering the phone know your name and where you’re calling from – then say, “I’m calling because I support the reductions in transportation emissions and $6 billion in investments in clean transportation options in the climate bill released today. I strongly urge the senator to support these provisions in the bill. To reduce our oil use and cut emissions, we’ve got to invest more in cleaner ways to get around.”
Pick up the phone one more time. Call the switchboard at (202) 224-3121, ask to be connected to your other senator and leave the same message.
Then, report your calls back to us, so we can follow up directly with your senators and increase your impact.

Tell your Senators you support these investments in clean transportation. We need to reduce oil use and emissions while beginning the critical task of rebuilding and modernizing our transportation network!