The Biden-Harris Administration has announced plans to modernize public transportation across the United States. This entails an increase in federal action and spending in the public transportation sector, emphasizing the need for better and more environmentally friendly transportation options. This action includes improving school busses, as well as regular public transportation systems that connect people to their homes, jobs, healthcare, and more. With this new initiative, they will also seek to reduce emissions from diesel trucks and create more jobs.
On top of utilizing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and American Rescue Plan, they will also be pushing regulations that would set new vehicle emissions standards. The ultimate goal of this project is to get closer to zero-emissions transit and improved trucking and port technologies. Although their primary motive has been to provide Americans with an improved public transportation system, other concerns cited by the administration include climate change, as well as air pollution and its impact on public health. Air pollution has been linked to issues such as asthma and heart and lung disease, which usually affect communities in close proximity to highways and ports.
While these issues are more easily observed in human populations, research has shown that air pollution has also negatively impacted the natural environment and wildlife. With these initiatives and policies in place, Americans are on their way to helping the climate change movement and reducing their carbon emissions, air pollution, and helping to restore the ecology of the region.
