By Adedapo Adesanya
The United States Government has disclosed that it would give out $6.4 billion over five years to states to fund projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the Transportation Department on Thursday, the funding is part of a $1 trillion infrastructure bill approved by Congress last November.
It will help states fund trail facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists and projects that support the deployment of alternative fuel vehicles.
Speaking, Transportation Secretary, Mr Pete Buttigieg said, “Transportation is the sector that contributes the most carbon emissions in the U.S. economy, which means that transportation must aspire to be a major part of the solution.”
The $6.4 billion programme requires states to develop plans to reduce transportation emissions and distributes money through a formula developed for state and local governments.
Other projects that could be funded include those aimed at reducing traffic congestion and travel demand strategies; truck stop and port electrification systems; public transportation projects such as bus rapid transit corridors or dedicated bus lanes and infrastructure-based intelligent transportation systems and replacing street lighting and traffic control devices with energy-efficient alternatives.
This is coming after the US government said that congestion pricing might still need separate government approval.
Last year, the Transportation Department said New York City’s proposed congestion pricing plan that would use tolls to manage traffic in central Manhattan would receive an expedited environmental review, but the federal government has not acted.
Last month, a New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority official said the agency expects federal approval by the end of 2022, which would allow the tolling to begin in late 2023.
New York would become the first major US city to follow London, which began levying a congestion charge on vehicles driving into the city centre in 2003.
According to data, transportation accounts for the largest share of US greenhouse gas emissions – around 27 per cent in 2020. The administration says despite various roadblocks it can still achieve a goal of slashing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.
