BATON ROUGE – As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s push to reduce industrial pollution and promote clean American manufacturing, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) has been awarded $31.9 million in funding through the Low Carbon Transportation Materials Discretionary Grant Program. This grant is part of a broader national initiative to modernize transportation infrastructure using environmentally friendly materials.
The $1.2 billion investment, funded under President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, aims to reduce the carbon footprint of construction materials such as asphalt, concrete and steel—key components in building and repairing highways and roads. Louisiana is one of 39 states to benefit from the program, which will help the state reduce emissions from its transportation projects while simultaneously boosting local manufacturing and creating sustainable jobs.
Federal Officials Weigh In
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg commented on the program’s broader impact: “As we continue to modernize our infrastructure, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking important steps to mitigate the impact of climate change by using low-carbon materials to build and rebuild our transportation system.”
Kristin White, Acting Federal Highway Administrator, emphasized the importance of the initiative: “This new program helps spur investment in cleaner materials that are critical to building safe and sustainable infrastructure for the future.”
Supporting Local Industry and Economic Growth
The Low Carbon Transportation Materials Program will enable Louisiana to incorporate low-carbon materials into its infrastructure projects, promoting cleaner construction practices that will support the state’s economic growth while addressing climate change. The program provides an opportunity for Louisiana to reduce its environmental impact, particularly in industries that contribute to nearly 30% of the nation’s climate pollution.
The initiative will also create jobs by boosting demand for American-made low-carbon construction materials. By focusing on U.S. manufacturing, the program is designed to create new high-quality manufacturing jobs, potentially benefitting local businesses in Louisiana.
Looking to the Future
The funding is part of the Biden Administration’s Federal Buy Clean Initiative, which uses the federal government’s purchasing power to encourage the use of clean construction materials in infrastructure projects across the country. Through this initiative, Louisiana’s involvement will help spur the development of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which help track and reduce the environmental impact of construction materials used in transportation projects.
With this grant, Louisiana is taking an important step toward modernizing its transportation infrastructure while creating new economic opportunities and contributing to the fight against climate change.
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