SENATE PANEL RELEASES ROAD-FUNDING MEASURE

The Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee released a $304 billion road-funding bill Saturday, a bipartisan compromise that seeks to address climate change and help rural areas while boosting overall spending by more than one-third.

The bill was unveiled as negotiations between Senate Republicans and the White House over a broader infrastructure package were faltering, and it carries different weight for both parties.

The bill would represent a significant boost to transportation spending, but is not the kind of “generational investment” the administration has in mind.

Nonetheless, the bill does demonstrate areas where Democrats and Republicans can find compromise, incorporating elements of President Joe

Biden’s plan and some top Republican priorities.

The committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday to consider the bill publicly.

It includes $6.4 billion for states to reduce carbon emissions from transportation and $2.5 billion for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, while also allowing states to spend other federal money on chargers. The bill also provides $500 million to help cities knock down or otherwise rethink highways that often were built through Black neighborhoods.

At the same time, the Senate bill also includes provisions likely to appeal, in particular, to Republicans.

It proposes an overhaul of the environmental review process for major projects, setting a goal of completing it in two years — one of the party’s top priorities. It also includes $2 billion for grants to rural communities.