Thursday, August 05, 2021

Republicans Cannot Vote for the Infrastructure Bill If These Two Provisions Remain

Republicans Cannot Vote for the Infrastructure Bill If These Two Provisions Remain

  • "...The first unacceptable provision the Republican negotiators agreed to can be found beginning on page 510 of the text. It directs the secretary of Transportation and the secretary of the Treasury to begin a pilot program for a national motor vehicle per-mile user fee...
  • ...In a separate provision, Politico notes: An overarching trend of the legislation is concentrating transportation policy decision-making in the federal government. “If this BIF deal holds, it would put just a staggering amount of money in the hands of [Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg] to distribute via [DOT’s] own selection of projects (competitive grants) instead of the traditional formula-based distribution to states and cities. Just staggering,” noted Jeff Davis of the Eno Center for Transportation. This concentration of power under Buttigieg is intentional. It is a backdoor way for the administration to implement the Booker amendment to the AFFH. To get communities to comply with provisions of that regulation, such as eliminating single-family zoning...

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