Green Infrastructure Supported in House of Representatives with HR 5161

Representative David Wu (D-OR) and 13 co-sponsors have pushed the Green Transportation Infrastructure Research and Technology Transfer Act past initial barriers in the House of Representatives. The bill referred to as HR 5161 passed the House Committee on Science and Technology on February 28th. Representative Wu feels that the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies need greater resources to determine the impact of green infrastructure on existing systems.

HR 5161 advocates for regional Technology Transfer Centers throughout the United States to study the marriage of waste water management systems with eco-friendly transit options. The bill includes a provision for federal grants to fund 10 regional centers devoted to studying issues of green transportation. Representative Wu and fellow sponsors set high standards within HR 5161 for these federal grants. State universities and private organizations applying for Technology Transfer Center grants need to possess existing networks within state government as well as an accompanying public education program.

The resources needed to conduct studies, promote research results and hire talented scientists increase competition for this proposed project. It is easy to imagine a situation where dozens of qualified institutions apply for the chance to work as a regional center. There is the possibility that smaller institutions and research centers could be locked out due to the high barriers for funding.

The underlying theme of HR 5161 is dissemination of research and information on a bottom-up basis. The proposed centers would submit papers on best management practices, watershed impact and green building techniques within the network of centers as well as agencies at all levels of government. These ideas sound simple but the thicket of government agencies dealing with converging issues of transportation and environmental protection make reform a difficult process.

Congress may take up this debate in the near future considering the Democratic majority and the increased pressure by voters for new solutions in transportation infrastructure. The major problem with this legislation is the inevitable roadblock faced in the Senate. Senate Republicans who feel that Congress should take up other issues may stall HR 5161 until the 2008 elections are complete.