Local officials and advocates applaud federal investment in clean transportation 

WILMINGTON — U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) and New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer joined environmental and transportation advocates to applaud legislation passed this week that makes historic investments in clean transportation infrastructure. Moms Clean Air Force hosted the event as part of a series of grassroots events demanding ambitious investments in clean energy, environmental justice, and climate solutions organized by the Climate Action Campaign.

Matt Meyer, New Castle County Executive | PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW CASTE COUNTY

Delawareans deserve clean air, and we should be making ambitious investments in clean vehicles and infrastructure, both locally and on a national scale,” said County Executive Meyer. “Now is the time to take a bold step for the sake of the health of our students and our environment.”

As the Biden administration and Congress consider new investments in clean transportation, speakers thanked Senator Carper for his climate leadership. Speakers also encouraged his colleagues in Congress to support clean energy growth and the expansion of the market for electric vehicles (EVs) and buses in order to improve public health and create economic opportunity for all residents in Delaware.

”I was proud to deliver a historic investment this week in clean transportation infrastructure— including billions in clean and electric school buses and electric vehicle charging stations,” said Senator Carper, Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee. “ We must work to combat the climate crisis and make the air we breathe cleaner for generations to come— and progress we made this week is the start, not the end, of that critical effort.”

Transportation accounts for the largest source of climate-harming carbon pollution in the U.S. Modernizing our transportation sector and investing in clean school and transit buses are critical to combating climate change, which makes extreme weather events like heat waves, hurricanes, and flooding more frequent and intense.

Sen. Tom Carper

“Delaware is leading the way on school bus electrification. Our own Sen. Carper is making funds available for school districts across the country to purchase pollution free school buses through innovative programs,” said Charlie Burton, a Blue Bird Bus dealer with I.G. Burton. “Working with Sen. Carper and other leaders in Delaware, we at I.G. Burton and our long-standing partners, Blue Bird Bus, commit to making electric school buses a reality for not only school children in Delaware but across the nation.”

Investments in clean transportation and electric buses and vehicles are essential to meeting our nation’s climate goals, reducing air pollution, improving public health, achieving environmental justice, and spurring the economy.

“As the mother of a child with asthma, I know the threat that our traditional diesel buses pose to our kids’ health and well-being. Whether we’re talking about the quality of our air or preventing extreme weather events that wreak havoc on our families and communities, it is time we act on climate with urgency,” said Meredith Hurst, a volunteer with Moms Clean Air Force in Delaware. “It’s why we’re grateful to elected officials like Senator Carper who believe that it is their job to act on climate. We now need everyone in Congress to do their part and pass a budget with bold support for electric vehicles and EV infrastructure.”

Meaningful federal investments can spur the advancement of local programs that lead to cleaner air, reduced fuel costs, and more family-sustaining jobs for our communities. Recent polling found that these investments are popular in Delaware and across the nation. Seventy-one percent of the public supports investments to tackle the climate crisis.