§179 Low-carbon Transportation Materials Grants

Summary

Provides $2,000,000,000 from the Treasury for fiscal year 2022, available until September 30, 2026, to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to pay or give incentives to eligible projects that use construction materials with much lower embodied greenhouse gas emissions than typical industry materials, as identified by the EPA. The FHWA must pay the extra cost of those low-carbon materials when reimbursing, or give an incentive equal to 2 percent of the cost of the low-carbon materials. If a reimbursement or incentive is given, the federal share of the project can be up to 100 percent. Money can be used to run the program. Payments apply only to projects on Federal-aid highways, tribal transportation facilities, Federal lands transportation facilities, or Federal lands access transportation facilities. Funds cannot be used to add through travel lanes for single-occupant passenger vehicles. FHWA must review the EPA’s list and decide which low-carbon materials are appropriate and eligible. These amounts are not counted against limits on total Federal-aid highway program funding. Administrator — the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. Eligible recipient — states; local governments and their subdivisions; U.S. territories; entities that receive certain federal transportation funds; metropolitan planning organizations; and special purpose districts or public authorities with a transportation role. Greenhouse gas — carbon dioxide, hydrofluorocarbons, methane, nitrous oxide, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride.