The Process and Path Forward for a Bipartisan Surface Transportation Bill

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a start-of-the-new-Congress briefing series, Climate Camp. We reviewed climate science, cutting-edge innovations, and the role of the legislative process in climate mitigation and adaptation. The surface transportation bill reauthorizes federal highway, transit, and rail funding and programs every five years. This final briefing of EESI’s Congressional Climate Camp series provided a breakdown of everything decision-makers need to know ahead of the bill’s next reauthorization in 2026.  Panelists described the transportation bill’s history, including bipartisan cooperation, climate-related provisions, and external stakeholder engagement. Looking ahead, the briefing explained the general timeline for the reauthorization, the bill’s jurisdiction, and key issues across bill titles. The briefing also shared on-the-ground climate success stories from the most recent reauthorization—the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.