Biden Admin Announces $830 Million in Grants to Strengthen U.S. Infrastructure Against Climate Change

Vehicles drive on a road with cracked asphalt in San Francisco, California in 2014. Justin Sullivan / Getty Photos

Why you may belief us

Based in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform devoted to publishing high quality, science-based content material on environmental points, causes, and options.

The Biden administration has introduced nearly $830 million in grants to assist 80 tasks throughout the nation to enhance getting older roadways. The purpose of the investments is to make transportation infrastructure extra excessive weather-resilient within the face of warmth waves, flooding, sea-level rise and different impacts associated to local weather change.

The primary-of-their-kind awards are being funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation’s Selling Resilient Operations for Transformative, Environment friendly and Price-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Discretionary Grant Program, coupled with present PROTECT System funding already going to states for comparable tasks, a press launch from the USA Division of Transportation’s Federal Freeway Administration (FHWA) mentioned.

“We’ve seen far too many examples of transportation infrastructure being shut down or broken by excessive climate, which is extra excessive and extra frequent on this time of local weather change,” Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, mentioned earlier than the announcement, as The Related Press reported. “America’s infrastructure was not constructed for the local weather that we have now right now, and the results of this are very actual and being felt by individuals in each a part of the nation.”

Via the Inflation Discount Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, greater than $50 billion has been devoted to local weather adaptation and resilience by the institution of a Nationwide Local weather Resilience Framework to advance local weather resilience methods for native communities.

The U.S. transportation system was designed and constructed principally earlier than right now’s extra frequent and extreme excessive climate occasions, that are inflicting growing injury to transportation infrastructure, the press launch mentioned.

The PROTECT program will probably be put towards tasks to strengthen roads, highways, bridges, public transportation, ports, pedestrian amenities and intercity passenger rail. Growing their resilience will scale back prices within the short- and long-term by minimizing future reconstruction and upkeep wants.

“From wildfires shutting down freight rail traces in California to mudslides closing down a freeway in Colorado, from a drought inflicting the halt of barge visitors on the Mississippi River to subways being flooded in New York, excessive climate, made worse by local weather change, is damaging America’s transportation infrastructure, slicing individuals off from attending to the place they should go, and threatening to boost the price of items by disrupting provide chains,” Buttigieg mentioned within the press launch.

4 sorts of grants are being awarded by FHWA in 37 completely different states, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia.

“Each group in America is aware of the impacts of local weather change and excessive climate, together with more and more frequent heavy rain and flooding occasions throughout the nation and sea-level rise that’s inundating infrastructure in coastal states,” mentioned Shailen Bhatt, FHWA administrator, within the press launch. “This funding from the Biden-Harris Administration will guarantee our infrastructure is constructed to face up to extra frequent and unpredictable excessive climate, which is vitally vital for individuals and companies that depend on roads and bridges being open to maintain our financial system shifting.”

Deprived communities are sometimes most in danger from hazards, and the grant program will assist additional environmental justice by addressing these communities’ wants.

“This system inspired candidates from all ranges of presidency — from native governments and Tribes to state DOTs — to use for PROTECT discretionary-grant funding,” the press launch mentioned. “In step with the aims of the Nationwide Local weather Resilience Framework, these awards will assist these communities throughout the nation change into not solely extra resilient, but additionally extra protected, wholesome, equitable, and economically robust.”

Subscribe to get unique updates in our every day e-newsletter!