DeSaulnier Measure to Study Impact of Climate Change on Transportation Systems Passed in Spending Package
Washington, DC – Today, five measures spearheaded by Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), including a study on the impact of climate change on our transportation systems, were included in the Commerce, Justice, Science, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act of 2020 (H.R. 3055), which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 227-to-194.
"From commercial air travel to our crumbling infrastructure, climate change and volatile weather patterns are changing travel for the worse. Travel times, delays, and congestion are just some of the ways we are seeing the impacts of climate change every day. My amendment will allow us to better quantify the concrete effects climate change is having so we can address it and the impact it has on how we travel," said Congressman Mark DeSaulnier.
In addition to a study, DeSaulnier also successfully included the following measures in H.R. 3055:
- $15 million for new Tier I University Transportation Centers to study our nation's transportation challenges;
- A 10% increase in Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants, which invest in road, rail, transit, and port projects that have a significant local or regional impact;
- $15 million for grants with an emphasis on transit-oriented development; and
- Economic Development Improvements including using value capture as a tool for economic development and as a funding source for transportation infrastructure, especially for transit and passenger rail projects.
Congressman DeSaulnier is a member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. He previously served as Chair of the California State Senate Transportation and Housing Committee, and has been an instrumental leader in advocating for safe and efficient transportation systems.
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