Washington, D.C. — In response to the Senate EPW Committee’s markup of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act today, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) issued the following statement from Tiernan Sittenfeld, SVP of Government Affairs:

“We need to invest in our nation’s infrastructure to create high-quality jobs, fight climate change, and build back better. The Surface Transportation bill that passed out of the Environment & Public Works Committee today makes some necessary investments, but what we really need is for Congress to pass the full American Jobs Plan ASAP. As other committees continue their work, we must set our transportation sector on a course to tackle climate change and address racial and economic injustice by quickly and equitably transitioning to zero emission transportation, including robustly funding programs to make public transit more accessible, building electric vehicle infrastructure, and training workers to operate and maintain these systems. 

“We also have concerns with provisions in the underlying bill that undermine the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and communities’ ability to have a voice in major construction projects in their own backyards — especially low-income and communities of color that are often targeted by the fossil fuel industry and other polluters. 

“It’s time for Congress to pass the full American Jobs Plan — the plan that centers climate, clean energy, jobs, and justice and has the backing of labor unions, environmental justice leaders, businesses, and local leaders from across the country. We must seize this opportunity to make once in a generation progress.”

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