Lawmakers have included funding for wildlife crossings in a bipartisan transportation package that the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on in the coming weeks. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee plans to introduce the Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America’s 250th, also known as the BUILD America 250 Act, which, if passed, would invest in roads, bridges and transit infrastructure nationwide while reauthorizing the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program. The BUILD America 250 Act would provide $80 million annually for the program from fiscal years 2027 through 2031. The bill also looks to increase access to transport grant programs by removing the requirement that Tribes match federal funds. Instead, the federal government would fully fund approved projects. The change would increase Tribal access to the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program as well as Aquatic Organism Passage and Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, otherwise known as BUILD grants.
“You can’t have a big-league economy with little-league infrastructure,” said Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA). “The BUILD America 250 Act makes key investments in the nation’s transportation—from restoring aging bridges and repairing crumbling roads to building out safe, accessible transit and bike infrastructure.”
Read more in the press release from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
