A new report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) found that the five-year transportation funding bill from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee would drive up costs for American consumers and businesses.
The bill contains cuts, the group said, that would cut federal investments in efficient transportation. Officials with the group said the BUILD America 250 Act reauthorizes surface transportation programs and includes provisions to slash support for programs that improve port and intermodal freight efficiency, while imposing a $130 fee on EVs and a $35 fee for plug-in hybrid vehicles which would increase to $150 and $50 respectively by 2029. The legislation would also repeal the Carbon Reduction Program, which allocates $6 billion to states to reduce transportation-related pollution emissions and congestion.
“This bill would make U.S. transportation less efficient, more expensive, and dirtier,” Rachel Aland, transportation director at ACEEE, said. “Instead of locking Americans into an outdated freight system with volatile fuel costs, we should invest in clean and efficient trucking.”
ACEEE has called on Congress to ensure an efficient, less expensive and cleaner transportation system by including measures in the transportation bill that would reauthorize the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) and Charging and Fueling Infrastructure programs, reauthorize funding at current or greater levels for programs that improve port and intermodal freight operations, and include technical assistance and capacity building support for state and local governments to ensure transportation project better serve communities and reduce transportation costs.