04/01/2021 04:43 PM EDTPresident Joe Biden's Department of Transportation is invoking the Civil Rights Act to pause a highway project near Houston, a rare move that offers an early test of the administration's willingness to wield federal power to address a long history of government-driven racial inequities.
"I think this project is the poster child for [the administration's] policies," said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat representing the Houston area, who has joined local officials in challenging the project.
Known as the North Houston Highway Improvement Project, the proposal would widen I-45 in three sections. TxDOT’s environmental review of the project, completed in February, found it would have a massive impact on the communities it would roll through, displacing more than 1,000 homes and housing units, 344 businesses, five places of worship and two schools.
“I can’t tell you the number of conversations we had with the state on this,” she said, adding that she has received “nothing but lip service.” "I think [Buttigieg] was engaged, interested and fair," said Jackson Lee, who said she spoke to the DOT head recently about the project. "And I think he was chagrined at federal dollars being used with such disregard of community views."
The project has been in the works for years. So "for DOT to step in, potentially, and say 'We don’t think it’s an appropriate solution,' would be a really huge deal,” he said.
Pete Buttigieg's dog and pony show. Use an armored Suburban to bring a bike within a short distance of the destination. Unload it and ride in with a security detail in tow, pretending to save energy. 🙄
We now have a solid idea on how the Biden admin will RULE. They could have chosen plenty of blue state projects, but instead cherry picked one in a red state. Next will be guns, then undocumented immigrant voting rights, & what you can say, drink, do with your free time...
🤦♂️Dumb take confusing apples with oranges. The racial equity in transportation is about access to transportation, nothing to do whether they should equitably displace people. Nevertheless, they can be expected to make a more equitable exchange here than eminent domain like Rs.
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