"The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill could increase carbon dioxide emissions from the transportation sector, according to research from the nonpartisan Georgetown Climate Institute.

The $1 trillion package has been touted as a major step forward in the decarbonization of transportation, and the research found that it could accomplish that if it prioritizes electrification and road maintenance. However, an approach that involves building new roadways and adding lanes to existing ones could create a phenomenon known as “induced demand”— in other words, the existence of those new roads would induce more people to drive on them, creating further emissions.

While the bill allocates just under $600 billion for “surface transportation” spending, its specific uses would largely be at the discretion of individual states. Georgetown researchers mapped out two possible scenarios based on this flexibility. In the higher-emission scenario, 27 percent of the surface transportation money goes to expanding highways compared to 23 percent for maintenance."

Zack Budryk reports for The Hill December 22, 2021. [2]