LSN Weekly Federal Mobility Digest

MAY 17, 2024

Capitol Hill News

House Clears FAA Bill – On Wednesday, the House passed a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years, sending the legislation to President Biden’s desk ahead of Friday’s deadline.

Biden Administration Enacts New Tariffs on Chinese EVs, Batteries, Other Sectors – In response to China’s unfair trade practices, the President is directing increases in tariffs across strategic sectors such as steel and aluminum, semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries, critical minerals, solar cells, ship-to-shore cranes, and medical products.

House T&I Committee Holds Hearing on Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse – The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee held a hearing this week to examine the federal response to the bridge collapse and how cleanup and rebuilding should be paid for by the government. 

U.S. Department of Transportation News

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Third Year of SMART Grants, Funding Transportation Technology and Innovation – The Department of Transportation announced that it is accepting applications for the third year of its Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program, which will fund up to $500 million in grants over five years to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced smart community technologies and systems that improve transportation safety and efficiency.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Climate and Transportation Research Center – The

U.S. Department of Transportation announced $1.7 million in research funding for a Climate Change and Transportation Research Center at the University of California, Davis. The new Center for Emissions Reduction, Resiliency, and Climate Equity in Transportation, established through a cooperative agreement with DOT, will support the DOT Climate Change Center and many related Department climate and research programs.

FRA Makes More than $2 Billion in New Funding Available to Continue Improving America’s Busiest Passenger Rail Corridor – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that makes available over $2 billion in Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program funding for projects located on the Northeast Corridor (Fed State-NEC). The corridor supports 800,000 passengers daily and billions of dollars in annual economic activity.