More than $1 billion in new funding is being made available by the Department of Transportation for any number of infrastructure construction projects nationally.
In announcing the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grants, DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the funding is designed to make “needed investments in our communities’ future.”
Projects eligible for possible RAISE funding will be evaluated regarding their impact on such matters as environmental sustainability, innovation, and economic competitiveness, among other factors.
According to DOT documents, grant applicants should emphasize projects that are designed to “better address climate change and advance long-term environmental sustainability.”
Noting that minority, low-income, and tribal communities have often been subject to “disproportionate environmental harms and risks,” the DOT is also placing a particular emphasis on projects related to racial equity.
The RAISE grants are a historic extension of two earlier DOT initiatives: the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery awards and the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development awards.
Those two programs in the last twelve years have provided nearly $9 billion in funding for a wide variety of transportation infrastructure projects across the country.
The application process for such DOT grants, however, has always been highly competitive, with less than 10% of applicants securing funding.
The DOT’s submission deadline for states applying for RAISE funding is July 12.
By Garry Boulard
