FEDERAL ACTION
House T&I Approves 5-Year Surface Transportation Bill After Contentious 17-hour Mark Up – AASHTO Journal
Bipartisan group of U.S. senators says it has a deal on infrastructure framework – Reuters
$5.6B in Earmarks Included in Transportation Bill – Route Fifty
Rural Transit Gets Rare Bipartisan Backing for Infrastructure – Bloomberg Government
What Is Pete Buttigieg Doing? – The Atlantic
Why Infrastructure Spending Should Empower Megaregions – Governing (Commentary)
COVID-19
Requirement for Face Masks on Public Transportation Conveyances and at Transportation Hubs: Summary of Recent Changes – CDC
U.S. Department of Transportation Thanks Transit Agencies for Helping Americans Access COVID-19 Vaccination Sites Nationwide and Encourages More to Step up as Part of National Month of Action – USDOT
NEPA
U.S. Congresswoman Liz Cheney Introduces NEPA Reform Bill to Streamline Regulations and Empower State/Local Leaders – Sierra Sun Times
Infrastructure funding might throw environmental protections under the bus – The Hill (Opinion)
INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY
Climate emerges as infrastructure sticking point – The Hill
City earns Gold LEED-certification from U.S. Green Building Council – WCTV-TV
Oregon beefs up graffiti removal along Portland freeways but struggles to eradicate it – The Oregonian
Los Angeles will Use Data to Promote Sustainable Transportation: Here’s How –
Environment + Energy Leader
AIR QUALITY
Connecticut DOT Climate Initiative Program and Partnership with Department of Environmental Protection – AASHTO’s ETAP Podcast
U.S. EPA to re-examine health standards for harmful soot – Reuters
New Colorado Air Quality Plan Encourages Alternatives To Driving To Work – KCNC-TV
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
New data maps transit’s racial inequities – Journal of Oak Park and River Forest
Biden’s Energy Department Pick Seen As Staunch Environmental Justice Advocate – NPR
NATURAL RESOURCES
Arizona DOT Continues Work to Preserve Rare Cactus – AASHTO Journal
Illinois DOT Mowing Program also Protects Pollinator Habitat – AASHTO Center for Environmental Excellence
Biden pushes protection for more streams and wetlands, targeting a major Trump rollback – Washington Post
NDOT Encourages Nevadans to Use Best Practices in Landscaping to Protect Stormwater Runoff – Nevada Department of Transportation (News release)
Vital clean-water protections are under legislative threat in Ohio: George A. Elmaraghy – Cleveland Plain Dealer (Opinion)
HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
RIDOT: Plan to make East Bay Bike Path detour safer in the works – WPRI-TV
St. Louis using zebra-style delineators to help separate car and bike traffic – KTVI-TV
What Will It Take to Finish This Bike Trail Across the U.S.? – CityLab
Railroad track removal underway for Parkline Trail – Daily Inter Lake
Dover Community Trail celebrates grand opening of latest expansion – Foster’s Daily Democrat
TRB RESOURCES/ANNOUNCEMENTS
TRB Webinar: Compost It! Environmental Benefits of Compost in Highway Roadsides – TRB
AASHTO Executive Institute Now Taking Applications – AASHTO Journal
The Interplay Between Environmental Exposures and Mental Health Outcomes – National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Division on Earth and Life Studies
Inaugural Trails and Greenways Summit Announced for September 2021 – New Jersey DOT
FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES
Pipeline Safety: Statutory Mandate To Update Inspection and Maintenance Plans To Address Eliminating Hazardous Leaks and Minimizing Releases of Natural Gas From Pipeline Facilities – Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (Notice; issuance of advisory bulletin)
Public Meeting of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee – U.S. Geological Survey (Notice of public meeting)
Forest Service Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Advisory Committee – Forest Service, USDA. (Notice of meeting)
Atlantic Wind Lease Sale 8 (ATLW-8) for Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf in the New York Bight – Proposed Sale Notice – Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, (Proposed sale notice; request for comments)