Today (May 28), President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. released his fiscal year (FY) 2022 Budget request, outlining his Administration’s priorities for the next fiscal year’s budget.  President Biden requests $6 trillion of spending for FY 2022, including $88 billion of funding for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).  This is nearly a $350 million increase over FY 2021 enacted funding.

In its Budget request, the Administration provides $13.5 billion for public transportation, a $533 million increase from the FY 2021 enacted level ($13.0 billion). The budget includes $2.5 billion for the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program and an additional $250 million for Zero Emission Bus Grant funding. Regarding passenger rail, the Administration proposes $3.7 billion for passenger rail grant programs, a proposed increase of $1.1 billion from the FY 2021 enacted level ($2.6 billion).  This includes $2.7 billion for Amtrak, and $1 billion for competitive rail grant programs, including $375 million for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) program and $625 million for a new Passenger Rail Improvement, Modernization, and Expansion program.

The DOT’s 2022 Budget Highlights document describes the FY 2022 Budget, Surface Transportation Reauthorization, and the American Jobs Plan as the building blocks for addressing our transportation and safety infrastructure needs. The President’s FY 2022 request does not include a formal legislative reauthorization proposal, but work is ongoing in Congressional committees. For more information on the American Jobs Plan please see APTA’s Legislative Update on March 31, 2021.

Please click here to view the DOT Budget Highlights. To view a list of the CIG projects proposed to be funded under the President’s Budget, see page 58 of the DOT Budget Highlights. Please click here to view the President’s Budget Request.

Senator Markey and Representative Neal Introduce Warren Cowles Grade Crossing Safety Act

On May 24, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Representative Richard Neal (D-MA) announced the reintroduction of S. ____, the “Warren Cowles Grade Crossing Safety Act”. This legislation provides $250 million per year in funding for grade-crossing safety improvements under the CRISI program and makes commuter railroads eligible for CRISI grade-crossing safety funds. This bill reflects APTA’s Recommendation to provide specific funding to commuter railroads for passenger rail-highway grade-crossing safety and APTA has endorsed the bill.

Please click here to view the bill.

Senate Finance Committee Advances Clean Energy for America Act

On May 26, the Senate Finance Committee advanced the “Clean Energy for America Act,” which was introduced by Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden. Please click here to view the markup.

The bill would extend for one year the Alternative Fuels Tax credit, which provides a 50-cent-per-gallon equivalent tax credit for certain alternative fuels including compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquid natural gas (LNG). It also extends the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit by one year. Significantly, the credit cap is increased from $30,000 to $200,000 and is no longer applied “per location” but is applied “with respect to any single item of qualified alternative fuel vehicle refueling property”. Finally, the bill provides a tax credit for commercial electric vehicles that includes buses.