On Monday U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) reintroduced legislation to electrify and modernize the transportation infrastructure across the country.
The BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs Act would authorize the U.S. Department of Transportation to allocate $500 billion over the next 10 years to electrify public vehicles and rail, as well as to build new electric transportation infrastructure. The funding would be part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Officials estimate the bill would create 1 million jobs, save $100 billion annually in health damages and prevent 4,200 deaths per year from air pollution.
“The time to accelerate towards a clean energy future is now,” Warren said. “Modernizing our transportation grid will pump billions into the economy, create green union jobs, and safeguard against the worst effects of climate change. That’s good news across the board.”
The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Edward Markey (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CN), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT),and by U.S. Reps. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Cory Bush (D-MO), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Summer Lee (D-PA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Jerry Nadler (D.-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Juan Vargas (D-CA), and Nydia Velazquez (D-NY).
Additionally, the bill is endorsed by America Walks, Climate and Community Project, Climate Hawks Vote, Evergreen Action, Friends of the Earth, GreenLatinos, Green New Deal Network, Metropolitan Planning Council, Move LA, National Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Streets for All, Sustain Charlotte, TransForm, Transportation Riders United, Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance, and Zero Hour.