‘Infrastructure’ Bill Caters to ‘Climate Change’ with State-Mandated Carbon Reduction Programs

Obscured in more than 2,700 pages of the U.S. Senate’s so-called bipartisan “infrastructure” bill is a plan for state-mandated carbon reduction programs.

The text, which Breitbart News exclusively obtained from U.S. Senate sources not authorized to leak it, details how the federal government would mandate states to craft “Green New Deal”-style programs in partnership with local metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to fight “climate change.”

“A state, in consultation with any metropolitan planning organization designated within the state, shall develop a carbon reduction strategy,” according to the text, which is also in the officially released version of the bill. [Emphasis added]

The federal government oversees metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), which are designated by agreement between the governor and local governments and represent localities in all urbanized areas (UZAs) with populations over 50,000, as determined by the U.S. Census, according to the Federal Transit Administration. There are at least 420 MPOs in the United States, the National Association of Regional Councils estimated.

No later than two years after the bill’s enactment, states would have to present their carbon reduction programs for approval to the secretary of transportation. The proposed strategies must meet several requirements to be considered “green” enough.

Requirements include but are not limited to:

• Reducing traffic congestion by disincentivizing single-occupant vehicle trips and facilitating “the use of alternatives” like public transportation, shared or pooled vehicle trips, “pedestrian facilities,” and “bicycle facilities” within the state.
• Facilitating the use of vehicles or modes of travel that result in “lower transportation emissions per person-mile traveled as compared to existing vehicles.”
• Incentivizing the construction of vehicles that emit less carbon.

States, at their “discretion,” would also be required to come up with a way to keep track of total carbon emissions from the production, transport, and use of materials used in the construction of transportation facilities within their states.

The secretary of transportation has the power to reject states’ proposed strategies if the plans do not meet the laid out requirements and are therefore deemed “not green enough.” The secretary can also assist with strategy development upon state request.

Sources familiar with the drafting of the text of this bill told Breitbart News it was being written in secret for months outside the normal legislative process, which is supposed to happen in relevant committees of jurisdiction. These sources made the unauthorized leak of the draft text to Breitbart News out of concern that the murky and secretive process behind this bill may have led to widespread corruption throughout its nearly three thousand pages, Breitbart News reported.

Senate proponents of the proposal released the final text of the legislation late Sunday evening after Breitbart News published the leaked draft, and the final bill text is almost exactly the same as the near-final draft provided to Breitbart News as an unauthorized leak from Congress earlier in the evening. The final bill is only one page longer at 2,702 pages.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she will not bring the bipartisan bill for a vote unless it also comes with the $3.5 trillion reconciliation infrastructure bill.