Press Releases

Washington, DC – This afternoon, Congressman Carbajal voted with a bipartisan majority to pass the Moving Forward Act, a forward-thinking infrastructure package that confronts the realities of climate change and makes strategic investments in local infrastructure projects to create jobs and stimulate the economy. 

“The Moving Forward Act makes sure the Central Coast can repair our existing infrastructure and ensures new projects are resilient so they can withstand the effects of extreme weather due to climate change,” said Rep. Carbajal. “This timely investment in local government will create job opportunities and bolster our economy at a time when local governments are struggling under the weight of COVID-19.”

The Moving Forward Act includes several measures Congressman Carbajal has advocated for: 

Addressing the Climate Crisis

The Moving Forward Act incorporates elements of Carbajal’s Clean Water Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Act, which protect our water infrastructure from the effects of climate change. The bill authorizes $1 billion for water-related infrastructure projects and adds climate resiliency as an eligibility requirement.

Wildfire Prevention

The INVEST in America act nearly doubles the set-aside in the Federal Lands Transportation Program for the U.S. Forest Service, which is based on Carbajal’s bipartisan FOREST Act. The total set-aside provides $250 million to the program over the life of the bill, which will go toward addressing the deferred maintenance backlog of U.S. Forest Service roads so our first responders are better able to respond to and fight fires.

The Congressman also secured an amendment directing the GAO to assess how the deferred maintenance impacts public safety and wildfire response, and provide recommendations for how Congress can continue to address the backlog.

Financing Central Coast Infrastructure Projects

Carbajal secured $750 million in direct allocations to Metropolitan Planning Organizations and local governments and a provision to make fee waivers available for local governments who participate in the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan program.

Carbajal secured an increase in local governments’ share of the Surface Transportation Program.

“The San Luis Obispo region would greatly benefit from an increase in Surface Transportation Program funding. This is the quickest way to get funding in the hands of local jurisdictions and help their economic recovery efforts,” said Pete Rodgers, Executive Director of the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments.

Increases the existing set-aside for off-system bridges, which will yield over $1 billion dollars in investments.

“Local governments own the vast majority of our nation’s transportation infrastructure. I applaud Congressman Carbajal’s continued efforts to ensure the safety of Santa Barbara County’s bridges with increased funding to ensure our residents and local economy will re-emerge from the current pandemic stronger than ever,” said Scott D. McGolpin, Director of Santa Barbara County Public Works Department and President of the National Association of County Engineers.

Carbajal advocated for a 3-year phase out, as opposed to a hard stop, for communities which previously qualified for funding through the Small Transit Intensive Cities program.

“On behalf of MTD, we would like to express our appreciation to Congressman Carbajal and his staff for their work ensuring that federal funding for public transit service remains a priority.  The phase out funding provision for the Small Transit Intensive Tier program is an important legislative objective for the district, and its inclusion is a testament to Congressman Carbajal’s commitment to public transportation,” said Jerry Estrada, General Manager, Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District.

A fact sheet on the Moving Forward Act is available here.

A recap of the provisions Congressman Carbajal secured is available here.

Carbajal is vice chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and has been a vocal proponent of infrastructure investments on the Central Coast and across the nation. He represents California’s 24th Congressional District, encompassing Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and part of Ventura County.

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