Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
- SIERRA CLUB FEDERAL POLICY TEAM
*** Sierra Club policy staff and campaign leadership are available to discuss our clean transportation priorities in the Build Back Better Act ***
Transportation is the nation’s leading source of climate-disrupting pollution, and vehicles are a major contributor of harmful air pollution in communities across the nation as well. This pollution disproportionately burdens communities of color; people who are located closest to busy highways and roads with cars, trucks and buses spewing diesel fumes into their neighborhoods are most exposed to vehicle pollution that poses major health risks.
In this moment, Congress has a massive opportunity and responsibility to shift the status quo of our transportation system away from one that pollutes and is inaccessible and expensive for so many families, to one where anyone - no matter where they live - can thrive in their neighborhood and get to where they need to go through access to safe, reliable, and clean transportation options.
President Biden campaigned and won on his Build Back Better agenda, and now environmental, family, and justice advocates and communities nationwide are counting on him to deliver on its historic climate commitments.
The Sierra Club urges Congress to pass a final reconciliation bill with significant additional investments for electrifying cars, transit buses, school buses, the federal fleet (including the U.S. postal fleet) and ports, all while including domestic manufacturing and high labor standards to ensure that U.S. workers are not left behind as we rapidly transition to pollution-free vehicles and clean public transit.
Investments in clean transportation in the Build Back Better Act that Congress must pass:
● ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES: Every child in the US deserves a clean ride to school where they are not breathing in toxic diesel fumes on their commute- and the same goes for our nation’s bus drivers. The Build Back Better Act would invest $5 billion to electrify heavy-duty vehicles, including school buses, which is an important step for advancing the critical goal of electrifying the entirety of the nation's school bus fleet. Combined with the investments in the bipartisan infrastructure legislation (which should move in tandem with the Build Back Better Act), the two bills would invest $7.5 billion total in electric school buses, which could electrify more than 60,000 school buses.
● EXPANDED AND ELECTRIFIED PUBLIC TRANSIT: 45 percent of the country does not have access to public transit, and many communities are suffering from the effects of diesel buses making their routes through their neighborhoods. The Build Back Better Act includes $10 billion for public transit through an “Affordable Housing Access Program,” including improved frequency on existing routes; fare-free and reduced-fare service; the expansion of service areas and new transit routes; research and workforce activities; repairing transit facilities; and projects to improve accessibility. Combined with the investments in the bipartisan infrastructure legislation, the two bills would invest $54 billion total in expanding access to clean public transit.
● ELECTRIC VEHICLE TAX INCENTIVES WITH UNION PROVISION: Electric vehicle tax incentives will play a critical role in addressing the climate crisis, aid the nation’s economic recovery with well-paying and family-sustaining jobs, alleviate some of the pollution impacts that have been borne by communities, and help the country build back better. The Build Back Better Act offers more than $42 billion in rebates to consumers to make electric vehicles and electric bicycles more accessible to all. The Build Back Better Act and the bipartisan infrastructure bill also would invest $21 billion total in electric vehicle charging stations to expand electric vehicle access.
○ The Sierra Club supports Representative Kildee’s popular amendment for expanding the electric vehicle tax incentive, supported by environmental groups, labor unions, and major automakers. We reject lobbying from Toyota, Honda, and other automakers attempting to strip the legislation from its important labor provision, and urge Congress to pass this legislation in order to advance workers’ rights and climate action.
● RAIL: High-speed rail connects people to opportunities, creates union jobs, and helps tackle the climate crisis by providing a clean alternative to driving and flying. The Build Back Better Act dedicates $10 billion for high speed passenger rail to support the planning and development of projects. Combined with the investments in the bipartisan infrastructure legislation, the two bills would invest $76 billion to make rail more accessible and efficient for communities across the country.
● RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES DIVIDED BY HIGHWAYS: The Build Back Better Act includes $4 billion to reconnect communities (often low-income communities of color) divided by highways, a legacy of redlining that continues to impact communities to this day. The bipartisan infrastructure bill invests an additional $1 billion for this purpose.
We need Congress to go bigger and bolder in this moment on a range of priorities, from replacing lead pipes to the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps to ending fossil fuel subsidies to funding urban and community forestry and green space development across the country, in order to support a livable climate, racial and environmental justice, good jobs, and public health. Investing in clean transportation is a big part of that.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.