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American passenger railroad Amtrak and American automakers pledged Saturday to work with the incoming administration of Democrat Joe Biden, which wants to push public transportation and green vehicles.
FILE PHOTO: Democratic US Presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill greet supporters as they prepare to board an Amtrak train to begin a campaign tour in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, September 30, 2020. REUTERS / Mike Segar /
WASHINGTON: The American passenger railroad Amtrak and American automakers pledged on Saturday to work with the incoming administration of Democrat Joe Biden, who wants to push public transportation and green vehicles.
“For the economy to move and help Amtrak and our employees through this unprecedented situation, Congress must act now on pandemic relief and economic stimulus funding,” said Amtrak Chief Executive Officer Bill Flynn.
Flynn told Congress last month that he expects Amtrak’s revenue to fall by more than 70 percent from pre-coronavirus levels in 2021 as he considers radical new cuts and says he needs up to $ 2.9 billion in additional support. from USA
Flynn said Amtrak looks forward to working with Biden, an Amtrak regular for decades who has a train station named after him in Wilmington, in his home state of Delaware.
U.S. airline and transit demand has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. Congress had considered but failed to provide another $ 25 billion to airlines in October that would have kept at least 32,000 workers on payroll.
Major airlines are seen as making a new push for assistance when Congress takes up the issue again, but declined to comment Saturday after US broadcasters declared Democrat Biden the winner of the presidential election over the current one. Republican Donald Trump.
Mass transit systems want $ 32 billion in federal aid. Biden is committed to providing US cities with 100,000 or more residents “zero-emission, high-quality public transportation options” by 2030.
U.S. automakers also promised to work with Biden, who pledged to spend billions of dollars to add 500,000 electric charging stations, fund battery research, and restore the full $ 7,500 vehicle tax credit. electric vehicle buyers Tesla Inc and General Motors Co that has expired.
Automakers may clash with Biden over the fate of fuel efficiency requirements through 2025 and penalties for failing to meet mandates.
GM said Saturday that it looks forward to working with its administration and Congress to “advance our vision of an all-electric, zero-emissions future.”
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said it looks forward to working with Biden and the new Congress “to strengthen the automotive industry and build a more secure future for our employees, customers and society.”
Biden wants to help cities invest in “e-scooters and other micro-mobility vehicles and integrate technologies like traffic lights optimized for machine learning,” and he wants Congress to pass a large infrastructure package next year.
Biden also supports providing incentives for consumers to swap less efficient vehicles for US-made electric vehicles and tax breaks for auto and parts manufacturers to build or reorganize electric vehicle factories.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
