ICYMI: Senator Murray Highlights How Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Will Invest in Clean Energy, Electric Vehicles, Climate Resilience, and More – MORE HERE
ICYMI: Senator Murray Helps Secure Key Funding for Salmon and Coastal Recovery in Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill – MORE HERE
***WATCH SENATOR MURRAY’S FULL QUESTIONING HERE***
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, at a Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Subcommittee hearing, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and former chair of the THUD subcommittee, spoke with Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging the Department to prioritize investments in Washington state transit and salmon recovery.
During the hearing, Senator Murray highlighted robust investments secured through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for existing programs to fund local priorities, and stressed the need for continued federal support to strengthen infrastructure programs while reducing the nation’s carbon footprint.
“I’ve spoken to people and communities across Washington state who are so excited about the bipartisan infrastructure law. From robust investments in existing programs to fund local priorities like the RAISE grants I created back in 2009, to brand new programs like the Culvert Removal and Replacement Program, every community in Washington State stands to benefit from the ways the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest in people and our communities,” Senator Murray began.
“One of my top priorities in the bipartisan infrastructure law was dedicated funding for salmon recovery, fish passage, and habitat restoration,” said Senator Murray. “Mr. Secretary—can you talk to us a little bit about the progress you and your staff are making towards getting this program up and running, and the criteria you’re going to be using to prioritize these applications for funding?”
In his response, Secretary Buttigieg underscored $200 million in advance appropriations for Fiscal Year 2023, for the Culvert Removal and Replacement Program to improve or restore passage for salmon and other species. He noted the Department’s plan to release Notice of Funding Opportunity this summer to incorporate input from regional stakeholders —including rural and tribal communities— and that criteria will be tuned toward the concerns which led to creation of the program in the first place.
At the hearing, Senator Murray also applauded investments in the Capital Investment Grant Program (CIG), to accelerate funding for transit projects in Washington state, and encouraged Secretary Buttigieg to ensure the DOT and Federal Transit authority uses CIG resources earlier in the grant process to save significant financing costs and help complete Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) appropriations closer to the opening of service.
“I was really pleased to see the robust investment in the Capital Investment Grant Program, and particularly, the FTA’s proposal to accelerate funding for two major Sound Transit projects. I cannot tell you how important this is to the Puget Sound region because at the end of the day, public transit is about people—getting them where they need to go, connecting them to jobs and opportunity,” continue Senator Murray. “Given the historic investment in CIG in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I would encourage the Department and FTA to use those resources to fund projects like these earlier in the CIG process, so they can better align with the opening of revenue service and allow good projects to capture federal funding sooner rather than waiting until a project has FTA engineering approval or a signed FFGA to maximize the investment Congress provided.”
As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray has consistently fought to increase and protect federal infrastructure grant programs for transportation and salmon recovery. Murray created the TIGER/BUILD grant program in 2009—now known as RAISE grants—which invests in important road, rail, transit, and port projects, including many in Washington state. Senator Murray has secured more than $360 million in RAISE funding for Washington state projects since she founded the program. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Senator Murray helped pass included $39 billion in public transit funding through the CIG program to repair the nation’s transit system backlog, support clean transit options, and increase accessibility for seniors and individuals with disabilities. The investment represents a 30% increase year over year which will greatly benefit CIG projects as they enter the pipeline.
For salmon and coastal recovery, Senator Murray secured $1 billion for culvert removal, replacement, and restoration; $172 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF); $400 million for fish passage restoration at NOAA; and $200 million for the USFWS National Fish Passage Program, among other habitat investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
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