Rep Wild Touts Low-Emission Public Transit and EV Infrastructure Investments

Statement

oday, Representative Susan Wild (PA-07) hosted a press conference with the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA), highlighting a new, greener fleet of public transit and the goal of bringing electric vehicles (EV) funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to the Greater Lehigh Valley.

"We have seen time and time again the risks of going too small in this battle, and we can't afford to pump the breaks when it comes to building out a clean energy future that creates 21st century jobs," said Rep. Wild. "However, thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are finally putting a foot forward on getting electric and low-emission transit vehicles on the road, cutting air pollution, and bringing hundreds of good-paying jobs to the Lehigh Valley."

"New buses, new shelters, new amenities at bus stops, expanded services -- these are all things that we have been working on with our partners, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be a key catalyst in allowing us to continue to build on this work here in the Lehigh Valley," said Owen O'Neil, Executive Director of the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a historic investment in public transit, representing $39B in new funding. The law reauthorizes and provides funding for the Federal Transit Administration programs through 2026. The Allentown Urbanized Area will receive $12.85M in formula funding for FY22 and an estimated total of $67.34M from FY22-FY26. Additionally, Pennsylvania as a whole will see a 41% increase in FTA funding under the law, for a total of $614M in FY22 and $3.2B from FY22-FY26.

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