WASHINGTON — Following a 19 -hour markup, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted to advance H.R. 3684, the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act, and H.R. 1915, the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2021 for full vote by the House of Representatives.
Included in the INVEST in America Act is the Bourdeaux-authored Solar Use Network (SUN) Act, a bill to allow for more effective use of interstate rights-of-way to support renewable energy projects. The INVEST Act also contains funding for the construction and expansion of greenways, building off Bourdeaux’s National and Regional Greenways Act, and additional funding to end transit deserts by expanding express lane transit — a proposal introduced in the bipartisan Bourdeaux Build Up the Suburbs (BUS) Act. Congresswoman Bourdeaux also had five Member-Designated Projects included, representing both Gwinnett and Forsyth Counties and totaling nearly $20 million.
Included in the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act was Bourdeaux’s Wastewater Infrastructure Modernization Act, which would authorize an Environmental Protection Agency grant program to allow public utilities to purchase innovative clean water technology, such as sensors to monitor algae blooms and water levels.
“This week, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure advanced two pieces of critical infrastructure legislation,” said Congresswoman Bourdeaux. “I am particularly glad many of my priorities were included in the final bills, including two pieces of legislation I wrote to give public utilities money for innovative clean water technology and to make better use of interstate rights-of-ways for renewable energy. Equally important, the bills contain critical funding for greenway construction and express lane transit, as well as a number of consequential projects to improve mobility and economic development while also building our communities’ wonderful parks and trails. As we continue developing a national infrastructure package, I’ll keep working to ensure that it meets the needs of families and small businesses in the inner and outer suburbs, especially those in Georgia’s 7th District.”
Congresswoman Bourdeaux Member-Designated Projects Included in the INVEST Act:
Project Sponsor: Gwinnett County Department of Transportation
Project Name: Lawrenceville Area Park and Ride Lot
Project Location: SR 316 at Collins Industrial Way/SR 20, Gwinnett County Georgia, 30046
Requested Amount: $4,800,000
Project Sponsor: Gwinnett County Department of Transportation
Project Name: Gwinnett Place Transit Center/Mall of Georgia Local Bus Service
Project Location: Gwinnett County Georgia, 30096
Requested Amount: $5,000,000
Project Sponsor: Gwinnett County Department of Transportation
Project Name: McDaniel Farm Park Connector Multi-Use Path
Project Location: Commerce Avenue from McDaniel Farm Park to Satellite Boulevard, Gwinnett County Georgia, 30096
Requested Amount: $2,000,000
Project Sponsor: City of Sugar Hill
Project Name: City of Sugar Hill’s Highway 20 Pedestrian Bridge
Project Location: Sugar Hill, Georgia, 30518
Requested Amount: $5,000,000
Project Sponsor: Forsyth County Board of Commissioners
Project Name: Big Creek Greenway Phase 2 Renovation-Replacement
Project: Location: 5259 Union Hill Road, Cumming, Georgia, 30040
Requested Amount: $3,000,000
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Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux lives with her family in Suwanee, Georgia and represents Georgia’s 7th Congressional District in the 117th Congress. Carolyn is a strong advocate for affordable health care, an economic recovery that puts workers and small businesses first, and investing in her district’s world-class public education system and transportation infrastructure.
Georgia’s fast-changing 7th Congressional District includes portions of the northeast Atlanta metropolitan area, including portions of Forsyth and Gwinnett counties and cities Peachtree Corners, Berkeley Lake, Sugar Hill, Norcross, Cumming, Lawrenceville, Duluth, Snellville, Lilburn, Suwanee, Grayson, and Buford.