The BIL includes many new and expanded programs across a number of sectors. A manual like this one exploring all of the provisions included in the bill would span volumes. Instead, we have selected provisions in eight broad categories that all touch on the intersections between good jobs, a clean environment, and a fair and just economy. 

Transportation

Transportation systems undergird our country and our economy. Workers and families rely on our transportation infrastructure to access jobs, visit family and loved ones, and utilize retail and recreation. Our nation’s transportation infrastructure has been in a state of disrepair for decades and we need to rebuild, modernize, and expand these systems in ways that will create good-paying jobs in construction, manufacturing, operations, and other services—sectors that will be at the heart of our economic recovery.

Updating our transportation networks is also key to our fight against climate change. As of 2019, transportation in the United States accounts for more emissions than any other economic sector. Reducing emissions from this sector on a timeline consistent with our ambitious climate goals means taking a two-pronged approach that 1) urgently spurs the adoption of cleaner vehicles, and 2) reduces individual driving through smart investment in clean public transit networks, non-motorized transportation infrastructure, and transit-oriented development.

The BIL makes critical investments in the transition to cleaner vehicles by allocating at least $5 billion, and up to $7.5 billion, toward the construction of a robust, nationwide, and public EV charging network, up to $5 billion to transition the nation’s school bus fleet to zero-emission school buses, and approximately $5.6 billion for public transit bus electrification. These investments provide a significant demand push in the market for EVs—and particularly heavy-duty EVs such as school and transit buses—which will serve to reduce the cost of production. Additionally, these investments place EVs in communities across the country, establishing visibility and trust in the technology; alongside other complementary policies and incentives, this public education will play a key role in the effort to transition all vehicles—including privately owned ones—to cleaner alternatives like EVs.

Public transit received a significant investment of $39 billion in the BIL, which will serve to restore transit service curtailed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and expand and modernize it to meet communities’ needs. Additionally, innovative programs such as grants to reconnect communities—like a DOT pilot program authorized and funded by the BIL—will provide support to remove highways and redesign road and transit networks in neighborhoods previously divided and destroyed by the placement of highway, rail, and port infrastructure. 

These transit investments aren’t just essential for improving  mobility and for achieving climate goals; research demonstrates that public transit investment creates jobs and supports regional economic growth. For example, recent analysis from the BlueGreen Alliance found that the $39 billion in the BIL would result in the creation of 204,750 direct, 131,820 indirect, and 185,250 induced jobs, a total of 521,820 jobs over 10 years.