Applications open for FHWA’s low-carbon transportation grants

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has announced the launch of the Low Carbon Transportation Materials Program, which is aimed at lowering air pollution, specifically greenhouse gas emissions, through reimbursement and incentive funding for low carbon construction materials and products used in transportation.

The program will make US$2bn available from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act for State Departments of Transportation, Tribes, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and other agencies to buy materials that create less pollution, including steel, concrete, and asphalt.

“Transportation and industrial sectors make up about half of our economy’s emissions contributing to climate change – but today, the Biden-Harris Administration takes another important step to change that,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “As we modernize America’s infrastructure through President Biden’s infrastructure law, we’re proud to announce this first-of-its-kind program to accelerate the use of cleaner construction materials that create less carbon pollution.”

The US Federal Government is the largest purchaser in the world, with an annual purchasing power of more than US$630bn. Through the Biden-Harris Administration’s Federal Buy Clean Initiative, the government is for the first time harnessing that procurement power to prioritize the use of American-made, lower-carbon construction materials.

FHWA is using a hybrid approach to implement the program. First, FHWA is making US$1.2bn available to states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico through a Request for Applications (RFA) to fund activities and projects that reduce pollution, including carbon emissions, using low-embodied carbon materials and products. This approach will allow FHWA to quickly provide reimbursement or incentive funds to states to begin eligible activities and incorporate low-embodied carbon materials on construction projects now.

The RFA for states is available on FHWA’s Low Carbon Transportation Materials Program website: Low Carbon Transportation Materials Grants Program.

Second, later this year FHWA will also make available US$800m to target non-state applicants, including cities, Tribes, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and other agencies through a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). This funding opportunity will encourage applicants to partner with states where appropriate and will include offers of technical assistance for applicants.

“To achieve our goal of addressing climate change, we must encourage investment in more sustainable transportation,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “The use of lower carbon materials, which match the durability of conventional materials while lowering pollution, is one pathway that will help us achieve President Biden’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050.”

In addition to funding the use of cleaner construction materials that reduce pollution and carbon emissions for transportation projects, the program will provide resources for agencies to implement processes and coordinate with industry to quantify the emissions of construction materials. That information will allow substantially lower carbon materials to be identified by comparing emissions to established thresholds. Funding can also be used to develop specifications for low-embodied carbon materials that ensure adequate engineering performance for appropriate use on Federal-aid projects.