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As Infrastructure Talks Collapse, Focus Turns to Highway Bill

May 23, 2019

After a White House meeting on infrastructure fell apart yesterday, lawmakers were left picking up the pieces, with the odds of Congress passing a broad package looking slimmer than ever. Instead, it seems likely Congress will pursue a narrower surface transportation bill. That would happen through the reauthorization of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, which is set to expire in October 2020…. House Democrats have made climate change a top priority in the 116th Congress, and infrastructure is no exception. Most recently, Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week released a package aimed at addressing climate change, clean energy, grid modernization and more. The package, dubbed the "Leading Infrastructure for Tomorrow's (LIFT) America Act," would specifically provide more than $33 billion for clean energy, including $4 billion for the deployment of more renewables on the grid…. Democrats on the House panel spoke in optimistic terms about passing major infrastructure legislation that would address the climate crisis…. Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) said at the hearing an infrastructure deal should address the grid. "Modernizing our electric grid is a smart investment, from helping obviously to address carbon emissions to promoting reliability and affordability," he said.

Issues:Environment