Buttigieg Sets Climate, Race Equity as Infrastructure Priorities

The Biden administration is revamping a key infrastructure grant program to prioritize projects that address climate change and racial equity.

The Transportation Department included the new criteria in its announcement Wednesday that it will award $889 million in grants to major freight and highway projects in fiscal 2021 through the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America program.

The Biden administration has repeatedly touted sustainable and equitable infrastructure as major elements of its agenda, in a substantial shift from the Transportation Department under former President Donald Trump, which didn’t list either environmental or racial equity issues among its primary considerations. Last year’s ...