---
kind: "section"
citation: "23 U.S.C. § 179"
title: "23"
title_heading: "Highways"
number: "179"
heading: "Low-carbon transportation materials grants"
release: "119-102"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/23/179"
units:
  - "Chapter 1 — Federal-Aid Highways"
---

# §179. Low-carbon transportation materials grants

- (a) **Federal Highway Administration Appropriation.—** In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated for fiscal year 2022, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $2,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2026, to the [Administrator](#c-1) to reimburse or provide incentives to [eligible recipients](#c-2) for the use, in [projects](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-20), of [construction](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-4) materials and products that have substantially lower levels of embodied [greenhouse gas](#c-3) emissions associated with all relevant stages of production, use, and disposal as compared to estimated industry averages of similar materials or products, as determined by the [Administrator](#c-1) of the Environmental Protection Agency, and for the operations and administration of the Federal [Highway](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-11) Administration to carry out this section.
- (b) **Reimbursement of Incremental Costs; Incentives.—**
  - (1) **In general.—** The [Administrator](#c-1) shall, subject to the availability of funds, either reimburse or provide incentives to [eligible recipients](#c-2) that use low-embodied carbon [construction](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-4) materials and products on a [project](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-20) funded under this title.
  - (2) **Reimbursement and incentive amounts.—**
    - (A) **Incremental amount.—** The amount of reimbursement under [paragraph (1)](#b-1) shall be equal to the incrementally higher cost of using such materials relative to the cost of using traditional materials, as determined by the [eligible recipient](#c-2) and verified by the [Administrator](#c-1).
    - (B) **Incentive amount.—** The amount of an incentive under [paragraph (1)](#b-1) shall be equal to 2 percent of the cost of using low-embodied carbon [construction](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-4) materials and products on a [project](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-20) funded under this title.
  - (3) **Federal share.—** If a reimbursement or incentive is provided under [paragraph (1)](#b-1), the total Federal share payable for the [project](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-20) for which the reimbursement or incentive is provided shall be up to 100 percent.
  - (4) **Limitations.—**
    - (A) **In general.—** The [Administrator](#c-1) shall only provide a reimbursement or incentive under [paragraph (1)](#b-1) for a [project](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-20) on a—
      - (i) [Federal-aid highway](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-6);
      - (ii) [tribal transportation facility](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-33);
      - (iii) [Federal lands transportation facility](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-8); or
      - (iv) [Federal lands access transportation facility](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-7).
    - (B) **Other restrictions.—** Amounts made available under this section shall not be subject to any restriction or limitation on the total amount of funds available for implementation or execution of programs authorized for [Federal-aid highways](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-6).
    - (C) **Single occupant passenger vehicles.—** Funds made available under this section shall not be used for [projects](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-20) that result in additional through travel lanes for single occupant passenger vehicles.
  - (5) **Materials identification.—** The [Administrator](#c-1) shall review the low-embodied carbon [construction](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-4) materials and products identified by the [Administrator](#c-1) of the Environmental Protection Agency and shall identify low-embodied carbon [construction](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-4) materials and products—
    - (A) appropriate for use in [projects](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-20) eligible under this title; and
    - (B) eligible for reimbursement or incentives under this section.
- (c) **Definitions.—** In this section:
  - (1) **Administrator.—** The term “Administrator” means the Administrator of the Federal [Highway](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-11) Administration.
  - (2) **Eligible recipient.—** The term “eligible recipient” means—
    - (A) a [State](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-28);
    - (B) a unit of local government;
    - (C) a political subdivision of a [State](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-28);
    - (D) a territory of the United States;
    - (E) an entity described in [section 207(m)(1)(E)](/usc/23/207.md?p=m-1-E);
    - (F) a recipient of funds under [section 203](/usc/23/203.md);
    - (G) a metropolitan planning organization (as defined in [section 134(b)(2)](/usc/23/134.md?p=b-2)); or
    - (H) a special purpose district or [public authority](/usc/23/101.md?p=a-22) with a transportation function.
  - (3) **Greenhouse gas.—** The term “greenhouse gas” means the air pollutants carbon dioxide, hydrofluorocarbons, methane, nitrous oxide, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 117–169, title VI, § 60506(a), Aug. 16, 2022, 136 Stat. 2085.)