PHOENIX, Ariz. -- An analysis of the nation's transportation infrastructure calls for policymakers to lay the groundwork now for a sustainable, efficient, modern, and inclusive mobility system.

The study released today calls for policymakers in Arizona and the nation to move toward transportation options that meet all consumers' needs and protect public health.

The report argued the current, fossil-fuel-based infrastructure pollutes the environment, causes unnecessary deaths, harms the public health and contributes to climate change.

Diane Brown, executive director for the Arizona Public Interest Research Group Education Fund, which released the study, believes people are ready for change.

"If policymakers made a deliberate effort to provide us with viable transportation options, we are confident more Arizonans would choose those options," Brown asserted.

She added restructuring the transit system is an opportunity to bring new options to people of color and low-income communities.

Brown contended the pandemic showed, given a choice, people prefer to drive less and will choose walking, cycling and other modes of transportation.

She pointed out efficient, non-polluting and effective modes of transit are being developed and, if implemented, would give people in every part of the state the ability to choose the type of transit system that works best for them.

"When it comes to transportation in Arizona, one size does not fit all," Brown remarked. "Arizona policymakers need to look at what transportation options work best for which communities in the state."

Brown predicted President Joe Biden's infrastructure initiative, if approved, could drive the type of transportation changes needed, but urged state and local officials to find the political will to bring new mobility options to Arizonans and others.

"Arizona and federal policymakers have the ability to set our infrastructure on a course that works for residents in our state, whether they are in a small rural community or a large urban area," Brown concluded.

President Joe Biden's bipartisan infrastructure law will disburse up to $239 million to help Georgia improve the resilience of transportation infrastructure. Environmental groups are urging state leaders to focus on rural communities, beyond Atlanta.

Severe weather events in recent years, such as flooding in the southeastern part of the state and Hurricane Zeta, are evidence enough that infrastructure funding should include climate preparedness, said Marsha Gosier, a Georgia organizer for the EDF Action Fund, part of the Environmental Defense Fund. She said she's most concerned about rural and coastal areas.

"Our submerging lowlands throughout Georgia, the coastal flooding that could occur in particular areas like Hudson Hill and Savannah, Georgia," she said, "money should definitely be placed for that in preparation, making sure that those communities are prepared."

Before the federal dollars were released, Republicans bristled over restrictions. They wanted more flexibility for using the funding, instead of the Biden administration's focus on improving existing infrastructure over creating new.

The Atlanta Regional Commission is set to host the Connect ATL summit on Aug. 23 at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center. The topic will be making the city's transportation network smarter, better connected and electric.

Gosier said she'd like to see the kind of focus happening in Atlanta in more rural areas, and is calling on state leaders to support local towns and counties to be just as innovative. But, she quipped, many rural Georgians also need the basics - such as clean running water - as well as electric-vehicle charging stations.

"When we think about lead pipes needing to be replaced in communities, it's not just impacting Flint, Michigan," she said. "This is something that is an issue all throughout the state of Georgia, and especially in rural areas."

The new PROTECT Formula program funding - short for Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation - is available to states over five years. The Atlanta Regional Commission plans to use its $45 million to pay for electric buses and charging stations, upgrades to transit infrastructure in Cobb and Clayton counties, and road improvements.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are an economical and environmentally friendly way to get from Point A to Point B, but the lack of charging stations often limits drivers to short trips.

It could soon change, as the West Electric Highway program aims to install fast-charging stations every 50 miles along rural highways in Utah and other Western states. The project is funded through the bipartisan infrastructure law approved by Congress last year.

Tammie Bostick, executive director of the Utah Clean Cities Coalition, the lead agency on the project, said the ChargeWest network will take the worry out of driving an EV across the state.

"When we look at Charge West, it's an opportunity for us to imagine electrified transportation fully and to know that we can travel, with range confidence, to our destinations and be able to return," Bostick explained.

Other participating states include Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming. Bostick pointed out the programs is the first of its type, and hopes it will be a model for other states to follow.

The West Electric Highway program is backed by a coalition of local and state governments, environmental groups and tourism officials.

Bostick emphasized it will particularly benefit Utah's vacation destinations.

"Secondary highways, the scenic highways, the places that lead us to the places that we travel to, which are our national parks, our monuments, our state parks, our recreation areas," Bostick outlined.

Bostick added a major challenge to building the West Electric Highway system is a lack of electrical infrastructure needed to power fast-charging stations in many of the rural areas.

"So that could be building out their existing electrical system, but also to plan for off-grid system systems that are stand alone, that run on solar, that really don't need a large infrastructure to be available," Bostick explained.

The West Electric Highway program is one of the first fast-charging projects approved from the $2.5 billion allocated for projects under the National Electric Vehicle Charging Network.

Connecticut residents can expect to see a sharp increase in diesel fuel prices starting July 1, and trucking companies say it will be passed on to consumers.

The increase of 9 cents per gallon is based on an annual adjustment set by the Department of Revenue Services. Although the state has suspended the gas tax through December, prices continue to rise because of inflation and the price of crude oil.

Wayne Pesce, president of the Connecticut Food Association, which represents grocery retailers and distribution suppliers in the state, said it will lead to more people having to make difficult choices.

"Some of the things we're seeing," he said, "is consumers are trading off both beef and pork - and even poultry, in some instances - and they're eating a lot more rice and pasta, because they're making decisions based on how much income they have to spend on food."

Diesel, the main fuel source for most commercial trucks, also produces emissions harmful to health, including ground-level ozone and particulate matter. As of Wednesday, the average price of diesel in Connecticut was $6.17, 40-cents above the national average.

On top of the July increase, the state also will implement a highway use tax on large commercial trucks starting in January. Michael Fox, executive director of the Gasoline and Automotive Service Dealers of America, which represents hundreds of independently owned gas stations in the state, said suspending the current diesel tax of slightly more than 40 cents per gallon could help Connecticut residents afford basic needs.

"They can also suspend the increase scheduled for July 1," he said. "With over $900 million in budget surplus money, the state can afford to do this. That would be immediate relief for every consumer in the state of Connecticut."

Earlier this month, Gov. Ned Lamont and other state officials announced a diesel fuel tax exemption for farmers and agricultural producers. Fox said they're also calling for suspending the highway use tax, which is based on vehicle weight and ranges from 2.5 cents to 17.5 cents per mile.