Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
Congress Must Pass Build Back Better Act to Bolster Clean Transportation Investments & Deliver on Climate
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Biden will sign the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, known as the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which will include billions in funding for public transit, passenger rail, electric vehicle charging, electric school buses, and cleaning up dirty ports, important priorities for decarbonizing the nation’s most polluting sector.
The Sierra Club has been resolute in our call for Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act in order for the investments in the bipartisan infrastructure bill to be realized. As one example, the emissions reduction potential of the EV charging investments in the bipartisan infrastructure bill will be fully realized only when we pass the Build Back Better Act’s investments to improve access to electric vehicles and expedite the clean energy transition.
The Build Back Better Act will provide historic levels of investment to communities across the country grappling with the interlocking crises of climate change; public health; economic inequity; and racial, gender, and environmental injustice. Passing the Build Back Better Act in addition to the bipartisan bill is the only way to achieve President Biden’s goal of cutting climate pollution in half by 2030 while investing in a more just, healthy, and equitable future for our communities.
In response to the signing, Katherine García, Acting Director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign, released the following statement:
“Today, President Biden will sign a bill that will deliver billions in investments in supporting public transit and electric vehicle charging, cleaning up the nation’s dirty ports, and funding electric school buses so children across the country will have a clean commute to school. While these investments are sorely needed, we can’t stop here.
"In order to realize the investments in the infrastructure bill and truly transform the nation’s most polluting sector, Congress must pass the Build Back Better Act.
"By boosting union-made electric vehicles and investing even more in public transit, rail and electric school buses, the investments in the Build Back Better Act will help us tackle the climate crisis and invest in our communities at the scale necessary.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.