CCAGW Annual Ratings

Surface Transportation and Water Infrastructure Authorization – Passage

Description: 

Passage of the bill, as amended, that would authorize more than $720 billion in surface transportation and water infrastructure spending. It would reauthorize federal-aid highway, public transit, rail, and surface transportation safety and research programs for five years, through fiscal 2026, and reauthorize various water infrastructure programs for five or ten years. As amended, the bill would additionally authorize more than $36 billion through fiscal 2026 for activities related to electric vehicle infrastructure, access and manufacturing. It would authorize more than $548 billion through fiscal 2026 for federal surface transportation programs, including $333 billion for federal-aid highway programs; $109 billion for transit programs; and $96 billion for rail programs. It would establish requirements for many new and existing surface transportation programs to consider the environmental and equity impacts of funded activities. It would require the Transportation Department to establish a number of grant programs for project-level investments, including for carbon pollution reduction projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the surface transportation system; development of electric vehicle charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure; separation or elimination of highway-rail crossings; extreme weather resilience and mitigation improvements; activities to reconnect neighborhoods by removing or remediating the effects of transportation infrastructure construction in disadvantaged and underserved communities. It would authorize $12 billion for a new program to support large highway, transit, and rail projects of national and regional significance. It would modify a transit grant program to require the procurement of zero-emission buses and other vehicles. Within the total for rail funding, it would authorize $32 billion for Amtra; $25 billion for a new program to fund improvements to major intercity passenger rail bridges, stations, and tunnels grant; $7 billion for passenger and freight rail infrastructure and safety improvement grants; and up to $20 million annually to establish a university innovation institute to research and develop low- and zero-emission rail technologies. It would establish an independent nonprofit known as the Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator to facilitate the deployment of emissions reduction technologies, requiring the Energy Department to transfer $50 billion to the accelerator upon establishment and $10 billion annually for the subsequent five years. The bill would authorize more than $117.5 billion for drinking water infrastructure and $54.4 billion for wastewater treatment infrastructure over ten years. It would authorize $53 billion through 2031 for the EPA Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which provides grants to states to provide loans and other financial assistance to public water systems, and increase the maximum percentage of such funding states may use to assist disadvantaged communities. It would authorize $4.5 billion annually through fiscal 2031 for grants to states to replace lead service lines; $4 billion available until expended for a low-income drinking water assistance program. It would authorize $40 billion through fiscal 2026 for the EPA Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which provides grants to states to provide loans and other financial assistance related to water treatment infrastructure projects. It would authorize $4 billion for a low-income wastewater assistance program, available until expended. It would authorize $2.6 billion to improve water sanitation facilities funded by the Indian Health Service. It would authorize $500 million annually through fiscal 2031 for community water system PFAS treatment grants. It would require the EPA to set national primary drinking water regulations for contaminants including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, microcystin toxin, chromium-6 and 1,4-dioxane.

Vote Number: 
House Vote 208
Bill Number: 
HR 3684
CCAGW Position: 
Nay
Vote Results: 
Passed 221-201 : D 219-0; R 2-201