Plans for Federal Infrastructure Money Will Make Climate Change Worse, Says Report

Construction projects proposed by states may waste billions of Biden’s infrastructure funds while aggressively advancing climate change, a new U.S. PIRG report argues. The $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal offers a once in a generation opportunity to reimagine the country’s transportation network, but states across the country seem on track to squander the funds on short-sighted goals instead, which PIRG projects will only add more cars to the road and will worsen traffic congestion over time. Cars were the single largest polluter in the U.S., accounting for 27% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, according to data from the EPA. PIRG found that since 2014, there have been at least 65 “wasteful or unnecessary highway projects” across the nation, many of which are currently on hold or under review, that would cost a collective $157 billion, including a $16 billion New Jersey Turnpike expansion. The report published Thursday offers two pathways for states: “spend this money to address dire needs within our transportation system, or squander it on wasteful boondoggle projects.”