Thread by @SenJeffMerkley

Today, @EPWCmte marked up and unanimously voted the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act out of committee. Let me be clear: this bill is NOT the American Jobs Plan and cannot be an excuse to give up on badly needed, bold investments in our country and climate.

That said, the bill that passed out of committee this morning has some key wins for Oregonians (and all Americans!)

Here’s just some of what the bill contains ⬇️

✅ The Monarch and Pollinator Highway (MPH) Act, my bill to invest $10M ($2M per year over the next 5 years) to provide grants to states, Tribes, and federal land management agencies for pollinator-friendly practices on roadsides and highway rights-of-way.

✅ $500 million over 5 years for grants to remove, retrofit or mitigate highways that were built through neighborhoods and created barriers to mobility and economic development.
✅ Increased funding for the Transportation Alternatives Program (bike and pedestrian projects).

✅ $3 billion over 5 years for the Tribal Transportation Program.
✅ $250 million to reduce air emissions from trucks idling at ports.
✅ New programs to address urban heat islands and improve air quality.

This bipartisan bill is a compromise, and doesn’t do nearly enough to invest in historically disadvantaged communities who have borne the brunt of failed transportation policies of the past. It doesn’t go far enough to tackle the epidemic of pedestrian deaths on our roadways.

Transportation is the number one source of greenhouse gas pollution in the U.S., and we can't tackle climate chaos without rethinking transportation. This bill is a first step, but we must work toward an equitable, climate-driven overhaul of our transportation systems.