Photo: PeopleForBikes
A reconciliation package on the table in Congress includes a new tax credit for the purchase of an electric bike.
Cycling amounts to next to nothing in the U.S. when it comes to the billions of trips Americans take each day, but advocates and a few lawmakers are hoping to get more citizens on bikes and out of their cars and motorcycles. House Democrats believe taking on climate change as part of a huge $3.5 trillion package should include billions in tax credits for the purchase of e-bikes and scooters.
The $7.4 billion measure would be a major step forward by the Biden administration to shift transportation priorities toward a focus on slowing environmental damage.
“It’s absolutely thrilling, Anything in the billions is really a lot bigger than what we’ve seen before,” Noa Banayan for PeopleForBikes told the Washington Post.
Transportation-related emissions are the single largest source of greenhouse gases in the United States, and while those emissions peaked back in 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency says they’ve gone steadily up in the last few years.
The plan also includes funding to help people purchase electric cars, as well infrastructure to charge them.
Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.) was direct in his assessment of recent climate change issues.
“America is burning,” DeFazio said recently.
On the other side of the coin, Republicans on the transportation committee were united in their contention that the proposal was wasteful and meant as an end-run around infrastructure negotiations.
“It’s an absolute slap in the face,” said Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.). “I haven’t heard anybody, anybody call and say 'Hey, I want you to put $9 billion in transit on top of the $69 billion we put in it last year.”
But Banayan countered that the e-bike tax credits would be an ideal fit as infrastructure investments.
The $7.4 billion measure would be a major step forward by the Biden administration to shift transportation priorities toward a focus on slowing environmental damage.
“It’s absolutely thrilling, Anything in the billions is really a lot bigger than what we’ve seen before,” Noa Banayan for PeopleForBikes told the Washington Post.
Transportation-related emissions are the single largest source of greenhouse gases in the United States, and while those emissions peaked back in 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency says they’ve gone steadily up in the last few years.
The plan also includes funding to help people purchase electric cars, as well infrastructure to charge them.
Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.) was direct in his assessment of recent climate change issues.
“America is burning,” DeFazio said recently.
On the other side of the coin, Republicans on the transportation committee were united in their contention that the proposal was wasteful and meant as an end-run around infrastructure negotiations.
“It’s an absolute slap in the face,” said Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.). “I haven’t heard anybody, anybody call and say 'Hey, I want you to put $9 billion in transit on top of the $69 billion we put in it last year.”
But Banayan countered that the e-bike tax credits would be an ideal fit as infrastructure investments.
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