From March 11-14, 2025, HBL staff joined hundreds of colleagues from around the nation to participate in the National Bike Summit and the Active Transportation Leadership Institute. This annual event is a chance to hear about advances in cycling infrastructure, learn about innovative bike and pedestrian projects that are changing how communities are achieving sustainable transportation goals, and meet with elected officials, policymakers and their staff.
This year, as we were about to head out for a day of meetings on Capitol Hill, news broke that the Trump Administration issued guidance to halt work on all Biden-era discretionary grants to build bike lanes and other “green infrastructure” so the US Department of Transportation can review projects and possibly terminate projects that have been awarded. “The focus of this review,” the memo stated, “is to identify project scope and activities that are allocating funding to advance climate, equity and other priorities counter to the Administration’s executive orders.”
As a start, DOT heads are being asked to undertake a “project-by-project review” to identify proposals that include references to not only DEIA, but also grants “whose primary purpose is bicycle infrastructure.” After the review, “project teams” will conduct a review to “flag any project … for potential removal” if the projects involve an “equity analysis, green infrastructure, bicycle infrastructure [and] EV and/or EV-charging infrastructure.”
That review would also flag projects whose purpose is to “improve the condition for environmental justice communities or actively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” While projects that have fully obligated their funds are not subject to the order, projects with partially obligated funds are.
There are more than $22M in Safe Streets For All grants as well as nearly $100M in other grants for multi-modal infrastructure improvements impacting communities across Hawai‘i that are potentially at risk. HBL shared these lists with each member of Hawaii’s congressional delegation, including in-person meetings with Representatives Case and Tokuda and staff in the offices of Senators Schatz and Hirono.
We are continuing to follow-up and invite you to join us in advocating for these essential projects. We also invite you to sign the sign the League of American Bicyclists’ national petition to protect road safety via their Action Center.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please email Advocacy Director Eduardo Hernandez
